Abstract
`Vates' collards (Brassica oleracea L. Acephala Group) were grown during Fall 1995 and 1996 at two row widths (0.76 and 0.91 m) and five in-row spacings (0.15, 0.20, 0.30, 0.46, and 0.61 m) to determine the effect of plant population density on once-over harvest yield. Resulting plant populations ranged from 1.8 to 8.8 plants/m2. Yields differed considerably between years, with 1995 yields overall being only 36% of those in 1996. Yields during 1996 increased with plant population up to a population density of 5.3 plants/m2, after which little additional yield increase occurred. Individual plant leaf dry mass declined linearly with increased plant population density. Stem dry mass also declined with increasing plant population density, but not as much as did leaf dry mass. Leaf: stem dry mass ratio remained constant until density exceeded 5 plants/m2, after which a linear decline in the ratio was observed. These results suggest that populations of five to seven plants/m2 for once-over harvest of whole-plant bunch collards tend to optimize both yield and crop quality, especially under favorable cropping conditions.
Published Version
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