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EFFECT OF CULTIVATION METHODS AND DRIP IRRIGATION ON THE YIELD OF

ROOTS AND THE QUALITY OF CHICONS OF WITLOOF CHICORY

Article  in  Vegetable Crops Research Bulletin · January 2009

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2009 vol. 70, 183-191
DOI: 10.2478/v10032-009-0018-7
________________________________________________________________________________________

EFFECT OF CULTIVATION METHODS

AND DRIP IRRIGATION ON THE YIELD OF ROOTS
AND THE QUALITY OF CHICONS OF WITLOOF CHICORY

Józef BABIK, Stanisław KANISZEWSKI, Jacek DYŚKO

Research Institute of Vegetable Crops
Konstytucji 3 Maja 1/3, 96-100 Skierniewice, Poland
Received: March 31, 2009; Accepted: May 5, 2009

Summary
In the years 2005-2007, a study was carried out to investigate the effect of
surface and subsurface drip irrigation on the yield of witloof chicory in flat-
ground and ridge cultivation. Irrigation began at a soil water potential of 30-40
kPa. Irrigation was found to have a beneficial effect on the yield and quality of
the roots of witloof chicory. The largest increase in yield was obtained in the
first year, in which there was a drought during sprouting and scarcity of rainfall
during vegetative growth. In flat-ground cultivation, and in the year with insuf-
ficient soil humidity in ridge cultivation, surface irrigation was more beneficial
in comparison with subsurface irrigation because it created better conditions in
terms of moisture levels, particularly for the germinating seeds. In the years
with sufficient rainfall during germination and sprouting no significant differ-
ences were found in the yield of chicory roots between surface and subsurface
irrigation.
Chicory plants were forced hydroponically in water using a standard nutri-
ent solution. The roots obtained from irrigated plots, as well as those from flat-
ground cultivation, produced significantly longer and tighter chicons. Over the
three years of the study, internal browning of the stem, which is a physiological
disorder lowering the quality of chicons, occurred only in 2005. It might have
been caused by high temperatures during sprouting and high moisture defi-
ciency in the soil during vegetative growth. The use of irrigation significantly
reduced the incidence of this phenomenon, especially in flat-ground cultivation.

key words: drip irrigation, fertigation, cultivation method, chicory

INTRODUCTION

In the climatic conditions of Poland, water is one of the most important

factors determining the yield and quality of almost all the species of vegetables.
A critical moment in the cultivation of root vegetables, both in traditional culti-
vation on flat ground and on ridges, is the time of sprouting (Kaniszewski

Corresponding author:
e-mail: jbabik@inwarz.skierniewice.pl
© Copyright by RIVC

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2006). Seeds of such species as carrot, parsnip and chicory are small and must
be placed at a shallow depth in the top layer of soil, which dries up very
quickly, thus making germination and sprouting difficult (Błażewicz-Woźniak
1997, 1998). Irrigation is most often applied by means of traditional sprinkling
machines imitating rainfall. However, the use of this watering method after
sowing contributes to soil encrustation, which adversely affects the extent of
sprouting. At present, the use of drip irrigation, which can be used at the same
time as a means of fertilization, i.e. fertigation, is becoming ever more popular,
also in the cultivation of vegetables in the open field (Kaniszewski 2005). Pre-
liminary studies showed that witloof chicory responded very well to drip irriga-
tion (Babik et al. 2005). Differences in the growth of plants that had been irri-
gated and those that had not were obvious throughout the whole period of
vegetative growth. The yield of roots suitable for forcing was in ridge cultiva-
tion almost twice as high as that of the control combination, with the same share
of marketable yield in total yield. The beneficial effect of drip irrigation on
yield had also been shown with other root vegetables. In the studies by Rol-
biecki et al. (2003), the yields of carrot were significantly higher, both in dry
and wet years. The positive effect of drip irrigation on the yield of carrots
grown on flat ground and ridges was also obtained by Dyśko & Kaniszewski
(2007), with surface irrigation giving better results than subsurface irrigation in
the cultivation on ridges. When growing parsnip, both surface and subsurface
irrigation significantly increased the size of the crop and its quality, reducing
the number of forked and deformed roots in comparison with the control com-
bination without irrigation (Kaniszewski & Dyśko 2008). However, no differ-
ences were found between surface and subsurface irrigation. Cultivation on
ridges was observed to have a favourable effect on the shape of parsnip roots
(Błażewicz-Woźniak 2003, Kaniszewski & Dyśko 2008).
The aim of the study presented here was to compare the effects of surface
and subsurface drip irrigation on the yield of witloof chicory cultivated on flat
ground and on ridges.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The experiments were carried out in the years 2005-2007, in the experi-
mental field of the Vegetable Crops Research Institute in Skierniewice, on a
podsolic soil containing 15-17% of leachable components in the Ap layer (0-25
cm), and 1.15% of organic matter, and with a pH value of 7.0.
The amount of water available in the soil was 12.5 mm per 0.1 m thick
layer of soil.
The experiments were set up in a two-factorial design (cultivation method,
irrigation method) in 4 replicates. The surface area of a plot was 10.8 m2.
The factor of the first order was the method of cultivation: 1. on ridges, 2. on
flat ground.
The factor of the second order was the method of irrigation: 1. no irrigation,
2. surface drip irrigation, 3. subsurface drip irrigation

