The objective of this work was to evaluate the yield of cornichon pickling cucumber cultivars in different sowing spacings. The experiment was developed out in Petrolina, Pernambuco State, Brazil, from April to July, 1999. Five cultivars of pickling for processing (Calypso, Eureka, Prêmio, Vlaspik and Vlasset) and three plant spacings (0.20, 0.30 and 0.50 m) led in the low system were studied. The treatments were arranged in the 5x3 factorial scheme in experimental design of complete randomized blocks, with three replications. Experimental plots consisted of four rows, each one 3.0 m long spaced out in 1.0 m, with two plants per site and the two central rows making up the useful area. There was negative linear effect on yield for cvs. Vlaspik, Vlasset and Prêmio when interplant spacing (inside the row) increased. The lowest yield was observed for Calypso and Eureka under plant spacing of 0.50 and 0.46 m. The greatest fresh mass of fruits was found for cultivars Vlasset (6.94 g/fruit) and Eureka (6.82 g/fruit) with no differences between them. Increasing interplant spacing resulted in positive linear effect for number of fruits per plant in all cultivars studied. Cultivars had a variation from 12.18 to 15.10% in type 3 fruits (5.0 to 5.5 cm of length), and cultivars Vlaspik (15.10%), Eureka (14.50%) and Calypso (13.60%) presented the highest ratios without statistical difference.
Cucumis sativus; spacings; crop performance; processing; crop management
