Dry mass and nutrients accumulation by tomato 'SM-16' cultivated in different mulchingThe dry mass and nutrients accumulation by tomato 'SM-16' cultivated in different mulching was carried out on an experiment in WG Fruticultura, Baraúna, Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil, from September 2009 to January 2010. The treatments consisted of 1) uncovered soil, 2) black polyethylene film, 3) white polyethylene film, 4) gray polyethylene film and 5) black polypropylene (TNT). Treatments were arranged in split plots with the plots represented by mulching and split plots by the time of sampling the plants: 14, 28, 42, 56, 70, 84, 98 and 112 days after transplanting. The experimental design utilized was a randomized complete block with four replications. Mulching did not affect the dry mass accumulation of the plants. The fruits behaved as preferential sink of the plant, reaching the end of the cycle with 48.6% of the total accumulated dry mass. Only N, Ca and Mg accumulation in the fruits and K accumulation in the leaves were influenced by mulching. Using white polyethylene resulted in the highest averages, respectively in the accumulation of 137.73 and 8.84 kg/ha of N and Mg on fruits. Using TNT resulted in the accumulation of 4.02 and 134.23 kg/ha of Ca and K on fruits and leaves, respectively. The nutrients accumulation in the plants in decreasing order were K>N>Ca>Mg>P; N, P and K being found in higher quantities in fruits, and Ca and Mg in leaves.

Cultivares de alho produzido em Portalegre, RN, Brasil. Fotos: W.A.R. Lopes RESUMOO armazenamento pós-colheita pode ser um instrumento útil para que os produtores de alho proporcionem produtos de boa qualidade, com preços acessíveis para os consumidores, não apenas no momento da colheita. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi caracterizar as mudanças nas propriedades físico-químicas do alho comum e nobre, durante o tempo de armazenamento, em condições ambientais. Os tratamentos foram dispostos em parcelas subdivididas. As parcelas foram representadas pelas cultivares de alho: BRS Hozan e Roxo Pérola de Caçador e as subparcelas foram representadas pelo tempo de armazenamento: 0, 30, 60, 90 e 120 dias. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos casualizados, com quatro repetições. Foram avaliadas: perda de peso, índice de chochamento, sólidos solúveis, acidez titulável, pH, relação sólidos solúveis/acidez titulável, pungência, sólidos totais e índice industrial. Com o tempo de armazenamento, houve aumento na perda de peso, índice de chochamento e acidez titulável, além de redução no pH, relação SS/AT e índice industrial, para as duas cultivares avaliadas. O alho manteve o padrão ideal para consumo até os 120 dias de armazenamento, para ambas as cultivares. A cultivar Roxo Pérola de Caçador teve potencial de armazenamento superior a cultivar BRS Hozan.Palavras-chave adicionais: Allium sativum L., armazenamento pós-colheita, sólidos solúveis, pungência.

Garlic is a vegetable rich in starch and in aromatic substances; it has high value as a spice and is consumed as a fresh vegetable or in processed products. The garlic market demand has been growing in the last years, and virus-free garlic seed is a technology that can result in better quality products. The objective of this work was to evaluate the quality of virus-free garlic cultivars (VFGC) grown under high altitude conditions in the Semiarid region of the Northeast of Brazil. Three experiments were conducted in 2018 in Portalegre, state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil: the first experiment with first-generation VFGC (G1), the second with second-generation VFGC (G2), and the third with infected cultivars (without clonal cleaning). The experiments were conducted in randomized block experimental design, with four replications. The treatments consisted of five garlic cultivars (Amarante, Branco-Mossoró, Cateto-Roxo, Gravatá, and Hozan). The use of virus-free garlic seeds results in bulbs with larger diameter and higher soluble solid and total solid contents, pungency, and industrial yield, showing that the seed health is important for the quality of garlics for fresh consumption and industrial processing. The cultivars Amarante, Cateto -Roxo, and Hozan had the highest total solid contents; and the cultivar Hozan had the largest bulb diameter and the highest soluble solid contents, pungency, and industrial index. The cultivar Hozan is the most indicated for dehydration due to its higher industrial index. Bulb diameter, pungency, and industrial index presented positive correlations with soluble solids, pungency, and industrial index.

Garlic is a vegetable that has a high economic importance for Brazil. However, despite increases in garlic bulb production in the last years, Brazil is still dependent on imported garlic to meet the national demand. Thus, proper management practices and the use of virus-free clove-seeds are promising alternatives to ensure a high productivity and profitability. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate production characteristics and profitability of conventional and virus-free garlic crops as a function of different clove-seed sizes and plant spacings. Two experiments were conducted simultaneously, using virus-free and conventional garlic plants in Portalegre, state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, in a randomized block experimental design, with four replications. The treatments were arranged in split-plot, with the clove-seed size (large and small) in the plots, and the spacing between plants (7.5, 10.0, 12.5, and 15.0 cm) in the subplots. The combination between the use of virus-free clove-seeds, large clove-seed size, and spacing of 12.5 cm between plants resulted in the highest commercial bulb yield and net income, R$ (BRL) 85,151.00 ha-1. The use of large clove-seeds and spacing of 7.5 cm between plants are recommended for conventional garlic crops.

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