Production of italian zucchini cultivars at full sun and shaded in brazilian Northeast

Abstract

Italian zucchini is among the ten vegetables of greatest economic value and national production. However, studies of cultivars and their cultivation under shade are scarce. Therefore, this research was developed with the objective of evaluating the productive behavior of zucchini cultivars under full sun and shade. A block design was used, with four replications and the treatments followed the 5 x 2 factorial scheme, five cultivars of zucchini (“Anita F1, Brenda F1, Irit F1, Corona F1 and Caserta”) and two cultivation systems (a full sun and shading with black screen), respectively. The cultivation environment influenced the production of Italian zucchinis. Larger diameter fruits were produced by the cultivar Brenda F1. The cultivars Anita F1 and Corona F1 produced fruits with greater length and, Brenda F1 and Corona F1 fruits with greater mass. The cultivation in full sun provided a greater number of fruits per plant, with the exception of the cultivar Irit F1, which presented a greater number of fruits in the shaded cultivation. Full sun cultivation showed higher productivity and commercial production when compared to shaded cultivation. The cultivar Brenda F1 cultivated in full sun showed higher productivity and commercial production. The cultivars Corona F1 and Irit F1 showed higher productivity and commercial production when cultivated with shading. The cultivation of Italian zucchini shaded in the conditions of the Northeast region is feasible, since it minimizes the negative effects of the cultivation environment, avoiding, mainly fruits burned by the sun, ensuring its visual, nutritional and sensory quality.