The effects of fluid drilling and seed covering medium on early carrot production under polyethylene mulch

Abstract

SUMMARYUngerminated seeds, fluid‐drilled germinating seeds and fluid‐drilled uniformly‐germinated seeds were sown in furrows that were either uncovered or covered by soil and left unmulch ed or mulched with polyethylene sheet. The effects of these treatments on the emergence and growth of carrots for early harvest were examined. Leaving seeds uncovered or mulching them with polyethylene advanced seedling emergence and increased the percentage that emerged; leaving seeds uncovered also reduced the spread of emergence times and produced seedlings with larger cotyledons. Uniformly‐germinated seeds emerged before germinating seeds and both emerged before ungerminated seeds. The best combination of treatments (i.e. mulched, uncovered uniformly‐germinated seeds) reduced the mean number of days for emergence from the 52 required by traditionally sown seeds to 29. There was a more variable effect of seed treatments on the spread of emergence times and the percentage emergence. Earlier emergence generally led to roots reaching a marketable size earlier and more uniform emergence led to less variation in root weights at harvest.