Citation
Some changes in the celery plant with maturity

Material Information

Title:
Some changes in the celery plant with maturity
Series Title:
Everglades Station Mimeo Report
Creator:
Burdine, Howard W., 1909-
Guzman, V. L ( Victor Lionel ), 1914-
Everglades Experiment Station
Place of Publication:
Belle Glade Fla
Publisher:
Everglades Experiment Station
Publication Date:
Language:
English
Physical Description:
7 p. : ; 29 cm.

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Celery -- Growth -- Florida ( lcsh )
Petioles ( jstor )
Maturity stage ( jstor )
Celery ( jstor )

Notes

General Note:
"May 1970."
General Note:
Caption title.
Statement of Responsibility:
H. W. Burdine and V. L. Guzman.

Record Information

Source Institution:
University of Florida
Rights Management:
All applicable rights reserved by the source institution and holding location.
Resource Identifier:
64667179 ( OCLC )

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iUME LIBRARY


r ,4,,,.. 11 1972
E 70- I Everglades Station Mimeo Report EES70-11 I May 1970
LS. Univ. of Florida
SOME CHANGES IN THE CELERY PLANT WITH MATURITY

H. W. Burdine and V. L. Guzman1/

Data presented here were accumulated from two fertilizer experiments where
plots were harvested at three stages of growth, one week before, at optimum, and
one week after estimated optimum market maturity. It is not always possible to
immediately interpret data of this type into far reaching practical significance,
however, it is felt this data should be published as it sheds light on the
responses of this plant to south Florida growing conditions, and some of the
processes we are dealing with in the production of this crop.

EXPERIMENTAL
The same three celery cultivars were grown in both experiments. Utah 52-70,
Florida 2-13 and Florida 683 were gorwn on three levels of phosphorus and three
levels of potassium. Nitrogen was applied uniformly to both areas as 450 pounds
per acre of ammonium nitrate, 6 weeks after transplanting. Experiment No. 1-
was transplanted January 10-12 and harvested April 4-6, 11-13 and 18-19. Experi-
ment No. 2- was transplanted January 4-6. Plots were harvested March 27-28,
April 3-4 and April 10-11. Response to fertilizer treatments were presented last
year. Only data relating to maturity changes are given here. There were some
bolting plants in both experiments. However, sampling for chemical analysis was
done on plants that exhibited no signs of bolting.

Samples for analysis of outer petiole tissue were taken from the outermost
petiole remaining after stripping to a compact marketable plant. Heart petiole
samples were taken from two heart petioles per plant with a minimum of 3 inches
and a maximum of 6 inches between base and the node.' Stem samples were from the
inner portion of the stem with the growing point and petiole attachment areas
trimmed off. Samples for analysis from all parts of the plant were taken from
the same 15 plants on each plot.



1/ Professor (Soils Chemist) and Professor (Horticulturist), Everglades
Experiment Station, Belle Glade, Florida.

2/ Grown on Wedgworth Farm.

3/ Grown on the Experiment Station Farm.

4/ Burdine, H. W. and V. L. Guzman. Some Celery Responses to Fertilizer Levels
and Soil Test Results. Everglades Station Mimeo Report EES69-17.








RESULTS

A. Effects of maturity on growth and some physiological disorders.

Table 1. Weight in pounds per plot of celery harvested at three stages of
maturity.

Estimated Total Trimmed Weight
Maturity weight weight of waste

Experiment 1

1 week before 100.4 68.8 31.6
optimum 120.3 83.3 37.0
1 week after 132.0 74.2 57.8

Significance ** 1/ ** **

Experiment 2

1 week before 87.9 58.7 29.2
optimum 101.8 63.8 38.0
1 week after 109.9 77.3 32.6

Significance ** "* **

1/ Significance:
= Probability of a real difference 19 to 1 or more but less .than 99 to 1.
** = Probability of a real difference 99 to 1 or more.
NS = Not significantly different.


Table 2. Some physiological disorder of celery harvested at three stages of
maturity.

No. cracked No. pithy No. feather No. plants
Estimated petioles on petioles leaves on with
maturity 25 plants per plant 25 plants pencil stripe

Experiment 1

1 week before 15.7 0.0 14.1 4.0
optimum 20.8 0.8 18.9 2.5
1 week after 40.4 3.9 63.5 2.4

Significance ** ** ** **

: Experiment 2

1 week before 19.3 1.1 13.9 2.7
optimum 26.1 3.8 22.8 4.7
1 week after 27.1 7.9 36.7 4.3

Significance ** ** ** **










Table 7. Percent potassium of various parts of
stages of maturity.


celery harvested at three


Estimated Outer Heart Stem
maturity petioles petioles tissue

Experiment 1

1 week before 8.41 7.82 4.07
optimum 8.22 7.38 3.41
1 week after 7.88 6.45 3.11

Significance ** ** **
Experiment 2

1 week before 8.55 7.52 4.10
optimum 7.63 6.88 3.98
1 week after 7.04 6.27 3.65

Significance ** ** **



Table 8. Percent calcium of various parts of celery harvested at three stages
of maturity.

