New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts
Effect of plant population on calendula (Calendula officinalis L.)
flower production
R. J. MARTIN
B. DEO
New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food
Research Limited
Private Bag 4704
Christchurch, New Zealand
email: martind@crop.cri.nz
Abstract Calendula (
Calendula officinalis L.) was
drilled at 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 96 kg seed/ha in a trial at Lincoln, New
Zealand, in November 1997. Plots were divided into five equally sized sections.
Fully open flowers were harvested from Sections 2 and 4 of all plots twice or
three times weekly from early February to mid March 1998, after which plant
population and crop biomass were determined from the same sections and seed
yield/flower determined from Sections 1, 3, and 5. Plant counts increased from
9 plants/m
2 at the 3 kg seed/ha rate, to 26 at 6, 46 at 12, 101
at 24, 179 at 48, and 332 plant/m
2 at 96 kg seed/ha. Total
flower yield was not significantly different at populations over 46
plants/m
2, but declined with lower plant populations. The total
fresh weight (and number) of fully opened flower heads collected off each plot
increased from 0.5 (164) to 1.4 kg/m
2 (650/m
2) with
increasing plant population, but did not differ at the four highest
populations. Dried petals made up between 7 and 9% of flower fresh weight.
Yields of dry petals/m
2 were 36 g at 9 plants/m
2
compared to an average of 89 g over the four highest plant populations.
Seed weight/head was 0.78 g at 9 plants/m
2 compared to
c. 0.5 g for the other plant populations. Seed yield increased with
increasing plant population from 128 g/m
2 at
9
plants/m
2 to 300 g/m
2 at the three highest
populations.
Keywords Calendula officinalis L.; calendula;
marigold; seed yield; flower yield
H99025
Received 12 July 1999; accepted 3 December 1999
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (550K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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