Agrobiological assessment of broccoli hybrids under the conditions of the Western Forest-Steppe of Ukraine

Abstract

Purpose. To conduct a comprehensive agrobiological assessment of broccoli hybrids Brassica oleracea L. convar. b otrytis (L.) Alef. var. с ymosa Duch. in terms of the key agronomic traits under the conditions of the Western Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. Methods. The object of the study was the following foreign broccoli hybrids: ‘Lucky F 1 ’ (reference), ‘Batavia F 1 ’, ‘Belstar F 1 ’, ‘Monaco F 1 ’, and ‘Rumba F 1 ’. Phenological observations, biometric measurements, and records were conducted in accordance with the Methodology of Experiments in Vegetable and Melons (2001). Results. On ave­rage over the years of research, the highest yield was obtained from hybrids ‘Monaco F 1 ’ (41.2 t/ha) and ‘Rumba F 1 ’ (38.0 t/ha). A slightly lower yield was in ‘Belstar F 1 ’ (32.3 t/ha) and ‘Batavia F 1 ’ (29.6 t/ha). In general, all hybrids under investigation provided a significant yield increase (6.3–17.9 t/ha) compared to reference ‘Lucky F 1 ’ (23.3 t/ha). The largest diameter of the main head was recorded in the hybrids ‘Rumba F 1 ’ (19.7 cm), ‘Monaco F 1 ’ (20.5 cm) and the smallest in ‘Lucky F 1 ’ (14.3 cm). The weight of the main head of all hybrids was significantly higher than that of reference (295 g): ‘Batavia F 1 ’ 451 g, ‘Belstar F 1 ’ 477 g, ‘Rumba F 1 ’ 514 g, and ‘Monaco F 1 ’ 542 g. The weight of the side heads of the broccoli ranged from 328 g (‘Lucky F 1 ’) to 807 g (‘Monaco F 1 ’). The highest biochemical indicators of commodity product were provided by hybrids ‘Rumba F 1 ’ and ‘Monaco F 1 ’: the total dry matter content was 11.3 and 11.6%, soluble solids 6.4 and 6.7%, sugars 3.5 and 3.8%, and vitamin C 89.3 and 98.7 mg/100 g, respectively. Conclusions. Under the conditions of the Western Forest-Steppe of Ukraine, it is recommended to grow new foreign broccoli hybrids ‘Rumba F 1 ’ and ‘Monaco F 1 ’, which ensure high yield and quali­ty of commodity product. According to the results of the agrobiological assessment, a typical model of broccoli variety is proposed, which may serve as a project for the development of the evaluation form for ability indicators of Brassica oleracea L. convar. b otrytis (L.) Alef. var. с ymosa Duch. for distribution inUkraine.