PARTENOCARPIA E DESENVOLVIMENTO DE FRUTOS DE ABOBRINHA ITALIANA INDUZIDOS POR AUXINA

Abstract

Italian zucchini is an entomophilous pollinating species. If the number of pollinating insects is low, productivity tends to decrease and can remain stable in two situations: under artificial pollination or via hormonal induction. Parthenocarpy in this species can be induced by exogenous stimuli such as the use of auxins. This group of hormones has been constantly studied regarding their efficiency in producing fruits without pollination or some other stimulus. The objective of this work was to evaluate the occurrence of parthenocarpy and auxin-induced development of Italian zucchini fruits. The design used was in randomized blocks, containing five treatments (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 ml.L-1), concentrations of the growth regulator Stimulate®, with five replications. After harvesting the fruits, the following characteristics were analyzed: quantity of fruits per plot, average length (cm), average weight (kg), soluble solids content and number of days between anthesis and harvest. In relation to the concentration of IBA applied, it had similar productivity when compared to pollination by insects, being a viable method in certain cases for producers. The applications were efficient in the formation of fruits by parthenocarpy, as the results were similar in cases where there was no application.