Large-scale cultivation of two dye plants: madder (Rubia tinctorum L.) and weld (Reseda luteola L.)

Re-introducing the large-scale cultivation of dye plants in Europe required a full research program. The CRITT Horticole initiated such a program back in 1995 on 9 species. This study shows a part of our work on Rubia tinctorum L. (madder) and on Reseda luteola L. (weld), led on brunisols under an oceanic climate. In this work, we start by selecting the best accessions of madder and weld. To do so, we studied several parameters such as yield of dry matter, roots for madder and aerial parts for weld, concentration of molecules of interest, ability to produce seeds under our climate and germination rate of those seeds. Then, once these accessions, we had to determine the optimal growth condition in order to establish specifications for a large-scale production. These specifications allowed us to produce weld and madder since 2005.