Effect of variable sowing and harvesting schedule on growth and yield of chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) Singh Shawinder, Brar Amandeep Singh*, Dhillon Buta Singh Department of Agronomy, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-141004, Punjab *Corresponding Author: amanbrar@pau.edu
Online published on 3 June, 2021. Abstract Studies were undertaken at the Research Farm of Department of Agronomy, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during rabi 2016–17 and 2017–18. The experiment was laid out in Split Plot Design with four sowing dates (November 1, November 15, December 1 and December 15) in main plots and four harvesting dates (April 15, April 30, May 15 and May 30) in sub plots replicated four times. Number of days taken for initiation and completion of emergence were found to increase significantly with each successive delay in the date of sowing due to decrease in temperature. Growth and photosynthetic parameters viz.; plant height, number of leaves per plant, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) interception, leaf area index as well as root and shoot weight per plant were significantly higher with early sowing on November 1 than later sowing dates. Among the harvesting dates, growth parameters did not differ significantly, but yield attributes improved significantly with delay in harvesting. November 1 sown crop when harvested on May 30 recorded the highest root yield, and that was statistically similar to crop sown on same date (November 1) and harvested on May 15 and April 30. Delay in sowing from November 1 to November 15 caused significant reduction in yield, but this yield reduction was compensated by delayed harvesting on May 15 or May 30. However, with further delay in sowing beyond November 15, yield could not be compensated even with further delay in harvesting up to May 30. Top Keywords Chicory, Forage yield, Harvesting time, Root yield, Sowing time. Top |