Studies on crop maturity in cauliflower: III. Effects of cold treatment and certain growth regulators on crop maturity characteristics and yield

Abstract

SummaryStudies were made to determine the influence of cold treatment of transplants on the maturity characteristics of representative varieties of three groups of autumn cauliflower over a period of three years. Treatment variables included store temperatures of 2 °C and 5 °C, length of treatment from 0 to 4 weeks, different transplant ages, and selection for uniformity of the plants before treatment. In separate experiments the effects of chemical growth regulators on the maturity characteristics of the same varieties were also assessed.When the cold treatment was given at the optimum stage of growth, which varied with varieties, the crops matured much more uniformly than crops grown from untreated plants in all three years with the four varieties grown. A cold treatment of 2 weeks at 2 °C had the maximum effect in reducing the length of the harvest period on the majority of occasions. For example, in 1970 the harvest period was reduced from 24 days (control) to 4 days for Le Cerf ‘B’, from 26 to 7 days for South Pacific and from 30 to 14 days for Hylite. Except where losses occurred after planting in hot weather, there were no adverse effects of the cold treatments on yield or curd quality. Chemical growth regulators did not influence the maturity characteristics of the varieties grown.The possible use of cold treatment of transplants in commercial practice is discussed.