Potencial hortícola de cultivares de morangueiro por dois ciclos consecutivos em ambiente protegido

Abstract

In the strawberry (FragariaXananassa Duch.) cultivation the scarce information about the maintenance of the plants and its conduction for two consecutive cycles contribute to increase the production costs, since annually the producers renew their crops with imported daughter plants. Thus, one must know the horticultural potential of cultivars and contribute with information to increase the yield and quality of strawberries. The objective of this work was to investigate whether strawberry cultivars carried out for two consecutive cycles, in a greenhouse, alter their horticultural potential. The study was conducted at the Horticulture Sector of the University of Passo Fundo (UPF). Seven strawberry cultivars („Albion‟, „Aromas‟, „Camarosa‟, „Camino Real‟, „Monterey‟, „Portola‟ and „San Andreas‟) were tested in two production cycles. The cultivation system was conventional (in soil). The morphology of the cultivars was characterized and the production and quality of fruits were evaluated. As for the morphological characterization of the materials, the results showed that there is variability among all the cultivars studied, regardless of the photoperiod classification regarding flowering. „Aromas‟ cultivar stood out for the greater amount of fruit produced in both production cycles. In the first cycle, „Albion‟, „Camino Real‟ and „Monterey‟ cultivars produced fruits with the highest average fresh masses. The phytochemical quality of the fruits was superior in the second cycle of cultivation in relation to the first cycle. The levels of total anthocyanins did not differ between cultivars. The total flavonoid content was higher in „Aromas‟, „Camarosa‟, „Camino Real‟ and „Monterey‟. „Camarosa‟ and „San Andreas‟ had the highest concentration of total polyphenols. The antioxidant activity was higher in „Aromas‟ and „Camarosa‟. The results obtained demonstrate that strawberry cultivars conducted for two consecutive cycles, in a protected environment, show variations in their horticultural potential. Such information can support the maintenance of the same plants for more than one cycle, without compromising the production and quality of the fruits, with a reduction in the costs of acquiring seedlings and planting.