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Irrigation was carried out using T-Tape in-line emitters, TSX-208-20-500,

which in subsurface irrigation were placed at a depth of 50 mm below the sur-
face of a ridge or the soil surface in flat-ground cultivation, between two rows
of plants. In the combinations with surface drip irrigation, the in-line emitters
were placed on the surface of the ridges between two rows of plants. The dis-
tance between the centrelines of the ridges was 67.5 cm. Seeds were sown into
the ridges in two rows 10 cm apart. The same method was applied in the culti-
vation on flat ground. The irrigation system was equipped with a ‘Dosatron’
proportional feeder for fertilizers. Watering times were determined by means of
a ‘Watermark’ moisture meter made by the American company ‘Irrometer’,
placed at a depth of 20 cm. Irrigation was applied at a soil water potential of 30-
40 kPa. Phosphatic fertilizers (80 kg.ha-1 P2O5) and potassic fertilizers (200
kg.ha-1 K2O) were applied on a one-off basis before the vegetative season,
whereas nitrogenous fertilizers were applied in two doses. The first dose of 50
kg.ha-1 was applied prior to vegetative growth, while the second half was intro-
duced in the combination with irrigation in the form of a solution via fertiga-
tion. The second dose of nitrogen for the plots without irrigation was applied by
broadcasting. Fertigation with nitrogen finished at the end of August. The sec-
ond dose of nitrogen to be broadcast over the control plot was applied in the
second half of July. Seeds of witloof chicory cv. Platine F1 were sown around
the middle of May (Table 1). Table 2 contains data on atmospheric precipitation
during the growing season, while Table 3 gives the seasonal water doses.

Table 1. Dates on which the main activities were carried out in 2005-2007

Activity 2005 2006 2007

Sowing time 16.05.05 17.05.06 22.05.07
Harvest of roots 18.10.05 26.10.06 8.11.07
Start of hydroponic forcing 19.10.05 22.11.06 27.11.07
Harvest of chicons 14.11.05 13.12.06 18.12.07

Table 2. Total monthly precipitation during the growing period of witloof chicory

Precipitation in mm
Years
April May June July August September October Total
Multi-year
40 48 60 92 79 43 35 397
average
2005 22.3 71.9 35.4 96.0 38.3 16.5 3.4 283.8
2006 45.9 44.0 35.5 16.7 141.4 22.9 18.8 325.2
2007 28.2 65.1 81.2 63.8 52.5 46.7 18.0 355.5
Average for
32.1 60.3 50.7 58.8 77.4 28.7 13.4 320.5
3 years

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Table 3. Seasonal doses of water during witloof chicory cultivation (mm)

Years
Irrigation
2005 2006 2007
Surface irrigation 242 118 125
Subsurface irrigation 218 106 112

