Produtividade de alho em função do arranjo e densidade de plantas

Abstract

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is one of the most important vegetables in Brazil, used as a condiment in various culinary dishes. However, despite its importance and increasing market availability, Brazilian production is still not sufficient to meet national demand. One of the techniques that can be used to make the garlic market more competitive is to modify the plant population and arrangement in order to achieve greater productivity and bulb quality. In this context, the study aimed to evaluate the influence of different garlic plant arrangements in double rows, with varying spacings and population densities, on the productivity and quality of the Ito variety. The experiment was carried out in Cristalina – GO, at the company Matrice, from May to September 2023. It was conducted in a randomized block design with 9 treatments and 4 replications, using 12, 14, and 16 cm between double rows and 8, 9, 10, and 12 cm between plants. After harvest, the garlic was cured, counted, and classified using a grading template, recording the number of bulbs and the weight of each class obtained, in addition to the number of plants per hectare. The use of reduced spacings results in smaller bulb size, despite the higher population density, whereas larger spacings produce larger bulbs, due to lower competition in the field. The 8 arrangement, with 4 double rows in a 1.80 m bed, 12 cm between double rows, and 12 cm between plants, totaling 370,370 plants ha⁻¹, demonstrates a better balance between yield and bulb size.