Plant population, harvest method and seed quality of carrot, Brasilia cultivar

Brasilia is a cultivar of carrot with a possibility of root production in h ot areas and periods of high temperature. The seed production of this culti var still requests research regarding to artificial induction of flowering and plant population. This work aimed at the study of these factors in the seed to seed method, Brasilia cultivar, in Sao Manuel, SP, Brazil. Two expe riments were carried out with and without spraying gibberellic acid. The pl ant densities were 25,000, 50,000, 100,000, 200,000, and 400,000 plants ha( -1). The seeds were divided according to the origin of their harvest, formi ng two groups: umbels seeds from the first and second orders (selected harv est) and umbels seeds from the second and other orders (general harvest). A fter each harvest the seeds were evaluated taking into consideration the ph ysical characteristics, germination, vigour, 1.000-seed weight and water co ntent. There were flowering and seed production in both experiments (with a nd without GA(3) spraying). In general, seeds from selected harvest had sup erior quality than the ones from the general harvest with difference in ger mination up to about 16%. Increase in plant population up to 200,000 plants ha(-1) did not alter the seeds quality.