The Journal "Agriculture and Forestry"
Časopis "Poljoprivreda i šumarstvo"
- Since 1955 -
Year 2007, Volume 53 Issue 1-4
| Year : | 2007 |
| Volume : | 53 |
| Issue : | 1-4 |
| Authors : | Natasa MIRECKI |
| Title : | OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CERTAIN CABBAGES IN OPEN FIELDS DURING THE WINTER MONTHS IN A MODIFIED MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE |
| Abstract : | Climate conditions in the Zeta Valley allow cabbage growing in open fields all year round. Cabbage varieties for winter production have a long vernalisation stage, and they are resistant to temperatures of –10 0C. If the temperature is lower than –10 0C for more than a few days, significant damage can be caused to the cabbage. Frosts of –10 0C are very rare in the Zeta Valley, with a probability of occurring once every 10 years, mostly in January or February. We investigated the possibility of growing winter cabbage, brussels sprouts and broccoli in an open field in the Zeta Valley in two-year long (cabbage and broccoli) and three-year long (brussels sprouts) experiments. The parameters examined were the type or variety and planning date. We also examined the influence of temperature on the cabbage heads and the cabbages’ weight, number of damaged leaves, technical maturity and total yield for three varieties (Bartolo F1,, Saratoga F1 and Hidena F1) from the Dutch seed production company Beji-Zaden on three planting dates (July 15, July 27 and August 13). The results showed that cabbage can be successfully cultivated in an open field during the winter season in the Zeta Valley, with satisfactory results obtained for all of the four varieties. They also demonstrated that the optimum planting time for cabbage is the end of July. Our main aim was to investigate the possible introduction of broccoli in the Zeta Valley, an area where broccoli is not well known. The vegetation period, the data on top and side inflorescences and their characteristics and total yield were investigated. The weight, diameter and compact of inflorescences and the length of the blossom branch were measured. The vegetation period varied from 112–127 days. The average time to harvesting of the top inflorescences and the side inflorescences was 24 days and 35 days, respectively. The diameter of the top inflorescence was 12.6–17.6 cm, the length of blossom branch was 3.8–4.3 cm and the compactness was 2–3 (scale 0-5). The diameter of the side inflorescence was 5.7-9.4 cm, the length of the blossom bough was 4.6-5.0 cm and the compactness was 3 (scale 0-5). The weight of the top inflorescence ranged from 294.50 to 312.64 g, and the yield ranged from 10.90 to 11.57 t/ha. The side inflorescences weighted were from 95.4 to 114.8 g, and the yield was 14.08-19.11 t/ha. The total yield depended on cultivar and varied from 24.98–30.64 t/ha. On the basis of these results, we conclude that the Zeta Valley area has favourable agro-ecological conditions for broccoli growth. |
| Keywords : | cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, hybrid, planting period, quality, yield |
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