Evaluation of arugula cultivars and seed production in the organic system

Abstract: The production of arugula (Eruca sativa Mill.) in Brazil uses seeds produced in the conventional system, without availability of organic seeds. The aim of this research was to indicate the cultivars of arugula with best performance for commercial production and to evaluate seed production viability, as well as seed quality of these cultivars in the organic production system. Eight cultivars were evaluated in a protected environment for agronomic characteristics in two periods and for seed production. The parameters evaluated were plant height, number of leaves, shoot fresh and dry weight, yield, iron and vitamin C contents. For seed production, time for flowering, number of branches per plant, silique length, number of siliquae per plant, number of seeds per silique, yield, one thousand seed weight, first count of germination, germination and seed health. After storage, first germination count, germination, seedling emergence, emergence speed index and seed health were evaluated. “Astro” and “Giovana” performed well in the organic system. Organic arugula seeds can be produced with high yield and good seed quality in a protected environment, and the cultivars Astro and LG Maia are suitable for this purpose.