Tuesday, November 6, 2007 - 11:15 AM
155-7
Response of Four Guayule Lines to Two Plant Populations.
Terry Coffelt, USDA-ARS, U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center, 21881 N. Cardon Lane, Maricopa, AZ 85239-3004, Dennis Ray, Po Box 210036, University of Arizona, University of Arizona, Dept. of Plant Sciences, Tucson, AZ 85721, and Francis Nakayama, U.S. Water Conservation Lab, USDA-ARS Arid-Land Agri Res Center, 21881 N. Cardon Lane, Maricopa, AZ 85239.
Guayule is being commercialized in the Southwestern USA for production of hypo-allergenic latex. Information on the effects of plant population on latex concentration and yield are not available. Four guayule lines with different growth rates were transplanted at two plant populations at Maricopa, Arizona. Plots were harvested at six month intervals beginning one year after transplanting and ending after three years of growth. results indicate that plant population did not effect latex concentration in the plant or latex yield. The recommended plant population is 27,000 plants per hectare for the four genotypes tested.