The Effect of Plant Density on Seed Yield and Quality of Carrot (Daucus Carota L.)
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75 The effect of plant density on seed yield and quality of carrot (Daucus carota L.) C.N. MERFIELD1, J.G. HAMPTON1, S.D. WRATTEN1, P. PRAPANOPPASIN2 3 and P. YEERANSIRI 1Bio-Protection Research Centre, P O Box 84, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand 2Thai Seed & Agriculture Co. Ltd, 153 Moo-1 Tambon Muangpia, Ampur Kudjab, Udornthani 41250, Thailand 3Syngenta Seeds Co. Ltd, 52/1 Moo-6 Saisri Road, Tambon Deelung, Pattananikom, Lapburi 15220, Thailand [email protected] Abstract quality have been previously investigated The hypothesis that by increasing carrot (Gray 1981; Gray et al. 1983; Malik et al. (Daucus carota) plant density the 1983; Noland et al. 1988; Oliva et al. 1988). contribution to seed yield by the primary Gray (1979) and Gray and Steckel (1983a) umbels would increase, and that therefore demonstrated that seed from primary umbels both seed yield and seed quality would was of superior quality (germination and increase, was examined in two experiments thousand seed weight) to seed from lower in different years in Canterbury. A radial order umbels, and Jacobsohn and Globerson trial design provided plant densities from 2 (1980) and Gray (1981) proposed using high to 84 plants/m2 and from 4 to 100 plants/m2 plant densities for carrot seed production in experiments one and two respectively. because the contribution to seed yield from Seed yield increased with increasing plant primary umbels would increase as plant density in both experiments, and at the density increased. This was demonstrated in highest density the primary umbels later studies (Gray et al. 1983; Gray & contributed 90% (experiment one) and 60% Steckel 1983a) where, as plant density was (experiment two) of the seed yield. In both increased from 10 to 80 plants/m2, the experiments seeds from the primary umbels proportion of seed produced on the primary had a greater thousand seed weight and umbels increased from 25% to 62%, seed higher germination than those from the other yield was increased by approximately 50%, order umbels, and for the second experiment and heavier seeds were produced from the they also had higher seed vigour. The quality primary umbels. of seeds from the primary umbels was New Zealand supplies approximately 40% consistently higher than that of seeds from of the world’s carrot seed (D. Storrier pers. the secondary umbels across all plant comm. 2008), primarily under contracts to densities, and for the latter, both germination European seed houses. This production is and seed vigour declined as plant density based in Canterbury. The seed to seed increased. These results therefore support production method (George 1999) is used, the hypothesis, and densities higher than the and plant populations are commonly around 20 plants/m2 currently used commercially 20 plants/m2 (D. Storrier pers. comm. have the potential to increase both seed yield 2008)). Whether these populations are and quality. optimal for New Zealand conditions has not Keywords: seed production, primary previously been reported. The objectives for umbels, germination, vigour, plants/m2 this work were to determine the effect of plant density on (i) carrot seed yield and (ii) Introduction carrot seed quality including seed vigour The relationships between carrot (Daucus (ISTA 2008), a seed quality component not carota L.) plant density, seed yield and seed assessed in any of the previous studies. 76 Agronomy Society of New Zealand Special Publication No. l3 / Grassland Research and Practice Series No. 14 Methods slotted, and bottom screen of 0.7 mm slotted. Two experiments were conducted, the first Cleaning was completed by passing the (experiment 1) in the 1999/2000 season seeds through an indented cylinder (3.0 mm under a conventional production system, and indent). Seeds were then kept in sealed the second (experiment 2) in the 2004/2005 containers at 5°C until quality testing. season under an organic production system (Merfield 2006). A 4½° radial trial design Experiment 2 (Nelder 1962; Bleasdale 1967) was used for Experiment 2 was conducted at Lincoln both experiments. University on a Wakanui silt loam soil at a site which had previously been in pasture for Experiment 1 five years. A full circle radial design with 18 The experiment was conducted within a arcs was used to produce plant densities commercial carrot seed crop at Dorie, mid- from 4 to 100 plants/m2. There were six Canterbury on a Templeton shallow silt replicates with each block of six female radii loam soil. In the previous three years the treated as a replicate. On 4 March 2004, 36- paddock had been in pasture, sweet corn and day-old stecklings (unknown Bejo Zaden processed peas. Following conventional B.V. male and female lines) were cultivation, the