Producción comparativa de palmito entre cuatro variedades de pejibaye (Bactris gasipaes Kunth).

Abstract

Comparative palm heart production among four varieties of peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth). Palm heart production was evaluated at the ages of 11, 12 and 13 months in four varieties. Three of those varieties were thornless (Diamantes-1, Diamantes-10 and Diamantes-20) the other one had thorns in the trunk (Utilis-Tucurrique). The trial was conducted in Guapiles, Costa Rica. The parameters evaluated were: earlinesss; number of stems harvested; sheath lengths of the leaf previous-to-the emergingleaf and of the emerging leaf; lengths of the petiole and leaf lamina; lengths of the foliar and caulinar heart of palm; weights of the foliar and caulinar hearts of palm; diameters of the foliar and caulinar heart of palm; and industrial yield (boxes/ha). The varieties Diamantes-10 and Diamantes-20 were superior in earliness and number of stems harvested. At the age of 12 months the number of stems harvested per hectare were: 7067, 4493, 4381 and 2370 respectively for the varieties Diamantes-10, Diamantes-20, Diamantes-1 and Utilis- Tucurrique. The average weight per stem of foliar and caulinar heart of palm respectively was 226.67g and 397.57g per stem for Diamantes-20; 208,91g and 379.04g for Diamantes-10; 169.47g and 264.62g for Diamantes-1; and 124.81g and 122.01g for Utilis-Tucurrique. The thornless varieties produced a much larger caulinar heart of palm than the thorny variety, mainly Diamantes-20 and Diamantes-10.