Evaluación de cucumis sativus sometido a diferentes sistemas de poda en sector de Palmales-Arenillas.

Abstract

The present research work was carried out in the Palmales sector of the Arenillas canton, province of El Oro. The general objective of the experiment was to evaluate the agronomic and economic behaviour of the Humocaro cucumber cultivar subjected to different pruning systems and specifically to evaluate the impact on the yield and quality of the fruit based on the defined study treatments in order to establish a profitability analysis of the crop based on the benefit-cost ratio. Cucumber is a vegetable that has a high nutritional value due to its fat, protein and carbohydrate content, whether consumed fresh or processed within the country. Pruning is a practice that consists of reducing the number of unproductive or diseased branches and shoots that limit the physiological development of the plant. Pruning systems can be training, yield or fruiting and phytosanitary. This allows a balance between vegetative development and fruiting of the plant. This cucumber crop is established in various areas of Ecuador, with great adaptability in the warm valleys of the Ecuadorian highlands and in the south-west in the arid tropics of the coast, which are optimal for its physiological development and good production. The treatments were established as follows: T1 (without pruning), T2 (from 0.50 m in height, all the lateral shoots are left on the trees, and they are pruned when they have one fruit and above one leaf), T3 (from 0.50 m in height to approximately 1 m, all the lateral shoots are left on the trees, and they are pruned when they have one fruit and above one leaf), T3 (from 0.50 m in height to approximately 1 m, all the lateral shoots are left on the trees, and they are pruned when they have one fruit and above one leaf. From 1 m onwards, all the lateral shoots are left to grow, pruning them when they have 2 fruits and above one leaf), T4 (above 0.5 m, all the lateral stems are left to grow, pruning them when they have 1 leaf and above 2 fruits). The variables studied were: days to harvest, plants at harvest, number of fruits, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit weight, commercial quality, profitability analysis. The experimental design used was a Randomised Complete Block Design , with a 4x4 factorial arrangement, composed of four treatments with four replications, obtaining 16 experimental units. Evaluating with the Analysis of Variance and Fisher's test of pairs, both with 95% reliability. By obtaining the results it is indicated that the treatment (T2), was the one that began the harvest of fruits (60.51 days), also the treatment (T4), was the one that maintained the highest number of plants at harvest (25000 plants), the treatment (T3) obtained the highest production of fruits per plant (7.93), the treatment (T2), obtained the best agricultural yield with the highest length of fruits (24.58 cm), also obtained the best weight of the fruit (423.87 gr), while the treatment (T2) and (T3) obtained statistically similar results (6.24 cm), the treatment (T2) stood out in the production of fruits of first commercial quality (158250 fruits), second quality corresponded to the treatment (T1) with 73589.64 fruits, in non commercial fruits the treatment (1), obtaining a production of (14717.93) fruits, for the treatment (T3), it is established that the contribution of greater quantity in fruits of first quality allowed to obtain better economic profitability.