Influence of Ovoli Typology on Globe Artichoke Development, Early Production and Head Atrophy: Preliminary Results

In the North-West of Sardinia (Italy) a two year experiment was carried out
during 1998 and 1999 to test ovoli dormancy and typology effect on the
development, early production and head atrophy of globe artichoke (Cynara
scolymus L.) cv "Spinoso sardo". Three different length periods of ovoli dormancy
were combined as main plots with the two main typologies of ovoli (ovoidi and
sigaroidi) as subplot in a split-plot experiment design with four replications. At the
end of the vegetative cycle, in late spring, dormancy of the mother plants was
induced in both years by diquat treatments on 15 May (D1), 30 May (D2) and 15
June (D3). Ovoli dormancy was broken by irrigation on 15 July 1998 and 3 July
1999. On 3 August 1998 and 28 July 1999, sixty plants per subplots (1.3 m x 0.70 m)
were transplanted in the open field at 3rd leaf stage.
All the early produced heads were harvested and measurements were taken
on head diameter, length and weight, stem weight and the number of productive
plants at the harvest. The length of the dormancy did not influence the early
productivity or the head atrophy while, in the second year of the trial, plants
obtained from over 2.5 cm diameter sigaroidi were characterized by the highest
number of leafs per plant and produced the highest number of heads when early
harvested and showed the lowest percentage of head atrophy on productive plant
basis.