commercial crop was sown transplanted using the same 2:6 ratio as for on 2 February 1999 using a ratio of two male the first experiment. The trial was managed to six female rows. The male and female according to BioGro organic standards lines were unknown Bejo Zaden B.V. (Anon 2001), hand weeded, and no parents. In August 1999 the trial area (which fertilisers were applied. Seed harvest (26 had not been sown) was rotary hoed and March 2005) and cleaning were as described male and female stecklings from the crop for experiment 1, except that for logistical were transplanted using the same ratio into a reasons, only data from densities of 5, 11, half-radial design which had 25 arcs giving 20, 55 and 82 plants/m2 were collected. plant densities ranging from 2 to 84 plants/m2. The inner and outermost arcs and Seed quality assessment the outside radii of the female parent line Seeds from each plant density were bulked which grew next to the male parent line were together by umbel order for the calculation guard rows. Subsequent crop husbandry, of seed yield. Germination and thousand including weed and disease control, fertiliser seed weight were then determined following and irrigation were the same as for the internationally agreed methodology (ISTA commercial crop. 2008). Seed vigour was determined using Seed moisture (ISTA 2008) was monitored the accelerated ageing test described for during seed development, and hand soybean (ISTA 2008), whereby seeds were harvesting took place when the moisture aged at 41°C for 72 h at 96% RH before content of seeds from the primary umbels having their post-ageing germination was 10.5% (24 March 2000). Five randomly determined. Seed vigour data are presented selected female plants were removed from only for primary and secondary umbels, as each plant density (with the exception of the there was insufficient seed from lower order guard rows), and umbels from each order umbels. (i.e., primary to quaternary) were removed, counted, and kept separately. The umbels Data analysis were then hand threshed and cleaned using a Results from experiment one, except for Westrup (Westrup A/S, Slagelse, Denmark) vigour, were analysed by fitting curves using seed cleaner which had a scalping screen of Microsoft® Excel® 2002 SP3. Linear, 3.0 mm round, top screen of 1.75 mm logarithmic, polynomial, power and The effect of plant density on seed yield and quality of carrot (Daucus carota L.) (C.N. Merfield et al.) 77 exponential curves were fitted with the curve seed vigour decreased as plant density having the highest R2 selected. For increased, but for seeds from primary experiment two and for the vigour data from umbels, seed vigour declined as plant experiment one, data were analysed by density increased to 28 plants/m2, but then ANOVA. increased at 54 plants/m2 (Figure 3c). Results Experiment 2 Experiment 1 Increasing plant density significantly Seed yield increased with increasing plant increased seed yield, from 124 g/m2 at 5 density from 5.2 g/m2 to 21.9 g/m2 (Figure plants/m2 to 266 g/m2 at 82 plants/m2 (Table 1). Quaternary umbels did not produce 1). This increase was accounted for by an seeds, and tertiary umbels made a very increase in seed yield from the primary minor contribution to seed yield only at the umbels, as yields from the secondary umbels lowest plant densities (Figure 1). The yield did not differ with increasing plant density from secondary umbels declined with (Table 1). At 20 plants/m2, the secondary increasing plant density while that of the umbels contributed 76% of the seed yield, at primary umbels increased (Figure 1). At 20 55 plants/m2 the contribution from both plants/m2, the primary umbels contributed primary and secondary umbels was around approximately 60% of the seed yield c.f. 50% each, and at 82 plants/m2 the primary 40% from the secondary umbels, but at 70 umbels were contributing 60%. plants/m2, the contribution from the primary The effects of increasing plant density on umbels had increased to nearly 90% (Figure thousand seed weight were very small 2). (Table 2). Seeds from primary umbels were The effects of plant density on seed quality heavier than those from secondary umbels, were more variable. While seeds from but there were no clear effects of plant primary umbels were heavier than seeds density for either umbel order. Germination from secondary or tertiary umbels (Figure was greater in seeds from the primary 3a), thousand seed weight initially declined umbels at all densities except the lowest as plant density increased, but then increased (Table 2), did not differ among densities for again at higher plant densities (Figure 3a). seeds from the primary umbels, but The germination of seed from the primary decreased at the three highest plant densities umbels was 86% or greater for all plant for seeds from the secondary umbels (Table densities, but tended to decrease with 2).