Produção de mangarito Xanthosoma riedelianum (Schott) Schott em função de tamanhos de rizoma-semente e espaçamentos

Abstract

Mangarito Xanthosoma riedelianum (Schott) Schott, an unconventional food plant (PANC), stands out for its nutritional value and economic potential, although it is still little explored in Brazilian agriculture. This study aimed to evaluate mangarito productivity under different spacing and sizes of seed rhizomes. The experiment was conducted at the Federal Technological University of Paraná – Campus Pato Branco, in a randomized block design, with four treatments and three replications, for 238 days. The treatments combined two spacings (20 x 12.5 cm and 50 x 50 cm) and two sizes of seed rhizomes (1.80 cm and 2.65 cm in diameter). The variables analyzed included total productivity of corms and cormels, fresh mass of commercial cormels and distribution of cormels by size classes. The results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences between treatments. This lack of significance can be attributed to environmental homogeneity and the small sample size. However, a tendency towards greater total productivity was observed in denser spacings, while wider spacings favored the development of larger cormelos, classified as commercial. Although the results did not demonstrate statistical significance, the study contributes to knowledge about mangarito management and such efforts are essential to optimize production and strengthen the appreciation of this PANC in Brazil.