GROWTH-CHARACTERISTICS AND YIELD OF CARROTS GROWN IN A SOIL RIDGE WITH A POROUS TUBE FOR SOIL AERATION IN A WET LOWLAND

The growth characteristics and yield of carrots grown in a soil ridge with an aeration treatment were compared with those of carrots grown i n a conventional ridge as a control under wet lowland field conditions . For the aeration treatment, a plastic porous tube was placed in the soil ridge. Water depth between the ridges in the aeration treatment a nd the control was kept at 20 mm throughout the growing period in orde r to imitate the wet soil conditions in tropical and subtropical lowla nds. The fresh and dry weights of the storage root were 1.9 and 1.7 ti mes greater, respectively, in the aeration treatment than in the contr ol. The maximum root length in the aeration treatment was 1.8 times gr eater than in the control. The length of the leaf lamina and the leaf area per plant were greater in the aeration treatment than in the cont rol. The fresh and dry weights of the total phytomass per plant were a pproximately 1.6 times greater in the aeration treatment than in the c ontrol. The fresh weight of the above-ground part was 1.3 times greate r in the aeration treatment than in the control. The net photosyntheti c rate and edible biomass index were greater in the aeration treatment than in the control. Carrot production in wet lowlands is possible if adequate aeration of the soil ridges is provided. (C) 1998 Elsevier S cience B.V. All rights reserved.