Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Maricopa, Arizona » U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center » Plant Physiology and Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #168047

Title: PLANTING DATE EFFECTS ON GUAYULE YIELDS

Author
item Coffelt, Terry
item RAY, D - THE UNIV OF ARIZONA
item Nakayama, Francis
item Cornish, Katrina

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/15/2004
Publication Date: 1/15/2005
Citation: Coffelt, T.A., Ray, D.T., Nakayama, F.S., Cornish, K. 2005. Planting date effects on guayule yields. Agronomy Abstracts. CD-Rom (4752).

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Guayule (Parthenium argentatum Gray) is a perennial shrub native to the Chihuahuan Desert of Northern Mexico and Southern Texas. One of the most valuable products from guayule is its hypoallergenic latex. However, little research has been done on planting date effects on latex yields. The objective of this study was to compare latex yields of guayule transplantedin the fall to guayule transplanted in the spring. Four guayule lines (11591, AZ-1, AZ-3, and AZ-5) were transplanted at the University of Arizona Agricultural Research Center at Maricopa, Arizona on 28 November 2000 and 7 June 2001. The experimental design was a randomized complete block-split plot with four replications. Transplanting dates were the whole plots and guayule lines were the split plots. Plants were harvested from subplots within the split plots every six months beginning at one year of age. Results from the first harvest date of both planting dates indicate that the spring planting was higher in latex content, but equal in plant biomass to the fall planting. The second harvest of the fall planting was similar to the first harvest of the spring planting for latex content, but higher in plant biomass. Lines were similar in plant biomass, while AZ-5 was higher in latex content and AZ-3 lower in latex content than the other lines at both harvest dates. Results from this test indicate that spring planting of guayule is better than fall planting.