EFFECTS OF SOWING DATE ON THE PRODUCTION OF PHASEOLUS VULGARIS L. IN COLD GREENHOUSE

In order to assess the possibility of introducing bean in the cropping patterns of protected cultivation in mediterranean environment two cultivars for immature pods (‘Provider’ bush and ‘Blue Lake’ runner) and two cultivars for fresh seed (‘Borlotto nano’ bush and ‘Borlotto rampicante’ runner) were studied in different sowing dates from February to November (in all 10). The research was carried out in two years (1984 and 1985) in unheated glasshouse in Sicily (S.Croce Camerina – RG -, 36°48′ N Lat, 2°55′ E Long).

Results obtained enabled us to ascertain that sowing date affected significantly the length of the period "sowing-80% of production" and the final yield.
The length of "sowing-80% of production" period ranged between 60 (sowing in September) and 83 days (sowing november) in ‘Provider’, 63 (sowing in September) and 89 days (sowing in November) in ‘Blue lake’, 73 (sowing in March) and 103 days (sowing in November) in ‘Borlotto nano and 76 (sowing in August) and 105 days (sowing in February) in ‘Borlotto rampicante’.

No matter what the year, yields both in the average of immature pods and in the average of fresh seed cultivars, decreased, in an almost always significantly way, going from the sowing of february to that in November: t ha^-1 35.8, 29.6, 22.3, 16.8 and 10.3 in the cvs for immature pods; t ha^-1 30.7, 19.2, 16.0, 14,1 and 14.0 in the cvs for fresh seed.

II International Symposium on Protected Cultivation of Vegetables in Mild Winter Climates

G. Mauromicale, S. Cosentino, S. Foti

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1991.287.33