The total crop consisted of small roots with dia. <3 cm, large roots with
dia. >5 cm, and marketable roots with dia. 3-5 cm, as well as those that were
diseased and damaged. Immediately after harvest, the roots were placed in a
cold room and stored at a temperature of 2°C until the time of forcing. Chicory
plants were forced hydroponically in water using a standard nutrient solution.
For forcing, only the marketable roots, with dia. 3-5 cm, were used. The air
temperature during forcing was 17°C, and that of the medium 21-22°C. The
experiment with forcing was set up in a two-factorial design, in four replicates.
There were 40 roots planted on each plot. During harvest all the plants were
subjected to detailed measurements. The length of the stem in a longitudinal
section of the head (chicon) was measured, which is a very important quality
trait. The weight and size of the roots, the chicons and the stem were deter-
mined. Also, the efficiency of the roots was determined by calculating the ratio
of the weight of the chicon to the weight of the root from which it had grown.
All statistical calculations were carried out with the use of the program Statis-
tica using MANOVA analysis at a significance level of P=0.05

RESULTS

Irrigation was found to have had a favourable effect on the yield and qual-
ity of the roots of witloof chicory, significantly increasing the total yield in one
year and the marketable yield in two years of the study (Table 2). The highest
increase in yield was obtained in the first year of the experiments, in which
there was a drought during sprouting and a shortage of rainfall while the plants
were growing. In flat-ground cultivation, and in the year with insufficient soil
moisture in ridge cultivation, surface irrigation was more beneficial in compari-
son with subsurface irrigation because it created more favourable, in terms of
moisture content, conditions for the germinating seeds. In the years with suffi-
cient precipitation during germination and sprouting there were no significant
differences found between surface and subsurface irrigation. On average, for the
three years of the study, irrespective of the cultivation method, irrigation had
almost doubled the marketable and total yields of witloof chicory, with the ef-
fect being greater in the cultivation on ridges as compared with flat-ground cul-
tivation (Fig. 1).
The cultivation method did not have a very significant effect on the yield
of chicory roots because only in one year, 2007, the marketable yield obtained
from on-ridge cultivation was significantly higher in comparison with flat-
ground cultivation. In the other years, the yields were similar, and the differ-
ences between them were not statistically significant (Table 4). For the three

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years of the study, irrespective of the type of irrigation, the marketable yield of
chicory roots cultivated on flat ground was an average of 25.7 t·ha-1, whereas
that for ridge cultivation was 28.8 t·ha-1, with the total yield amounting to 36.1
and 37.4 t·ha-1, respectively (Fig. 1).

Table 4. Effect of the cultivation method and the type of irrigation on the yield of wit-
loof chicory roots suitable for forcing (2005-2007)

Yield of roots (t.ha-1)

Cultivation
Irrigation method Marketable Total
method
2005 2006 2007 2005 2006 2007
Control without
7.35c 23.70 15.39 8.53d 30.50 26.26
irrigation
Ridges Surface irrigation 63.66a 27.00 20.85 72.29a 35.20 31.30
Subsurface irrigation 49.17ab 29.70 21.94 56.57b 40.10 35.67
Mean 40.46 26.80 19.40a 46.50 35.30 31.07
Control 20.85c 26.24 9.17c 25.46c 35.50 21.47
Surface irrigation 47.41ab 27.40 16.57b 58.68a 41.40 27.58
Flat ground
Subsurface irrigation 43.54b 27.10 13.15b 50.52b 41.40 22.74
Mean 37.37 27.00 12.96b 44.18 39.40 23.93

t.ha-1
50
44,4
45
41,2
40 a 37,4
36,1
33,8 a
35
30,8
a 28,8 a a
30
a 25,7
24,6
25 a
b a
20 17,1

15 b

10

0
Control Surface Subsurface Ridges Flat ground
irrigation irrigation

Marketable yield Total yield

Fig. 1. Effect of cultivation and drip irrigation methods on the yield of roots of witloof
chicory (mean value for 2005-2007)

The levels of moisture had a significant effect on the weight of roots suit-
able for forcing. The average weight of the roots supplied with surface irrigation
was about 180 g, and of those with subsurface irrigation 207 g. The roots of the
chicory plants that had not been irrigated were characterized by a considerably

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larger weight because of the lower extent of sprouting. The cultivation method
also had an effect on root weight as higher values were recorded for the plants
grown on ridges. Root diameter did not vary much and did not depend signifi-
cantly on the method of cultivation or irrigation (Table 5).

