Evaluation of the performance and quality of carrot (Daucus carota l.) in two organic and conventional production systems.

Abstract

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the yield and quality of carrots (Daucus carota L.) In two organic and conventional production systems. The experiment was carried out at the San Gabriel farm in the province of Cotopaxi. A randomized complete block design was used; the following treatments were evaluated: T1 = 25 t / ha organic fertilizer (Organic system); T2 = 92 kg / ha of N - 21 kg / ha of P2O5 – 79.5 kg / ha of Ca (Conventional system); control (T3). These were replicated four times, obtaining 12 experimental units. The results obtained were statistically examined by means of the Analysis of Variance, and to compare means of the treatments, the Tukey test was used at 5% and the minimum significant difference at 5%. Agronomic and financial variables were evaluated during the crop cycle: plant height, incidence of pests, root length, quality, yield and the Benefit-Cost (B/C) ratio. When measuring productivity, the system that presented the highest yield It was the organic system with 17.81 t/ha. In relation to the measured quality parameter, highly significant differences were found: the organic system showed a characteristic color and brightness of the carrot compared to the conventional system. The financial analysis shows that the best B/C rate corresponded to the organic system with 4.30.