ISHS Acta Horticulturae 660: V International Congress on Artichoke
VERNALIZATION OF SEED-GROWN ARTICHOKE |
| Authors: | S.M. García, E.L. Cointry, I.T. Firpo, F.S. López Anido, V.P. Cravero, P. Asprelli |
| Keywords: | Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus, yield, precocious production |
| Abstract:
In artichoke the change from vegetative to reproductive state requires an exposure to certain amount of cold hours. In the Rosario’s Horticultural Belt after October-November transplanting 60% of the plants yields during March and April only on head per plant, with a concomitant reduction in the normal spring production season of September-October. The objective of the present research was to evaluate the effect of vernalization upon ‘Imperial Star’ seeds and plantlets. Seed and plantlets in cotiledonar stage and with two and four expanded leaves were grown for 10 days in a chamber under 3° C and 12 h photoperiod. Check plants were grown in pots in normal field conditions. All treatments and check were field transplanted on October 23rd 2001, under a randomized design. Artichoke number and yield /ha, mean weight of the heads, days to first harvest and harvest period were analyzed by an ANOVA. Comparisons of means were performed along Waller Duncan test. When cold treatment was applied to plantlets bearing two and four leaves, 38% of the plants reached a precocious production during March-April, with a consequent increased yield over check along September-October (14.8 and 13.4 t/ha) due to an augmented capitulum number (95.8 and 85.8 x 103 /ha) with a tendency to shorten the days to first spring harvest. March-April production was of poor quality and generated a decrease in the spring harvests, thus it should be necessary to reduce the percentage of autumnal flowering plants. | |
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