Supply and production technologies used in cucumber and eggplant in Minas Gerais State, Brazil

ABSTRACT:

The supply of vegetables in Minas Gerais State fluctuates throughout the year and the knowledge of cucumber and eggplant producer profile and technologies used by them can contribute to minimize this seasonality. This research identified the meso and micro-regions and municipalities with a greater production/supply for the Distribution Center of the state of Minas Gerais (CEASA-MG). The study covered 11 municipalities, four of them in the micro-regions of Sete Lagoas, five in the micro-regions of Belo Horizonte and two in the micro-regions of Itaguara. A survey with 35 questions was applied to 65 producers. The micro-regions of Belo Horizonte and Sete Lagoas accounted for 77% of the offer of cucumber. The meso-region of Belo Horizonte accounted for 86.5% of the offer of eggplant. The use of some production technologies was identified, such as drip irrigation (94%), manual/chemical weed control (50%), planting of certified seedlings (68%), planting in the off season (16%), cost control (93%), technical assistance and soil analysis, sporadically, crop rotation (100%) and product classification (100%). Nevertheless, inadequate management techniques applied with failures on planning caused, in some seasons of the year, the lack of product to meet the market. As tenants (43%), most producers did not feel motivated to practice cultivation in protected environment.

Keywords:
Solanum melongena; Cucumis sativus; production/supply of vegetables; use of technologies; region of production.