ARE THE PLANT DENSITIES CURRENTLY USED FOR CARROT SEED PRODUCTION TOO LOW?

The responses of seed yield and quality in carrot to a range of plant densities from 100 000 to 800 000 plants ha^-1 (root to seed method) and from 110 000 to 2 560 000 plants ha^-1 (seed to seed method) was examined.
Yields of seed from the root to seed method increased from ca. 1 100 to 1 500 kg ha^-1 as plant density increased from 100 000–800 000 plants ha^-1. For the seed to seed method yields increased from 700 to 2 400 kg ha^-1 over the range of densities used.
At the highest densities ca. 60% of the seed yield was produced from primary umbels compared with less than 20% at the lowest density.
There were no significant effects of plant density on plant height, time of flowering, crop maturity and there was no consistent effect on mean seed weight.

Symposium on Vegetable and Flower seed Production

D. Gray

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1981.111.22