Flowering in six clones of the Andean root crop arracacha (Arracacia xanthorrhiza Bancroft)

The effect of dehydration on arracacha (Arracacia xanthorrhiza Bancroft) co rmels was investigated and found to have a positive effect on flowering for some accessions and a negative or negligible effect on others. The clear d ifference in flowering response between accessions is attributed to genetic variation and suboptimal growth conditions. The unclear results indicate t hat the treatments used were suboptimal and that factors other than drought stress are involved in flower induction. However, the dehydration treatmen ts had a positive effect on the production of hermaphrodite flowers in all accessions, and dehydration is therefore considered an important factor in the flower-inducing treatment. The high temperatures and low humidity durin g the current experiment had a negative effect on pollen release and thus s eed production, indicating that a moderate temperature is needed during the arracacha growth period. There are clear morphological differences between the accessions, with ABS 5516 as the most vigorous and with the highest me asured values in all variables except percentage of hermaphrodite flowers.