Plant population, harvest method and seed quality of carrot, Brasília cultivar

Abstract

Brasília is a cultivar of carrot with a possibility of root production in hot areas and periods of high temperature. The seed production of this cultivar still requests research regarding to artificial induction of flowering and plant population. This work aimed at the study of these factors in the seed to seed method, Brasília cultivar, in São Manuel, SP, Brazil. Two experiments were carried out with and without spraying gibberellic acid. The plant densities were 25,000, 50,000, 100,000, 200,000, and 400,000 plants ha^-1. The seeds were divided according to the origin of their harvest, forming two groups: umbels seeds from the first and second orders (selected harvest) and umbels seeds from the second and other orders (general harvest). After each harvest the seeds were evaluated taking into consideration the physical characteristics, germination, vigour, 1.000-seed weight and water content. There were flowering and seed production in both experiments (with and without GA₃ spraying). In general, seeds from selected harvest had superior quality than the ones from the general harvest with difference in germination up to about 16%. Increase in plant population up to 200,000 plants ha^-1 did not alter the seeds quality.