Table 5. Effect of irrigation and cultivation methods on the quality of the roots of wit-
loof chicory (mean values for 2005-2007)

Average weight of roots (g) Diameter of roots (mm)

Cultivation Cultivation
Irrigation method
Flat Mean Flat Mean
Ridges Ridges
ground ground
Control 262.4 252.2 257.3a 46.9 48.9 47.9
Surface irrigation 183.2 176.5 179.9b 42.2 44.3 43.2
Subsurface irrigation 214.7 199.4 207.1ab 43.6 46.1 44.8
Mean 220.1A 209.4A - 44.2 46.4 -

The rate of utilization of the nutrients accumulated by chicory plants in the

roots determines during vegetative growth the ratio of the weight of the head
(chicon) to the weight of the root from each it has formed. In this respect, the
efficiency of the irrigated chicory roots was higher than that of the non-irrigated
roots, with the results being somewhat better after placing the irrigation lines on
the surface of the ground (Table 6). The average weight of chicory heads pro-
duced by irrigated roots was also higher but statistically not significant irre-
spective of the irrigation method.

Table 6. Effect of irrigation and cultivation methods on the efficiency of hydroponic

forcing of witloof chicory (mean values for 2005-2007)

Efficiency of roots* Weight of roots (g)

Cultivation Cultivation
Irrigation method
Flat Mean Flat Mean
Ridges Ridges
ground ground
Control 0.70 0.79 0.74c 110.2 144.6 127.4
Surface irrigation 0.89 0.99 0.94a 138.2 146.4 142.3
Subsurface irrigation 0.80 0.93 0.87b 133.1 153.1 143.1
Mean 0.80B 0.90A - 127.2 148.0 -
*- head to root weight ratio

The cultivation and irrigation methods used had an effect on some quality
traits of the heads of witloof chicory plants. Chicory roots from the irrigated
plots, as well as those grown on flat ground, produced chicons that were signifi-
cantly longer and tighter (Table 7). However, the diameter of the chicon and the
length of the stem were not significantly affected by the cultivation method or
the irrigation used.

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Table 7. Effect of the conditions of root production on the quality of witloof chicory
chicons forced hydroponically (mean values for 2005-2007)

Length of Diameter of
Length of Hardness**
Cultivation chicons chicons
stem (mm) (scale 0-9)
(mm) (mm)
Ridges 129.5b 47.8 35.7 7.0b
Flat ground 136.1a 49.9 39.8 7.3a
Irrigation method
Control 127.8b 48.2 35.7 6.9b
Surface 136.5a 49.0 39.1 7.3a
Subsurface 134.1a 49.4 38.5 7.3a
**- 0 – very loosely packed chicon; 9 – very tightly packed chicon

Over the three years of the study, internal browning of the stem, which is a
physiological disorder lowering the quality of chicons, occurred only in 2005. It
might have been caused by high temperatures during sprouting and high mois-
ture deficiency in the soil during vegetative growth. The use of irrigation sig-
nificantly reduced the incidence of this phenomenon, especially in flat-ground
cultivation. Because of the large losses of water caused by intense evaporation
in ridge cultivation, the effect of irrigation on reducing the incidence of stem
browning was considerably weaker, particularly with the use of subsurface irri-
gation (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Effect of irrigation and cultivation methods on the incidence (%) of internal stem
browning in 2005

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CONCLUSIONS

1. Irrigation had a beneficial effect on the yield and quality of witloof chicory
roots in that it significantly increased the total yield in one year and the mar-
ketable yield in two years of the study, with surface irrigation in ridge culti-
vation being more advantageous than subsurface irrigation in the year with
insufficient precipitation during sprouting and vegetative growth.
2. The method of cultivation did not have a significant effect on the yield of
chicory roots in two years of the study, but in 2007 a significantly higher
marketable yield was obtained in ridge cultivation compared with flat-
ground cultivation.
3. The efficiency of the irrigated chicory roots was higher than that of the non-
irrigated roots, with the results being somewhat better when the irrigation
lines were placed on the surface of the ground.
4. The average weight of chicons produced from irrigated roots was higher in
comparison with the control, but unaffected by the irrigation method.
5. Chicory roots from irrigated plots and also those grown on flat ground pro-
duced longer and tighter chicons.
6. In 2005, the incidence of internal stem browning on irrigated plots was sig-
nificantly lower, especially in flat-ground cultivation.

