Coriander - Production and Management

• Seeding
• Fertilizer
• Weeds | Insects | Diseases
• Pollination
• Storage and Harvesting

There are large-seeded (3-5 mm) and small-seeded (less than 3 mm) available. Typical yields range from 800-1,000 lb/acre. Yields up to 2,500 lb/acre have been reported. Leaves may be harvested as cilantro.

Seeding Coriander

Dates

Coriander is seeded in late April to mid-May. Coriander is slow to germinate and emerge.

Rates

Seeding rate is 18-20 lb/acre for both types. It may be necessary to increase the seeding rate to 30-40 lb/acre to get a good stand of the large-seeded type. Split seed can be sown at half the rate with no significant yield reduction, provided germination tests greater than 80 per cent. If split seed from screenings is used, there is a risk of sowing weed seeds, which may also be found in the screenings; therefore caution is advised.

Seeding Depth

1 inch deep in a firm, moist seed bed.

Fertilizer Recommendations For Coriander

Fertilizer trials have not been conducted in Western Canada. Suggested guidelines:

Weed Control

Coriander is a poor competitor, especially with perennial weeds. Ensure that perennial weeds are under control before sowing. Weeds can cause yield loss and excessive dockage losses. Few herbicides are registered. Contact Manitoba Agriculture, Food & Rural Initiatives for more information.

• Weed identification, scouting techniques, economic thresholds
• Weed Seedling Identification Guide

Insects

Grasshoppers and leafhoppers can damage coriander. Grasshopper heads and parts in the harvested crop can result in downgrading. Leafhoppers spread aster yellows disease.

Yield enhancements with the use of honey bees for pollination have been reported.

• Scouting for Insect Pests
• Insect identification, scouting techniques, economic thresholds.

Diseases affecting Coriander

Damping off and root rot cause yellowing and death of emerging seedlings.

Aster yellows is a disease carried by leafhoppers. Infected plants become evident at flowering time, when their flowers turn yellow and they often grow taller than uninfected plants. Plants do not set seed.

Sooty mould is a fungal disease that can affect stems and seed damaged by hail or heavy rain.

• Scouting for Diseases
• Crop disease identification, scouting techniques, economic thresholds.

Pollination

Yield increases with honeybees for pollination have been reported.

Storage And Harvesting Coriander

Store at less than 10 percent moisture with green material removed as soon as possible. The seed "cures" in early storage, and aeration assists this process. Therefore, aeration is strongly recommended even if the seed is harvested dry. Hot-air drying is not recommended. A moisture chart for coriander is not available, but a sunflower moisture chart provides a close estimate.

Downgrading or rejection can result from insect parts, rodent droppings, weed seeds, other foreign material, overly dark colour or splits greater than 5 percent. Cleanouts of 15-20 percent are typical.

Buyers judge quality according to aroma, colour and purity. Colour should be tan, aroma good and sample greater than 99 percent pure, whole seed. Colour is preserved by ensuring crop does not lay in swath for too long. Aroma is preserved by proper curing and storage.

Coriander has a bulk density of approximately 22-25 lb/bu.

Harvest

Swath when the fruit is tan to brown in colour. Since the swath is quite prone to wind damage and coriander is less prone to shattering than caraway, direct combining has been successful. Thresh when moisture is below 15 percent, however threshing when the fruit is very dry can lead to excessive splitting. Swathing or threshing in damp weather or when the crop is tough with dew may help to minimize shattering losses and splitting. Yield typically ranges from 800-1,000 lb/acre, and yields up to 2,500 lb/acre have been reported

• Grain Drying and Storage of Damp Grain
• Prevention and control of insects and mites in farm stored grain