Production of paulista gherkin using trellis net support

Abstract

Paulista gherkin is a new gherkin type obtained by crossing Cucumis anguria var. anguria x C. anguria var. longaculeatus. It differs from common gherkin in its fruits and leaves. Elite lines of Paulista gherkin present similar performance for total yield and fruit weight but some have distinctive characteristics, including fruit and leaf attributes. The combination of these characteristics through production of Paulista gherkin hybrids could be an alternative for fruit quality and/or yield improvement. The purpose of the present work was to compare the yield of Paulista gherkin lines and their hybrids grown on a trellis net under field conditions. Four lines and their six single-cross hybrids were evaluated for yield and fruit production using the trellised net production system. Seedlings were produced in polystyrene trays with 128 cells, and transplanted to the middle of 1.20 m wide beds. Plants were trained without pruning on netting having 0.1 x 0.1 m openings. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with four replicates and seven plants per plot. Yield was expressed as number of fruits and total weight of fruits per plot. Length, width and fruit flesh thickness were also evaluated, with five samples per plot in two harvesting times. Hybrids and their parental lines were similar in fruit yield and quality. The trellised net was suitable for Paulista gherkin production and provided adequate support to the plants. The trellis technique is suitable to make harvesting easier and to improve fruit quality. Apesar das linhagens elite apresentarem comportamento semelhante em termos de produção total e peso médio de frutos, algumas características são peculiares a cada uma delas. A combinação dessas características através de produção de híbridos poderia ser uma alternativa para aumentar a qualidade e/ou a produção de frutos. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi comparar a produção de linhagens e híbridos de Maxixe Paulista cultivadas em campo, com práticas de tutoramento em rede agrícola. Foram avaliadas quatro linhagens e seis híbridos simples, quanto ao comportamento e produção de frutos no sistema de cultivo tutorado em rede agrícola. As mudas foram obtidas em bandejas de poliestireno expandido e transplantadas para linha central de canteiros de 1,20 m de largura. As plantas foram conduzidas sem poda e tutoradas em rede agrícola com malha de 0,10 x 0,10 m. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados, com quatro repetições e parcela de sete plantas. A produção foi expressa em número e massa total de frutos/parcela. Avaliaram-se características de fruto como comprimento, largura e espessura de polpa, em amostragem de cinco frutos/parcela, em duas colheitas. A produção e a qualidade dos frutos dos híbridos foram equivalentes à das linhagens. A rede agrícola se mostrou adequada para o cultivo de Maxixe Paulista na forma tutorada. Esta técnica de condução facilita a colheita e melhora a qualidade dos frutos.

Agro-economic performance of bur gherkin under staking systems

“…Although the anomaly known as white belly affects the quality of the fruits, they are often commercialized, and they were also computed in the calculations to obtain the economic indicators. Modolo & Costa (2004) verified the efficiency of this staking system of bur gherkin. In general, the treatments in which the plants were staked led to higher values than for no staking.…”

“…Thus, more plants per hectare and a better distribution of solar radiation in the staking systems likely promoted a greater yield. Modolo & Costa (2004) evaluated the production of the Paulista variety of bur gherkin with agricultural netting staking and verified that it facilitates the harvesting operation, as well as improves the fruit quality. This behavior was also observed by Costa et al (2019), who verified a higher quality of fruits during the cultivation on trellis system.…”

“…The treatments with agricultural netting, Mexican and VRAST staking did not show significant differences from one another for any of the evaluated variables, being all superior to no staking for yield and inferior for incidence of white belly, proving to be the best types of staking for the bur gherkin crop. The production of Paulista bur gherkin supported by agricultural netting promotes good yields (Modolo & Costa 2004). It should be noted that their highest yield (39.35 t ha -1 ) was lower than that observed in the present study (43.75 t ha -1 ).…”

“…Among the staking systems, the agricultural netting was efficient for bur gherkin cultivation (Modolo & Costa 2004), and the Mexican system was inferior to the individual bamboo staking system and similar to the spiral system in the production of tomato fruits (Schmidt et al 2018). Thus, it did not show a significant difference, in comparison to the crossed wire system, vertical system with bamboo and vertical ribbon in the incidence of black spot, bacterial spot, tomato blight and fruit borer (Wamser et al 2008).…”

“…Among the staking systems, the agricultural netting is used for vegetables or flowers, providing support and staking to the growing system, increasing the cultivation density and allowing the vertical growth of the plant, with an increased circulation between leaves and a decrease in the incidence of pathogens. This system favors the adequate support of plants, facilitating the harvesting and improving the quality of bur gherkin fruits (Modolo & Costa 2004).…”