Parsley

Parsley culture

 parsley (Petroselinum hortenae Hoff) is widespread in all regions of the country. It is grown mainly for its leaves. The mild coastal climate is very favorable for intensive cultivation of parsley for the whole year, especially during winter and spring. Parsley is a biennial plant belonging to the Umbelliferae family. It is native to the Mediterranean.

Soil and climatic requirements:

Parsley resistant to cold; seedlings resistant to -9 ° C. However, they are not resistant to frost. Parsley leaf is more resistant to cold than large root parsley. The optimum growth temperature is between 15 and 18 ° C. The lift is very slow, from 18 to 30 days depending on regions, the season and the cold ground. The strong and continuous droughts hinder many normal seed germination and culture can sometimes remove completely. The optimum temperature for the germination of the ground is 24 ° C. Parsley has high light requirements. Parsley gives better yields on deep soil, fresh, clay-siliceous or silico-clay, as well as sand-lime rich soil humus and nutrients. It requires well-drained soil to optimal pH 6.5. Avoid heavy soils, cold, heavy clay or stony and manure pailleux.

Varieties, planting and soil work:

Varieties are classified by the authors into 2 groups (parsley greens, and parsley root), or 3 groups (parsley leaf, tuberous parsley and parsley ribs). (1) grown for its leaves parsley (Petroselinum hortenae var. Foliosum) includes the common parsley, it is the most fragrant and most cultivated in Morocco and double parsley or curly parsley, most used for decoration of the dish. (2) parsley Tuberous (Peroselinum hortenae var rapaceum) Hamburg parsley or parsley which includes big-late long root and parsley large root (early coarse) and (3) the side-parsley (grown for the petiole) example parsley celery leaves. Propagation is by direct seeding only. Soil preparation begins with deep plowing of 25-30 cm and then followed by a light harrowing, rolling to firm the soil; it is recommended to avoid planting in poorly ressuyé ground. Sowing can be done on the fly; it takes 15 kg of seed per hectare, and for online seedlings 8 to 10 kg / ha (75-80% germination capacity); interline distances 30-40 cm interplant 10-20 cm (after thinning). In Moroccan conditions, one can sow parsley - leafy all year, except during the driest months of summer. It is preferred to planting in autumn (September - Nov.) in winter (January-February) and in spring (April). Planting parsley in large roots may be in July - August Crop types depend on the harvested organ. All in all, the main difference in the distance between plants after thinning. This distance is of the order of 7 to 8 cm for leaf parsley and 15 cm for the tuberous parsley. It is recommended to mix the seeds of parsley with rapidly germinating seeds (radish, lettuce etc.). To facilitate removal, one can soak seeds 24 h in water at 15- 20 ° C, and let ressuyer 1 h before sowing.

Irrigation and tending:

Parsley is demanding soil moisture. Lack of moisture in the soil during the period of its development can be harmful and can decrease yields. Tending consist of hoeing in the fight against weeds, against which the parsley defended poorly at first. The soil should be kept moist throughout the growing.

Fertilization:

The basal application is made well rotted manure (40 t / ha) + P (100 kg / ha of P 2 O 5 + Potash (250 kg / ha of K 2 O). The top dressing is reduced to one or two N inputs (2 x 40 kg / ha).

Major diseases and control methods:

Slugs and snails may cause significant damage; to fight, use poison baits. The celery caused by Septoria Septoria petroselinum is a widespread fungal disease; the treatment of culture should take into account the persistence of the products.

Harvest:

For parsley leaf, we made the cut sheets to 2 - 3 cm above the soil as and when required. The harvest begins in February-March for sowing from October to November. For February sowing, harvesting starts in April-May. The leaf yield is 5-8 tons / ha. For tuberous parsley were harvested in October, can be 2-3 harvests leaves during the growth to 1 to 1.5 months before harvesting root; the yield is 30-35 t / ha of roots.

Agronomic and Veterinary Institute Hassan II