The effect of plant population and distribution on the yield and quality of swedes

Abstract

1. An investigation into the effects of plant population level and irregularity of plant spacing on the yield and quality of swedes is reported.2. There was no significant evidence that irregular plant spacing, such as might be produced by mechanical singling, gave a lower yield than regular spacing.3. Total yield of roots was similar for all plant populations tested (range 15,000–50,000) but at low populations both the number and weight of diseased roots was greater than at higher populations.4. As the population was increased, the drymatter percentage in the roots increased due to the higher proportion of skin on small roots compared with large roots.