Crescimento e desenvolvimento de mudas de morangueiro (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) importadas, nacionais vernalizadas e não vernalizadas

Abstract

Strawberry, scientifically known as Fragaria x ananassa Duch, is a red fruit widely appreciated due to its sweet flavor and irresistible aroma and has a high commercial value. It is seen that strawberry production in Brazil is challenged by several limiting factors that make it difficult to increase national production. One of the main obstacles faced is the dependence on imported seedlings, increasing the cost of production. Therefore, it becomes necessary to increase the quality of national seedlings, reducing the production cost of strawberry producers. Therefore, this work aimed to reduce dependence on imported seedlings and investigate the effects of vernalization on the developmental physiology and production of the San Andreas cultivar, in comparison with imported seedlings. The experiment was conducted in the Olericulture sector of the Department of Agriculture of the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), located in the municipality of Lavras – MG. Imported seedlings, national vernalized seedlings and national non-vernalized seedlings were used. Part of the national seedlings went through the vernalization process in the BOD camera installed in the Olericulture sector, the other part of the national seedlings that were not vernalized were kept in a cool environment until the day of the experiment installation (transplanting). After 35 days of vernalization of the national seedlings, the three treatments were transplanted: 35 vernalized national seedlings; 35 non-vernalized national seedlings; and 35 imported seedlings. The experiment was carried out in a protected environment, using a randomized block design (DBC). Each trough was considered as an experimental block, containing all treatments. The experiment was conducted in the semi-hydroponic system. As management, crown pruning was carried out once a month on the strawberry plants, in order to maintain the cleanliness and good development of the plants, maintaining 2 to 3 crowns per plant. Assessments were conducted weekly over a period of five months, totaling 20 assessments. The following were evaluated: height and diameter of strawberry plants; Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI); chlorophyll a, b and total; leaf area index (LAI); air temperature and humidity; and fruit production. The data were subjected to an analysis of variance using the F test (p ≤ 0.05) and means were compared using the Tukey test (p ≤ 0.05). In addition, correlation analyzes were carried out with all data using the ggcorrplot package, and the JMP PRO 14 software, finally, principal component analysis (PCA). As a result, it was observed that the imported seedlings had greater growth (height and diameter) than the other treatments, however, in relation to NDVI and IAF, it can be observed that the national vernalized seedlings and the imported seedlings had the same behavior. , not statistically different from each other. For variables related to production, the effect of vernalization was not observed under the conditions of this test, since non-vernalized seedlings were more productive. However, a correlation is noted between the variables analyzed and a similarity in behavior between imported and national vernalized cultivars.