The Effect of Organic vs. Conventional Cropping Systems on the Yield and Chemical Composition of Three Courgette Cultivars

Klaudia Kopczyńska,Dominika Średnicka-Tober,Ewelina Hallmann,Ewa Rembiałkowska,Renata Kazimierczak,Marcin Barański,Anna Szafirowska

doi:10.3390/agronomy10091341

Klaudia Kopczyńska, Dominika Średnicka-Tober + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10091341

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Abstract

Courgette is a popular vegetable belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family. It is known for its good adaptation to different weather conditions, although it performs best in a warm and humid climate. Since the yield and various quality characteristics of vegetables are known to be strongly influenced by a number of weather, agronomic, and genetic (variety/cultivar) factors, in this study we aimed to compare three cultivars of courgette (Atena, Lajkonik and Soraya) grown in two consecutive growing seasons in the organic and conventional agronomic systems. The concentrations of nitrates, nitrites, carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin, β-carotene) and chlorophylls (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b) in courgette fruits were analyzed by HPLC. The growing season had a predominant effect on the yield as well as the majority of the analyzed compositional parameters of the courgette fruits. The studied cultivars differed significantly in the concentration of lutein, β-carotene, and chlorophylls, although some significant interactions between the cultivar and the growing season were observed. On average, organically grown courgettes were characterized by a significantly higher yield, as well as higher dry matter and chlorophyll content, however, this agronomic system’s effect was not consistent among all the studied cultivars in the two seasons. The study suggests that organic practices have a potential to provide high yields of good quality crops, comparable (or, in the case of some parameters, better) than the conventional, resource-intensive horticulture.

Highlights

Courgette, known as zucchini, belongs to the large botanical family Cucurbitaceae [1], and is distinguished, next to, e.g., pumpkin, cocozelle, and marrow, as a representative of Cucurbita pepo species, subspecies pepo [2]
Organic production of courgettes, together with all organic vegetables cultivated for Agronomy 2020, 10, 1341; doi:10.3390/agronomy10091341
The aim of the present study was to characterize the yield as well as selected quality characteristics, including nitrates, nitrites, carotenoids and chlorophyll content, in the fruits of three courgette cultivars grown in two consecutive seasons according to organic and conventional farming standards

Summary

Introduction

Known as zucchini, belongs to the large botanical family Cucurbitaceae [1], and is distinguished, next to, e.g., pumpkin, cocozelle, and marrow, as a representative of Cucurbita pepo species, subspecies pepo [2]. Courgettes and many other vegetables from the Cucurbitaceae family are popular and consumed on all continents [2], marketed both as fresh and processed products. The organic production of courgettes is marginal compared to the conventional production. According to Eurostat Statistics [3], in 2019 the conventional production of courgettes and marrows in the EU amounted to 1586.35 thousand tons, while in Poland it was 20.4 thousand tons. Organic production of courgettes, together with all organic vegetables cultivated for Agronomy 2020, 10, 1341; doi:10.3390/agronomy10091341 www.mdpi.com/journal/agronomy

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