Zucchini Alberello
An elegant and generous courgette, with light green, gently curved, cone-shaped fruits that keep on growing when harvested regularly.
About the variety. Alberello produces 450–500 g fruits with thin skin — a characteristic that makes it especially sensitive to marks and scuffs. Harvest frequently to encourage the plant to keep producing. The flowers are also edible.
Itinerário técnico
Um guia de cultivo passo a passo, da sementeira à colheita.
Usually started in trays and transplanted when the seedling has 2 to 3 true leaves. Bear in mind that this crop is somewhat sensitive to transplant stress, so the operation should be carried out as carefully as possible to minimise root damage. Plants can be grown in rows, spacing them 30 to 60 cm apart with 1.5 to 1.8 m between rows.
This crop thrives in fertile, well-drained, heavy-textured soils. The pH should be between 6.5 and 7.0.
This crop thrives in bright, well-lit locations, away from cold winds and late frosts. During summer it prefers daytime temperatures between 22 and 32°C and night temperatures no lower than 20°C. A south-facing position is particularly beneficial.
This is a somewhat demanding crop, so some compost should be incorporated into the base fertilization.
During the initial phase, adequate soil moisture is essential, as well as during pollination and fruit set. Drip irrigation is a great option for this crop, as in addition to precise water delivery it also prevents water on the leaves, which can lead to the development of diseases.
Mulching is an interesting option for this crop, whether with organic materials or plastic, as it helps prevent weed competition, keeps the courgettes from touching the soil, and can also raise soil temperature in early crops.
Mites, aphids, whitefly and thrips are the main pests of this crop. For mite control, biological control with predatory mites can be used, along with applications of azadirachtin and sulphur powder. For aphid control, attention should be paid to moderate fertilisation without excess nitrogen, natural limitation with boundary hedgerows to support beneficial insects, biological control with parasitoid or predatory hymenoptera, weekly sprays with nettle slurry, and applications of potassium soap and azadirachtin. For whitefly control, care should be taken with moderate fertilisation without excess nitrogen, avoiding transplanting infested plants from the nursery, placing yellow sticky traps for detection, and using biological control with parasitoid hymenoptera and predatory mites, as well as azadirachtin. Finally, thrips should be controlled through the use of suitable border plants favourable to anthocorid beneficials (such as marigolds) and biological control with predatory mites and anthocorids.
Fusarium wilt, downy mildew, powdery mildew and grey rot are diseases affecting this crop. To control Fusarium, the practice of adequate crop rotations, biofumigation and soil solarization is recommended. Downy mildew is controlled through adequate crop rotations, wide plant spacing, avoiding excess soil moisture and the use of copper-based fungicides. Powdery mildew is controlled through wide plant spacing and moderate fertilization without excess nitrogen; dusting or wettable sulphur powder may also be applied (as an alternative, sulphur powder + lithothamne (1:1) used as a dust is less phytotoxic than sulphur alone).
The fruits can be kept for about two weeks at a temperature between 5 and 10°C and a relative humidity of 95%.
