EFFECT OF WATER LOSS IN CHICORY ROOTS ON FORCING YIELD

Chicory roots are very susceptible to dehydration; strongly dehydrated roots will lead to a smaller crop yield. The roots must therefore be stored in adequate moisture conditions to prevent dehydration. In practice this can lead to problems as controlling the storage conditions can be difficult for a grower; even more so as researchers have yet to strictly define the ideal conditions under which chicory roots must be stored. More must become known of the physiological changes in the root during storage. Finding the relationship between water loss in the roots during storage and the subsequent forcing results could be a first step in this process.

In cooperation with the Research Station for Arable Farming and Field Production of Vegetables two experiments were done in the 1985/1986 and 1986/1987 seasons to learn more about this relationship.