Effect of cultivar and growing season on lisianthus production in the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul

This study aimed to evaluate the performance of six Lisianthus cultivars, grown at different planting times, in a protected environment. The cultivars evaluated were: DBL Echo Blue, Robella 2 Pink, Excalibur White, Excalibur 2 Blue Picotee, DBL Echo Champagne and Arena III Red. The analyzed times were 1 (planting 10/13/2017), 2 (planting 11/23/2017), 3 (planting 04/06/2018), 4 (planting 07/06/2018), 5 (planting 08/31/2018), and 6 (planting 02/15/2019). The lisianthus cultivation time is affected by climatic variables, such as temperature and solar radiation. The lisianthus cycle varies according to the cultivar and the time of year. The cultivars DBL Echo Blue and Robella 2 Pink showed better performance for the quality and production parameters evaluated in this study. The cultivar Arena III Red showed lower performance for the variables analyzed in all growing seasons. All cultivars produced in seasons 3 and 4 had a prolonged cycle of approximately 70 to 100 days due to low temperatures and reduced photoperiod. The cultivars produced in seasons 1 and 2 demonstrated good productivity and a shorter production cycle.