Growth and yield of gherkin cultivars in coconut fiber fertigated with nutrient solutions

Substrate cultivation has been gaining interest from vegetable producers, however technical information for many crops is still recent, such as the gherkin, especially regarding the nutrient solution. This study was developed with the objective of evaluating the performance of three gherkin cultivars (Do Norte, Liso de Calcuta and Liso Gibao) grown in coconut fiber and fertigated with nutrient solutions of different concentrations (50, 75, 100 and 125% of the recommendation for melon), using a randomized block design, in a 3 x 4 factorial scheme, with four repetitions and plots composed of three plants. Growth and production variables were evaluated. In general, cv. Liso de Calcuta produced heavier fruits (35.69 g fruit(-1)), however cv. Liso Gibao produced an average of 21.6 fruits plant(-1), being more productive (542.19 g plan())(-1). The cultivars Do Norte and Liso de Calcuta were less demanding on nutrients. In order to obtain the highest production of gherkin fruits cultivated in coconut fiber, fertigations must be carried out using nutrient solutions diluted in 50% for the cultivars Do Norte and Liso de Calcuta, while for cv. Liso Gibao it is recommended to use nutrient solution diluted in 75% of the concentration of nutrients recommended for the cultivation of melon.