REFERENCES

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sowing vegetable crops. Veget. Crops Res. Bull. 53: 103-110.
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znego układania i wyciągania emiterów liniowych w nawodnieniach pod-
powierzchniowych. Materiały z konferencji pt “Nawadnianie warzyw w uprawach
polowych” , Skierniewice 2005. [in Polish]
Błażewicz-Woźniak M. 1997. [Effect of some agrotechnic factors on emergence,
growth and yield of parsley, cultivated on soil subject to puddling. Part I. Plant
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mary]
Błażewicz-Woźniak M. 1998. [Effect of some agrotechnic factors on emergence,
growth and yield of parsley, cultivated on soil subject to puddling. Part III. Yield
and roots and its structure.] Ann. UMCS, Sec. EEE 6: 73-87. [in Polish with Eng-
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Błażewicz-Woźniak M. 2003. [Shape changes in of parsley roots under the influence of
notillage and cover crops mulches.] Acta Agroph. 2(3): 489-497. [in Polish with
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Dyśko J., Kaniszewski S. 2007. Effect of drip irrigation, N- fertigation and cultivation
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Kaniszewski S. 2006. Nawadnianie warzyw. pp. 295-332. In: Nawadnianie roślin (St.
Karczmarczyk, L. Nowak ed.) PWRiL Poznań. [in Polish]

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Kaniszewski S., Dyśko J. 2008. Effect of drip irrigation and cultivation methods on the
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WPŁYW METOD UPRAWY I NAWADNIANIA KROPLOWEGO

NA PLON KORZENI I JAKOŚĆ GŁÓWEK CYKORII SAŁATOWEJ

Streszczenie
W latach 2005-2007 badano wpływ kroplowego nawadniania powierzchniowego i
podpowierzchniowego na plonowanie cykorii w uprawie na płask i na redlinach. Nawad-
nianie rozpoczynano przy potencjale wodnym gleby wynoszącym 30-40 kPa. Nawadnia-
nie wpływało korzystnie na plon i jakość korzeni cykorii sałatowej. Największy wzrost
plonu uzyskano w pierwszym roku badań, w którym wystąpiła susza w okresie wschodów
oraz niedobór opadów w okresie wegetacji. W uprawie płaskiej oraz w roku o niedosta-
tecznej wilgotności gleby w uprawie na redlinach, nawadnianie powierzchniowe było
korzystniejsze w porównaniu do nawadniania wgłębnego ponieważ stwarzało lepsze wa-
runki wilgotnościowe szczególnie dla kiełkujących nasion. W latach o dostatecznej ilości
opadów w okresie kiełkowania i wschodów roślin nie stwierdzono istotnych różnic w
plonie korzeni pomiędzy nawadnianiem powierzchniowym i wgłębnym.
Cykorię pędzono hydroponicznie w wodzie, stosując standardową pożywkę. Ko-
rzenie cykorii pochodzące z obiektów nawadnianych jak również z uprawy na płaskim
gruncie wytwarzały główki istotnie dłuższe i bardziej zwięzłe. W ciągu trzech lat badań
wewnętrzne brunatnienie łodygi, które jest zaburzeniem fizjologicznym obniżającym
jakość główek cykorii wystąpiło tylko w 2005 roku. Mogło to być spowodowane wy-
stąpieniem wysokich temperatur w okresie wschodów i dużym niedostatkiem wilgoci w
glebie w okresie wegetacji. Stosowanie nawadniania znacznie zredukowało występo-
wanie tego zjawiska, szczególnie w uprawie prowadzonej na płaskim gruncie.

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