Performance of kion (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) var. 'Chino' at different planting densities in Pichanaki in the Peruvian tropics

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the performance of kion (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) var. 'Chino' at different planting densities in the locality of Zotarari, Pichanaki, central jungle of Peru. Methodology: The trial was conducted on degraded soil in the district of Pichanaki (Junín). The experiment lasted 10 months and had a statistical design in completely randomized blocks with 4 treatments (50 000, 75 000, 100 000 and 125 000 plants/ha) and 4 replications. The number of shoots/plant, number of leaves/plant, plant height (cm), yield (g/plant), and product quality (exportable, industrial and discarded) were evaluated, performing the analysis of variance of the data and Duncan's test at a confidence level of 95%. Results: Higher planting density did not affect kion plant growth and decreased plant rhizome weight, but increased yield/ha, with the highest value corresponding to T4 (125 000 plants/ha) and the lowest to T1 (50 000 plants/ha), statistically different. Quality varied from one treatment to another and the highest amount of the exportable category (10.29 t ha-1) was obtained with 100 000 plants/ha (T3), although without showing significant statistical differences with the other treatments evaluated.     Conclusions: The Rhizome yields per hectare increased with higher planting density, with the highest value corresponding statistically to the high density and the lowest yield to the lowest density. The quality of the kion varied with density, but no statistical differences were found among the treatments evaluated