Impact of climatic factors on growth and development of Cichorium Endivia in greenhouse in Leningrad region, Russia

The paper discusses the results of the study of the effect of climatic factors on the yield and biometricindicators of various varieties of endive chicory (Cichorium endivia (L.)) over a two-year study grownin the summer-autumn period in the plastic greenhouses on the experimental plots of the St.Petersburg Agrarian University, Pushkin, Russia. The plants of the genus Chicory are known andvalued for their unique medicinal and nutritional properties. Total of 14 varieties of domestic andforeign Cichorium endivia breeding were studied. The study was carried out in 2015 and 2016yearsthat were sharply differed in the amount of precipitation and temperature. The climate of Leningradregion is characterised with humid and long-lasting cold season. The aim of the research was toidentify the variety of endive chicory that is most suitable and tolerant for the climatic conditions ofLeningrad region, Russia. During the growing season the plant biometric parameters such as plantheight (cm), rosette diameter of leaves (cm), and number of leaves (pieces) were measured. Duringharvesting, additional parameters such as biomass of plants and leaves, the area of the assimilationsurface were determined. The decrease in plant biometric parameters during the phenologicalobservations in September 2016 was associated with an increased amount of precipitation in JulyAugust. The results showed that the variety “Broad Betavian fullhearted” was the most sensitive tothe adverse effects of weather, showing the largest variation in biometrics over the studied years. Inplants of this variety the mass of leaves decreased by 9.2 times, the area of the assimilation surfacewas reduced by 11.6 times, whilethe crop shortfall in 2016 was almost 90%. The varieties “Greencurled” and “Scarola bionda” were the most tolerant to weather conditions. These varieties werecharacterized by the maximum yield in both years of research: “Green curled” - 7.90 kg/m2and 2.87kg/m2, “Scarola bionda” - 8.06 kg/m2and 2.84 kg/m2in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Generally, theresult of the study showed that most of the studied varieties were sensitive to the amount ofprecipitation and the number of sunny days. The study made it possible to identify the most sensitiveand most tolerant varieties of endive chicory for growing in the Leningrad region.