PERFOMANCE AGRONÔMICA DA ALFACE SUBMETIDA à ADUBAÇÃO SILICATADA NO SUDOESTE GOIANO

Abstract

Lettuce is the most consumed hardwood crop in Brazil, being preferred among the olericultores both those who cultivate in the field and those who cultivate in a protected environment. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the application of silicon doses on yield and post-harvest quality of American lettuce, cv. Raider silicon in southwestern Goiás, in the city of Urutaí - GO. The experimental design was completely randomized (DIC), with five treatments for five doses of silicon (0.0, 0.9, 1.8, 2.7 and 3.6 L ha-1), with four replications and three sprays at different times (14, 21 and 28 days after transplanting - DAT). The highest total commercial mass and head circumference were obtained in the quadratic effect in which the 1.8 L ha-1 dose of silicon resulted in a higher yield. For the data on silicon doses, the quadratic model was also used, for which the doses 2.0 and 2.7 L ha-1 were estimated, as those that provided the highest yields of total and commercial fresh mass, respectively. A quadratic model with maximum circumference point was set for the 2.1 L ha-1 dose of silicon, which provided a circumference of 40.1 cm. For the application times, there were practically no differences, with the application at 14 days excelling with 706.0 g / plant. The best post-harvest conservation results were obtained when evaluated by a grading scale, at 10 and 20 days post-harvest in the doses of 0.9 and 1.8 l ha -1. For application at 21 days after transplantation, a quadratic effect was observed where the dose of 2.0 L ha-1 of silicon promoted a better postharvest conservation of the lettuce.