SPRING PRODUCTION OF ARTICHOKE PROPAGATED BY SEED

The productive behaviour of artichoke selection T3 was evaluated in Tuscany. Selection T3 derived from the seed progeny of cultivar “Terom” by half-sib family selection, and is characterized by earliness and oval-elongated violet-coloured heads, with or without small thorns. Crop management implied sowing in a tray and transplanting seedlings with 5-6 leaves, at a density of 1 plant per m². In 1998 four cultivations were performed with sowing in January, February, July and September, respectively. Based on the results obtained in 1998, three other cultivations were carried out during summer 1999 (sowing on July 15th, July 30th and August 20th, respectively) to define the most favourable crop-timing for artichoke as an annual crop. Earliness and yield of selection T3 seem to be directly related with sowing-time. In the Tuscany environment, sowing times from July 15th to July 30th are the most suitable to obtaining good quality and sufficiently early spring-production from seed-propagated artichoke.