Prove di coltivazione di Calendula (Calendula officinalis L.) in ambiente semi-arido

Inside the family Asteraceae, Marigold is one of the most relevant species bearing some herbal interest. The evaluation of the bio-agronomical and yield response of the species to the field cropping conditions, especially when a low input cropping technique is applied, is the base for its full exploitation. With this objective, a long-term research activity has been started out by the DAAT (Department of Environmental and Land Agronomy) of the University of Palermo in the experimental farm “Sparacia” (Cammarata – AG – Sicily), performing observations on Marigold plants managed with a minimum recourse to external technical inputs (nor pesticides neither chemical weeding, and a light (50 kg ha-1) N organic fertilization at sowing time). This work compares the results obtained in 2007 with those consecutively collected from 2003 to 2006 on experimental plots seeded in 2002. Our plants, cultivated over five consecutive years, experienced a reduction of unitary plant weight, but only a small reduction in the yield of dry herb (d.m. of flowers on whole plant mass) was noticed. This may be considered a positive result, above all in relation to the very low cropping inputs applied.