Growth and yield responses of Plukenetia volubilis L. plants to planting density
A field experiment was conducted in a single growing season in a tropical region of China to investigate several leaf and whole-plant traits of Plukenetia volubilis L. plants cultivated at high (2,500 plants ha-1), medium (1,667 plants ha-1), and low (1,111 plants ha-1) planting densities. The resul...
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| Published in: | The journal of horticultural science & biotechnology 2013, Vol.88 (4), p.421-426 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | eng |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | A field experiment was conducted in a single growing season in a tropical region of China to investigate several leaf and whole-plant traits of Plukenetia volubilis L. plants cultivated at high (2,500 plants ha-1), medium (1,667 plants ha-1), and low (1,111 plants ha-1) planting densities. The results showed that leaf photosynthetic variables, measured during the wet season, were not significantly affected by planting density. The highest biomass recorded at the individual plant level occurred at the low planting density and was attributed mainly to a high leaf area and a high leaf area:biomass ratio, but not to the photosynthetic rate in leaves. Plants grown at the low density had higher specific fine-root lengths (i.e., root length per root dry mass), indicating a greater ability to capture water and nutrients to enhance growth. The mean fruit yield per plant decreased with increasing planting density. However, compared to the low (2,778.8 kg ha-1) and medium (4,786.0 kg ha-1) planting densities, the total fruit yield at the highest density (8,721.5 kg ha-1) increased by 213.9% and 82.2%, respectively, throughout the growing season. The increase in total fruit yield was largely due to an increase in the number of fruit per unit area, and not to increased fruit size, which compensated for the accompanying decrease in the productivity of each plant. Meanwhile, the protein content and fatty acid profile of seed kernels collected at the peak period of fruit ripening were not significantly affected by planting density. However, the oil content of seed kernels increased significantly with an increase in planting density, presumably by increasing the source:sink ratio. These results indicate that increasing the number of fruit per unit area might be an effective means to increase seed yield and oil production in P. volubilis plants in order to meet an increasing demand for this oil. |
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| ISSN: | 1462-0316 2380-4084 |