Estimated Outer Heart Stem
maturity petioles petioles tissue

Experiment 1

1 week before 2.18 .660 .616
optimum 2.18 .570 .616
1 week after 2.07 .617 .579

Significance ** **

Experiment 2

1 week before 2.27 .550 .522
optimum 2.19 .567 .587
1 week after 2.37 .566 .556

Significance ** ** **









Table 9. Percent magnesium of various parts of celery harvested at three stages
of maturity.

Estimated buter Heart Stem
maturity petioles petioles tissue

Experiment 1.

1 week before .307 .200 .326
optimum .311 .198 .357
1 week after .316 .207 .325

Significance **

S Experiment 2

1 week before .300 .171 .363
optimum .289 .165 .406
1 week after .309 .164 .388

Significance **









Table 3. Percent dry weight of outer petiole, heart petiole and stem tissue of
celery harvested at three stages of maturity.

Estimate Outer Heart Stem
maturity petiole petiole tissue

Experiment 1

1 week before 4.32 4.11 7.81
optimum 4.23 4.48 8.08
1 week after 4.07 4.65 8.38

Significance ** ** **

Experiment 2

1 week before 3.48 3.47 6.25
optimum 3.72 3.80 6.90
1 week after 4.02 4.12 7.21

Significance ** ** **


B. Effects of maturity on tissue content of some plant nutrients, all expressed
as percent of dry weight.


Table 4. Percent total nitrogen of various plant parts of celery harvested at
three stages of maturity.

Estimated Outer Heart Stem
maturity petioles petiole tissue

Experiment 1

1 week before 2.39 3.04 2.87
optimum 2.18 2.93 2.58
1 week after 1.97 2.69 2.31

Significance ** ** **
Experiment 2

1 week before 1.66 2.64 2.30
optimum 1.43 2.54 2.38
1 week before 1.22 2.43 2.18

Significance ** ** **







-4-


Table 5. Percent protein nitrogen of.various parts of celery harvested at three
stages of maturity.

Estimated Outer Heart .Stem
Maturity petioles petioles. tissue

Experiment 1

1 week before .940 1.63 1.64
optimum .814 1.65 1.54
1 week after .820 1.55 1.43

Significance ** ** **

Experiment 2

1 week before .830 1.79 1.58
optimum .780 1.74 1.62
1 week after .694 1,72 1.57

Significance ** ** **



Table 6. Percent phosphorus of various parts of celery harvested at three
stages of maturity.

Estimated Outer Heart Stem
maturity petioles petioles tissue

Experiment 1

1 week before .529 .638 .858
optimum .522 .615 .780
1 week after .525 .597 .708

Significance NS ** **

Experiment 2

1 week before .603 .653 .909
optimum .575 .630 .886
1 week after .556 .609 .838

Significance ** ** **








DISCUSSION

Total weight data in Table 1 indicate that plants in Experiment 1 added 8 to
10% weight in one week following estimated optimum maturity. Trimmed weight in
Experiment 1, declinedone week after optimum maturity and increased in Experiment
2. When number of pithy petioles per plant found after field trimming in both
experiments are taken into consideration (Table 2), one can only conclude that
plants harvested one week after optimum in Experiment 2 were not as severely
stripped. This is further borne out by the differences in weight of waste found
between the two experiments for the last harvest. Pithy petioles usually stand
out from the plant and most are trimmed off in making a compact plant for market.
Consequently, total weight along with the development of the physiological dis-
orders, is a better criteria for judging relative maturity in this instance than
yields of trimmed weight.

As in previous experiments, physiological disorders of nodal cracking, pith,
feather leaf, increased in a linear manner with maturity. However, dry weight
of plant tissue significantly increased with maturity. Previous studies with
outer petiole tissue only, have shown linear decreases in dry weight with maturity.
Why the reversal in these two experiments is not exactly known.

Total nitrogen, protein nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content of all
plant parts tested, decreased significantly with increasing maturity. We have
shown previously that it decreased in outer petiole tissue.

Differences in calcium and magnesium content of the various plant parts
were generally highly significant. However, they did not follow the strict de-
creasing pattern of the other nutrients determined. In the data previously
reported, calcium content of outer petiole tissue decreased significantly with
maturity while magnesium content increased.

Some of these differences might be explained by the fact that none of the
plants in the earlier experiments showed a tendency toward bolting, regardless
of the age of the plants. While no plants in these experiments used for plant
tissue sampling showed signs of bolting, it is possible that in some of these
plants bolting had been initiated but was not yet evident.

SUMMARY

Plants harvested after estimated optimum market maturity continued to increase
in total weight while marketable celery decreased because of pith development,
increased nodal cracking and feather leaf incidence. Dry weight increases with
maturity were contrary to previous findings, and might possibly be connected with
the tendency of the plants in these experiments to bolt as opposed to former
experiments. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium tended to decrease in all parts of
the plant with maturity. Most differences in calcium and magnesium contents were
significant at the various stages of maturity but did not follow the same linear
patterns as in previous experiments.



EES 70-11


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