ABSTRACT
Physalis peruviana L. is a species belonging to the Solanaceae family, which has been incorporated in small fruit plantations with high yielding potential for subtropical regions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the fruits quality of P. peruviana L., produced with or without plastic cover over the plant canopy and two planting densities ( 0.5 and 1.0 m between plants ) and 3.0 m between planting lines. The experimental design was randomized blocks in a factorial 2 x 2 with 6 blocks and 10 plants per plot. We evaluated the qualitative characteristics of fruits such as fresh weight, length, diameter, color, amount of total anthocyanins, vitamin C, ash, soluble solids, sucrose, glucose, total sugars, titratable acidity, firmness and moisture. The higher planting density and planting without plastic cover over the plant canopy result in better fruits quality of P. peruviana L.
Key words:
Physalis; small fruits; post harvest; plasticulture
