Water and Pulp Quality of Green Coconut Produced with Mulching and Irrigation Frequency

Abstract

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the postharvest quality of the water and the green coconut pulp. Experimental Design: The experiment was conducted in a random block design, corresponding to the use of treatments with and without mulching, combined with five irrigation frequencies. Place and Duration of the Study: The experiment was held at the Várzeas de Sousa project, located between the municipalities of Sousa and Aparecida, in the hinterlands mesoregion of Paraíba state, where it was taken to the Agrifood Science and Technology Center of the Federal University of Campina Grande, Pombal campus, in October 11, 2017. Methodology: The testing was conducted in random blocks, in a 2 x 5 factorial scheme, (factor 1: treatments with and without mulch and factor 2: irrigation frequency (TR1: daily irrigation; TR2: irrigation every 2 days; TR3: irrigation every 3 days; TR4: irrigation every 4 days; andTR5: irrigation every 5 days). Results: Treatments didn’t influence the physical-chemical characteristics of green coconut water or pulp, being the variables within the current standards and norms.  Conclusion: Use of mulch enabled the coconut to obtain higher ratio values SS/TA, regardless of irrigation interval, very important from a commercial point of view and acceptance of water. In the pulp, greater prominence was observed for the phenolic compounds of the fruits treated with the use of mulch and independent of the irrigation shift.