Zucchini Culture

Zucchini is an important vegetable crop because it is well accepted by consumers and can be grown throughout the year. However, nitrogen fertilization is of fundamental importance because nitrogen is the third most important mineral in the composition of zucchini leaves. During the life cycle of the crops they may be attacked by pests and disease causing agents. High temperatures can also be harmful by causing the plants to perspire excessively and lose large amounts of water. These problems can be minimized through fertilization with silicon, which provides plants with greater resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of five doses of nitrogen (30; 60; 90; 120 and 150 kg/ha of N) associated with foliar application of silicon (without and with application of 6.0 g/plant) on growth, phytomass, nutrition, production and quality of Italian zucchini. According to the results, 114.51; 98.33 and 106.52 kg N/ha promoted the highest yield, 54.94 t/ha, greater fruit weight and the highest flesh weight, respectively. The application of silicon increased 20.2% in plant productivity.