Irrigation management and capitulum order in the production and quality of Eryngium foetidum L. propagules

ABSTRACT: There are few recommendations for management of production and quality of propagules of Eryngium foetidum L. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate irrigation management during plant flowering and the harvest of different orders of inflorescences on the production and quality of E. foetidum propagules. For that purpose, a completely randomized experimental design was used in a 5 × 4 factorial arrangement consisting of five capitulum orders (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th orders) and four irrigation intervals (1, 2, 4, and 6 days). The following traits were evaluated: number of propagules, 1000-propagule weight, plant yield, first germination count, germination rate, hard propagules, relative frequency of germination, germination speed index, mean germination time, and mean time for seedling emergence in sand. After data collection, the means were compared using Tukey’s test (p < 0.05). To obtain higher yield and physiological quality of E. foetidum propagules, they should be produced under irrigation at a 4-day interval, and harvest should occur from the 1st to the 5th orders of the capitula.