Crescimento, desenvolvimento e caracterização físico-química de frutos de maracujazeiro-azedo, em função dos tamanhos de mudas

Abstract

The sour passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa) is one of the most important crops in Brazilian fruit farming, facing challenges related to pest and disease control, which demand strategies such as the use of hybrid cultivars and innovative techniques like advanced seedlings. This study was carried out from May 2023 to June 2024 at the State University of Western Paraná (Unioeste), Marechal Cândido Rondon Campus, aiming to evaluate the growth, development, and physicochemical characteristics of the fruits as a function of different seedling sizes. Two experiments were conducted using a randomized block design in a 3x3 factorial scheme. In Experiment I, the vegetative and reproductive growth of the cultivars BRS Rubi do Cerrado, BRS Gigante Amarelo, and BRS Sol do Cerrado was evaluated, using seedlings of 1.0 m, 1.5 m, and 2.0 m, totaling nine treatments with five replications. The analyzed variables included number of leaves, stem diameter, number of secondary branches, number of flowers, and number of fruits. In Experiment II, the fruits were evaluated for length, diameter, weight, peel thickness, pH, soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA), SS/TA ratio, phenolic compounds, and colorimetry. The results showed that 1.5 m seedlings had the best productive performance, with 85 fruits per plant and a yield of 1.69 t ha⁻¹, followed by 1.0 m seedlings with 63 fruits and 1.29 t ha⁻¹. The Rubi do Cerrado cultivar stood out with the best overall performance, with a higher number of fruits in the 1.0 m and 1.5 m seedlings, indicating better adaptation to the region. The Gigante Amarelo cultivar also showed good performance with smaller seedlings. On the other hand, the Sol do Cerrado cultivar produced larger fruits, but with lower total mass and reduced productive efficiency under the evaluated conditions.