Seed quality and establishment of carrots (Daucus carota) in Brazil from imported cultivars

Currently, there is much research being carried out about how to develop higher quality carrots to be used as functional food and to prevent various diseases. Carrots have a variety of colours and different therapeutic properties, among which are the prevention of degenerative and heart diseases. Purple carrots, rich in anthocyanins, are proved to improve human's memory and learning abilities, but the national consumer market prefers the orange tuberous root cultivars, which is rich in carotenoids. The aim of this study was to verify and compare plant emergence and carrot root production, using seeds from different colour cultivars. The research was carried out at the Luiz Meneghel campus of the State University of the Northern Parana, located at the town of Bandeirantes, Parana, Brazil, from October 2011 to January 2012. The following imported cultivar seeds were used: 'Purple Haze' F-1 (purple), 'Yellowstone' (yellow) and 'Paris Market Atlas' (orange). The seeds were sown in beds of 3x1 m (3 m(2)) in three plots. The cultural treatments - fertilization, irrigation, pest, plant diseases and weeds control - followed the recommendation for this crop. The following characteristics were evaluated: plant establishment, aerial part length (cm), diameter, length, fresh and dry mass of tuberous root and marketable root yield (t ha(-1)). Along with those, the estimated percentage of defects on non-marketable roots was also evaluated. The original data were submitted to ANOVA and the average was compared using the unpaired t test at 5% probability. Cultivars 'Yellowstone' and 'Purple Haze' presented significantly superior characteristics of emergence, plant establishment, production and productivity than 'Paris Market Atlas'; nevertheless, further studies are needed to evaluate the performance of these cultivars in autumn-winter in Brazil.