Influence of Planting Methods and Density on Performance of Chia (Salvia hispanica) and its Suitability as an Oilseed Plant

Abstract

A 2-year field experiment was conducted in 2012 and 2013 at the research fields of CSIR-Crops Research Institute to determine the best agronomic practices for the field establishment and cultivation of Chia (Salvia hispanica) and determine insect pests and diseases associated with the plant. The study also determined the nutritional composition of the plant under Ghanaian environment. A split-plot field trial with 2 planting methods (direct planting with seed; planting from seedling) as main plot and 3 planting density (10,000 plants/ha; 20,000 plantst/ha; 40,000 plantst/ha) as subplot were used for the agronomic evaluation of the plant. A sweep net was used to sweep diagonally across the field under two separate regimes to collect insects on the crop for the entomological investigations. Major insects collected were coreid bugs, lagria sp., Zonocerus variegatus and Diopsis thoracica. The method used for the pathological investigations were the moist blotter test and culture of pathogens on Potato Dextrose Agar. The results of the study in both years show high biomass and seed yield of chia when the crop was planted directly in the field. Narrow-row spacing of 0.5m x 0.5m consistently produced the highest biomass and seed yield in both years of the study. The results indicated that interaction between planting method and planting density positively influenced most of the growth and yield parameters of Chia plants. Nutritional profile analysis from the Chia seeds shows medium to high proximate and mineral composition. Disease evaluation revealed evidence of Fusarium wilt infection on Salvia hispanica in the field. The study recommends the adoption of direct planting method and narrow-row spacing (0.5m x 0.5m) (SP3) as the best option for the production of Chia plants in Ghana.

Innovative Crop Productions for Healthy Food: The Case of Chia (Salvia hispanica L.)

“…Other authors, though, observed insect attacks in particular foliage beetles able to provoke a significant insect infestation of the plant (Yeboah et al 2014). Moreover, in Southern Italy during the crop seasons 2013 and 2014 (data not shown), insect attack on leaves by whiteflies and aphids were observed.…”

“…Soil Chia prefers sandy, well-drained soils with moderate salinity and with a pH ranging from 6 to 8.5 (Yeboah et al 2014). According to some authors this crop has low salt tolerance, and salinity can significantly reduce the seed oil yield (Heuer et al 2002).…”

“…Minimum and maximum growth temperatures of this crop are 11-36 C, with an optimum range between 16 and 26 C. It is well known that this plant is very sensitive to low temperature, and it cannot produce seeds since it is killed by frost before flowers set (Ayerza and Coates 2005). The duration of the crop cycle in most cases ranges from 140 to 180 days (de Kartzow 2013;Coates and Ayerza 1996), but Water While being able to grow in dry conditions (Baginsky et al 2014), Salvia hispanica L. benefits from rainfall events ranging from 300 to 1,000 mm during the whole growing season (Yeboah et al 2014;Coates and Ayerza 1996). The optimal distribution of precipitation for this crop allows a good supply of rainfall during the first phenological phases corresponding to vegetative growth, while drier conditions are required during subsequent phases, especially seed maturation (Yeboah et al 2014).…”

“…The duration of the crop cycle in most cases ranges from 140 to 180 days (de Kartzow 2013;Coates and Ayerza 1996), but Water While being able to grow in dry conditions (Baginsky et al 2014), Salvia hispanica L. benefits from rainfall events ranging from 300 to 1,000 mm during the whole growing season (Yeboah et al 2014;Coates and Ayerza 1996). The optimal distribution of precipitation for this crop allows a good supply of rainfall during the first phenological phases corresponding to vegetative growth, while drier conditions are required during subsequent phases, especially seed maturation (Yeboah et al 2014). The crop can be grown in rainfed or irrigated conditions (Coates and Ayerza 1996), but there is a lack of scientific literature on irrigation experimental trials, so there is no exact quantification of evapotranspiration of this crop.…”

“…A recent study has shown that direct planting instead of transplanting allows to achieve the best yields (Yeboah et al 2014). As regards plant density, it has been observed that for Salvia hispanica L. the greatest variations in seed yield are related to the different planting method and plant density used in the different environment of production (Yeboah et al 2014), and according to available data for this crop, the higher the planting density, the greater the seed yield. Results of Yeboah et al (2014) show highest yields at a planting density of 40,000 plants ha À1 with narrow-row spacing (0.5 m  0.5 m).…”