New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts
Effects of nutrition, planting density, and stem pruning treatments on tuber
weight and secondary tuber development in Sandersonia aurantiaca
G. E. CLARK
New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food
Research Limited
Pukekohe Research Centre
Cronin Road, RD1
Pukekohe, New Zealand
email: clarkg@crop.cri.nz
G. K. BURGE
New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food
Research Limited
Food Industry Science Centre
Private Bag 11 600
Palmerston North, New Zealand
Abstract The effects of two nutrient rates (Nutricote at 1.0
or 3.0 kg/m
3 of potting mix), three plant densities (128, 256,
and 384 tubers/m
2), and three stem pruning/leaf removal treatments
on tuber weight and the incidence of secondary tuber production in
Sandersonia aurantiaca (Hook.) were assessed in a factorial experiment.
The pruning/leaf removal treatments were an unpruned control, stem pruning just
below the lowest flower at early flowering, and a leaf removal treatment
(leaves stripped from below the lowest flower at early flowering). Secondary
tuber formation was significantly affected by both nutrient rate and plant
density, but not by the pruning treatments. The higher plant density reduced
mean secondary tuber formation from 75 to 45%, and the lower nutrient rate
decreased secondary tuber numbers from 64 to 55%. There was no significant
interaction between plant density and nutrient rate. At the lowest density and
high nutrient rate the incidence of secondary tubers was 79% compared to 38% at
the highest density and low nutrient rate. Commercially, this is still
unacceptably high. Mean daughter tuber weight, including the weight of tubers
with attached secondary tubers, was reduced at the lower nutrient rate
(14.4-11.8 g), with increasing plant density (15.6, 12.8, 10.9 g) and
with pruning (14.7 g in the uncut control compared with 10.3 g in the
pruned treatment). Leaf area per plant was reduced both at the lower nutrient
rate and by the pruning/leaf removal treatment, but it was not affected by
density. The reduced tuber weight with increased plant density was probably the
result of to greater levels of interplant shading.
Keywords sandersonia; Sandersonia aurantiaca; tuber;
density; nutrition; pruning; secondary tubers
H98047
Received 30 September 1998; accepted 12 August 1999
Short communication
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (422K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
This year's abstracts |
Journal home page |
All abstracts |
Publishing home page
