Effects of Plant Density and Harvest Time on Root Yield and Quality of Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.)

Effects of plant density and harvest time on various two ecotype and one variety of Chicory was examined at Qazvin Sugar Factory Research Station in 2012. Three genotype of Chicory (two ecotypes of Zanjan and Kashan and one denveloped variety named Orchis) with three plant densities (6, 12, and 18 plants/m2) and three harvest dates (31 August and 20 September and 11 October) were considered using a factorial design with three replications. The result of ANOVA showed that main effects of genotype were significant for most traits including root yield, inulin content and inulin yield. Inulin content was not affected by the main effect of plant density but the main effect was significant for both root and inulin yield. A delay at harvest time caused a significant increase on the inulin content and inulin yield; however, it did not have a significant effect on the root yield of Chicory. The maximum root yield (40.2 t/ha) and inulin yield (5.37 t/ha) of Chicory were obtained for the Orchis variety treated with 18 plants per square meter.