Abstract
Red chicory (radicchio) plants produce leafy heads that are of great commercial interest and they require a proper irrigation technique to achieve satisfactory productivity. The use of mini-sprinklers with high-frequency irrigation schedules may increase radicchio productivity, provide better growing conditions due to timely intervention, and save water, but so far little research has been carried out on this topic. This experiment aims at evaluating the effect of two mini-sprinkler irrigation schedules (high- and low-frequency) on radicchio yield and growing conditions over a 5-year cultivation period. Marketable radicchio head production was on average 12% greater with the high-frequency schedule (26.5 t ha−1) than with the low-frequency schedule (23.6 t ha−1), mainly due to greater head weight. The number of underweight, pre-flowering, rotten, and missing plants was significantly different between the two schedules when these variables were considered separately, but the overall number of marketable plants was greater in the high-frequency schedule during certain years. In general, the high-frequency schedule permitted to increase both radicchio yield and to reduce irrigation water use on average by 14% (−24 mm in volume), improving the irrigation water productivity by 19% (from 0.18 t mm−1 of the low-frequency schedule to 0.22 t mm−1 of the high-frequency schedule). Reducing the irrigation interval permits a timely adaptation to the weather course and improves radicchio growing conditions, presenting itself as a valid strategy that could be adopted by the farmers, upon appropriate consideration of energy and management costs.
Highlights
Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a plant of the Asteraceae family, grown in Europe and NorthAmerica for the production of beverages from the roots and for the production of leafy heads used as vegetables, usually processed post-harvest through “forcing” [1,2].Plants of the group rubifolium are one of the most important horticultural products grown in northeastern Italy, with almost 8500 ha cultivated and a harvested production of about 280,000 tons per year [3,4]
In the Veneto region, some varieties, obtained in the course of time due to selective processes operated by the growers, are protected by the European laws that restrict cultivation area and method in order to obtain the protected geographical indication (PGI) trademark recognized by the European Union
0.41), in accordance with the results presented in weight (p < 0.001, R = 0.78), while the positive relationship with the number of marketable plants was Figure and previously discussed
Summary
Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a plant of the Asteraceae family, grown in Europe and North. In the Veneto region, some varieties, obtained in the course of time due to selective processes operated by the growers, are protected by the European laws that restrict cultivation area and method in order to obtain the PGI (protected geographical indication) trademark recognized by the European Union Farmers selling under this mark can get a higher price, up to 2000 euros per ton of marketable heads. In Southern Europe, in light of the recent concerns about water scarcity under climate change, proper management of water for irrigation should be considered of primary importance [20] For all these reasons, a field experiment was set up in a commercial farm in the Veneto region to study the effects of two sprinkler irrigation schedules (low-frequency irrigation and high-frequency irrigation) on radicchio “rosso di Treviso” production
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