THE INFLUENCE OF TEMPORARY PROTECTION ON PRODUCTION PRECOCITY OF EGGPLANTS CULTIVATED ON SANDY SOILS IN SOUTHERN OLTENIA

In order to increase the production precocity of eggplants, different cultivation methods were studied: 1 - unprotected crops; 2 - soil mulching with polyethylene; 3 - protected plants with polyethylene tunnel; 4 - protected plants with polyethylene tunnel and soil mulching with polyethylene; 5 - protected plants with agryl type foil and 6 - protected plants with agryl and soil mulching with polyethylene .The protection system was maintained until around 20 of May, when the air temperature reached the threshold of 300 C. The methods of protection employed created different microclimate conditions that influenced the different processes of growth and development with implications on early yield. Considering the precocity, only the variant protected with agryl type foil and soil mulched with polyethylene was harvested before 15 of June. During 16-30 of June variant protected with agryl and mulched harvested 5 t/ha, while variant only protected with agryl harvested 3.5 t/ha. In the unprotected variants the first harvests were obtained between 1-15 of July. Through the mulching of soil with polyethylene the precocity increases regardless the method of plants protection.