Richters ProGrowers Info

Richters ProGrowers Info

  Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea, E. angustifolia, E. pallida )
Market Products:   (root, herb, flower, seed);   (herb);     Market size: 16,000 hectares (world), 4,000 ha (North America)   Prospects: prices down, acreage up; market for E. purpurea herb is weak.
Culture Seed density: 160-500 seeds/gram   Exposure: full sun   Soil: fertile, well-drained, pH 6-7.5   Crop duration: 3-4 years
    Sowing rate: 14-18 kg/ha (direct), 1 kg/ha (indirect).   Planting: E. purpurea seeds do not require pretreatment. Can be started in plugs and transplanted to the field, which is the preferred method, or can be sown direct in the field. Sow E. purpurea 100-120 days before field planting; sow E. angustifolia and E. pallida 150 days before planting. E. angustifolia and E. pallida germination benefits from pretreatment; stratify at 5°C for 4-12 weeks with light. Pretreatment with Ethrel (1 millimolar for 2 weeks), or with bleach (1% for 10 min.) improves E. angustifolia germination.   Field spacing: 90cm between rows x 20-45cm within rows.   Yield: E. purpurea herb 6,500-11,000kg/ha (years 2-4); E. purpurea root 1000kg/ha (year 4); E. angustifolia root 1100kg/ha (year 4); no data for E. pallida root.   Pests: leafhopper   Diseases: aster yellows (spread by leafhoppers), sclerotinia stem and root rot, botrytis.   Buyers want: certificate of botanical identity required for E. angustifolia; echinacoside 1.4% (roots).  
  Sowing rate: 10g/1000plants.   Planting: sow 14 weeks (E. purpurea) to 22 weeks (E. angustifolia, E. pallida) before sale. Stratify or pretreat E. angustifolia and E. pallida seed before sowing (see above).   Seeds to finished plugs: 8-12 weeks (after pretreatment).   Plugs to saleable plants: 6-10 weeks.   Pests: few problems, whitefly   Diseases: few problems.  
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