Irrigation of arugula cultivars in the region of Zona da Mata Mineira

Abstract

The region of the Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais stands out in the production of vegetables. To achieve the success in this activity, it is important to choose suitable cultivars and apply irrigation correctly. This study aimed to determine the optimum irrigation depth and evaluate new commercial arugula cultivars in the Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais. The cultivation was carried out in a greenhouse during three cycles with periods of 33 (January 11, 2016 to February 12, 2016), 36 (March 1, 2016 to April 5, 2016), and 36 (April 12, 2016 to May 17, 2016) days. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with five replications, five irrigation depths (50, 75, 100, 125, and 150% of the crop evapotranspiration-ETc) in the plots, and three arugula cultivars (Antonella, Cultivada, and Folha Larga) in the subplots. A drip irrigation system was used. The parameters evaluated were root depth, root fresh mass, plant water potential, leaf temperature, number of commercial leaves, total number of plants, fresh shoot mass, and water use efficiency. Arugula cultivars did not present differences in their agronomic characteristics. An irrigation depth of the 50% ETc is recommended if the soil moisture is under the field capacity at the beginning of the arugula cycle.