ISHS Acta Horticulturae 936: XXVIII International Horticultural Congress on Science and Horticulture for People (IHC2010): International Symposium on Quality-Chain Management of Fresh Vegetables: From Fork to Farm
FLOWER THINNING ON THE PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF BELL PEPPER HYBRIDS |
| Authors: | S.F. Blat, E. Suguino, M. Perdoná , R.B.F. Branco |
| Keywords: | Capsicum annuum L., yield, quality, flower thinning |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.2012.936.47 |
| Abstract:
Technological advances in horticulture have been intense in order to obtain higher productivities. Consequently, techniques that improve the development of crops in order to give producers better competitiveness in the market are continuously being studied. Bell pepper flower thinning is among those techniques; the principle behind such type of management consists in improving the size, shape, and yield of marketable fruits. Although some producers already use this technique in their properties, by removing the flower that appears on the first branch bifurcation, flower thinning has been poorly studied and more scientific information on the subject is necessary. The experiment was conducted in Ribeirão Preto, State of São Paulo, Brazil and aimed to study flower thinning on the yield and quality of two bell pepper hybrids. A random block experimental design arranged in a 4 x 2 factorial combina¬tion was adopted, with four types of flower thinning (flower removal on the first branch bifurcation, on the first and second bifurcations, on the first, second, and third bifurcations, and a control without flower removal) and two hybrids (‘Magali R’ and ‘Dahra R’, of Sakata Seed enterprise). The following traits were evaluated: numbers of marketable fruits, unmarketable fruits, and total fruits; total, marketable, and unmarketable yield; mean marketable and unmarketable weight, and mean length and width of marketable fruits. No interaction was found between the flower thinning and cultivar factors, nor between each factor analyzed separately for number of marketable fruits, unmarketable fruits, and total fruits; marketable yield, unmarket¬able yield, and total yield; mean unmarketable weight; and mean length of marketable fruits. The cultivar factor was significant for mean marketable weight and mean width, indicating differences between the cultivars, with ‘Dara’ obtaining higher weight and width. It was concluded from the experiment that flower thinning did not bring benefits to the crop, and is therefore not recommended. | |
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