Performance of cultivars of arugula under shade screens and open field

Abstract

Considering the increasing economic importance and due to the lack of technical information for growing arugula in tropical regions, it was evaluated the performance of arugula cultivated under different shade screens and at open field. Eight treatments were evaluated in a 2x4 factorial design, with two cultivars (Cultivada and Folha Larga) x four crop environments (open field, greenhouse shading with 30%, 40% and 50%), with four replications in randomized blocks. The evaluated were plant height, leaf number, fresh and dry matter of the above ground part. Cultivars Folha Larga and Cultivada, showed satisfactory yield: that production in the open field showed acceptable values, showing viable cultivation in the winter in Cáceres-MT, even in warm temperatures, especially for early harvest at around 37 days after sowing. However, cultivation of arugula is favored using 50% shade screen, which can increase the production about 43%.