This work was carried out from July to September, 2006, at the vegetable garden of UFERSA, in Mossoró, RN, Brazil, to evaluate the effect of different plant spacing on root quality of three cultivars of carrot. The experimental design was a complete randomized blocks, in a 6x3 factorial scheme, with three replications. The studied factors were spacing (20x4, 20x6, 20x8, 15x4, 15x6, and 15x8 cm) and cultivars (Brasília, Alvorada and Esplanada). The evaluated carrot root characteristics were: root length, root diameter, xylem length, xylem diameter, soluble solids content (SS), total sugar content (TS), total acidity, vitamin C, SS/TS ratio, and pH. The factors cultivar and plant spacing did not show interaction for any evaluated characteristic. Plant spacing influenced length and diameter of both root and xylem. Cultivar Alvorada had better performance for soluble solids and total sugar, as well as for SS/TS ratio.
Daucus carota L.; post harvest; quality
