RESPONSE OF MATTHIOLA INCANA (L.) W. T. AITON TO CULTIVATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE

In relation to the favorable winter conditions in the Mediterranean areas, it could be possible to expand the production season of the stock (Matthiola incana L.), a very interesting specialty cut flower, through the use of unheated greenhouses. In this frame, the aim of this study was to evaluate the response of different stock cultivars grown in unheated greenhouse. Two different experimental trials were carried out. In the first trial the response of stock ‘Maria’ in relation to five sowing periods (February, April, June, August and November) was evaluated; in the second experiment the response of four cultivars (‘Prousse Pink’, ‘Maria’, ‘Prousse White’ and ‘Prousse Red’) sown in November was analyzed. In the first trial the production time ranged from 100 days in April sowing to 187 days in August one. However the production time affected the stem characteristics: in particular the fresh weight ranged from 71.1 to 308.1 g respectively for the sowing periods of April and August, while the robustness index was higher in the stems of August and November sowings. In the second trial the genotype affected stem characteristics and production time. The flowering time for ‘Prousse White’ and ‘Prousse Pink’ was in the early days of January while for ‘Maria’ and ‘Prousse Red’ in March. The cultivar affected the fresh weight (from 141.3 g in ‘Prousse Red’ to 227.9 g in ‘Maria’) and length of the stem (from 85.2 cm in ‘Prousse Pink’ to 96.7 cm in ‘Maria’). Results showed that the unheated greenhouse is profitable to expand the production season of the stock but the choice of most suitable cultivar should be considered, to improve the yield and the quality characteristics of the stems.