Efeito da aplicação foliar de cálcio e/ou silício no morangueiro

Abstract

The strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) It is a fruit whose color, aroma and flavor are very attractive to consumers. However, it is highly perishable, as it has a high transpiration rate and a short shelf life. In this sense, the objective was to evaluate the influence of foliar application of calcium and/or silicon in three strawberry genotypes (Albion, Pircinque and Clone-23) on the agronomic, physiological, mineral and post-harvest quality characteristics. For this, two experiments were carried out where the following were evaluated: total production, production/plant, number of fruits/plant, general average weight, commercial average weight, non-commercial average weight, % commercial fruits, % deformed commercial fruits, % non-commercial fruits deformed commercials, % rotten fruit, % moisture, photosynthetic pigments, macro and micronutrients, as well as parameters related to post-harvest. It was observed that the treatments that received additional fertilization with Ca and/or Si increased the total production, the number of fruits/plant, the production/plant and reduced the % of rotten fruits, the % humidity and the % of deformed fruits. Since the Pircinque cultivar stands out for the best results of total production, production/plant, number of fruits/plant, lower % moisture, lower % deformed fruit and lower % rotten fruit compared to Albion and Clone-23. Supplementary fertilization had no effect on the photosynthetic variables of chlorophyll A, chlorophyll B, total chlorophyll, carotenoids and SPAD. As for the minerals, it was observed that foliar Ca can enhance the absorption of Si by the leaves, however, the foliar application of Si can impair the absorption of Ca, including from the fertirrigation solution.It was observed in the post-harvestmore pronounced effect of genotypes on fruit quality attributes as a function of storage time. The Pircinque cultivar showed better appearance attributes, less mass loss, greater firmness, higher soluble solids content, being externally less red and internally more reddish than Albion and Clone-23. It is concluded that the foliar application with Ca and/or Si positively influences the agronomic and mineral characteristics of the strawberry plant, although the use of Si requires caution as it can affect the absorption of nutrients such as Ca. The post-harvest quality decreases with storage time, however, supplementary fertilization contributed to the maintenance of the physicochemical characteristics of the fruits throughout the storage period.