There was an interaction between variety and planting date. The yield of RS10 and Tainung 1 decreased from the April 15 to April 30 planting, while the yield of Roselle and Everglades 71 increased for the same period. Generally, with the planting dates imposed, Roselle was better adapted to this area than the other varieties. This year's data indicate that kenaf compensates very well for thin stands. One plant per 5 square feet yielded almost as much as 1 plant per 0.6 square foot.
Early season damping off diseases are a serious problem with kenaf production.
April 15 and 30 plantings consistently had lower stands even though the same number of seed was planted. Planting kenaf June 15 resulted in plants shorter than when planted May 15 or before and had the lowest yields. Planting after April 15 resulted in significantly lowered yields even though stem diameter and plant height were not significantly different. Planting April 15 resulted in significantly higher plant stands. Averaged over all planting dates, there was no significant difference in height attributable to variety.