Commercial classification and physicochemical characterization of beets from a no-till vegetable planting system under different densities of corn stover

Abstract

The cultivation of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) for table or horticultural purposes is largely carried out in the conventional way which is characterized by intense mechanization causing soil degradation and high labor costs. New cultivation techniques are being employed in the production of vegetables aiming to ensure improvements in environmental and economic conditions, such as the no-till farming system. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the vegetable classification and physicochemical characteristics of beets from different corn planting densities. The experiment was conducted in the period from October 2018 to June 2019 in the municipality of Nova Laranjeiras (PR). Corn was used as a cover plant and the vegetable used was beet cultivar Early Wonder Tall Top. The experimental design used was in interspersed blocks in unifactorial scheme (corn densities 40, 60, 80, 100 thousand plants/ha and control) with four blocks, with plots 3.60 m long and 1.20 m wide. The parameters evaluated 60 days after planting were: commercial classification (class, group, subgroup, category), length, diameter, mass, pulp firmness, soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH and ratio, phenolic compounds. Of which the variables that were not significant at 0.5 probability were length, category (defects), firmness, subgroup (flesh color), soluble solids and phenolic compounds. It is concluded that high densities of corn as mulch for SPDH of sugar beet crop negatively affect the grade and physicochemical characterization of the products.