Effects of Canopy Height Management on the Growth of Malva Nut in Field Conditions

Abstract

      Effects of canopy height management on the growth of malva nut in field conditions was conducted at the Chanthaburi Agricultural Research and Development Center from October 2021 to September 2024. The preliminary data from this study can be used for canopy management when planting malva nut in the field. The experimental design was Randomized Complete Block Design (RCB) with 3 treatments and 14 replications, each consisting of 1 plant. The canopy heights studied were: uncontrolled, 3 meters and 6 meters. The results during the 2022-2024 period, when the malva nut were 6-8 years old, showed no significant differences in trunk circumference and canopy diameter in all treatments each year. The height management at 3 meters could be performed when the plants reached 6 years old (2022) as they were taller than 3 meters. Similarly, height management at 6 meters could be implemented when the plants reached 7 years old (2023). In the 2023-2024 period, when the plants were 8 years old, 6 trees with uncontrolled canopy height showed bloom with a flowering average of 48% per tree; 2 trees of 3-meter canopy height control showed a flowering average of 47% per tree; no trees of 6-meter canopy height showed flowering. Moreover, there was no fruiting in any of the treatments studied.