Some problems in the breeding of spurry (Spergula arvensis)

• Book ID: 104619916
• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1955
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 380 KB
• Volume: 4
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0014-2336
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00042408

✦ Synopsis

Spurry is, as a second crop, still a more important plant on the lighter soils of the Netherlands than is generally accepted . Approx. 10,000 acres of spurry are grown annually, more specially in the south-east of the country on sandy soils .

In order to fulfil the Dutch seed requirements of spurry, important quantities of seed are grown. Apart from its cultivation in the Netherlands, there is normally a greater demand for spurry seed for export than there is supply .

As a consequence of the improved soil fertility of the sandy soils, spurry has lost its predominant position as a second crop (which it had at the end of the last century) to other forage plants requiring a higher soil fertility, and especially to autumn turnips . After 1900, the acreage of spurry has decreased rapidly, as can be seen from Figure 1 : % 50# W I ACREAGE OF SPURRY IN PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL ACREAGE OF SECOND CROPS 1870 s0 t0 1900 '10 10 '30 Crude protein % kg/are 3 .5 3 .2 Crude protein % of dry matter 12 .4 11 .9 Dry matter 11 .0 12 .8