The effects of cultural factors on yield and curd quality of autumn cauliflower

The effects of six cultural treatments on (a) marketable yield, (b) percentage marketable plants and (c) percentage perfect quality curds produced, were studied on representative varieties of three groups of autumn cauliflower in experiments carried out over a period of five years. The treatments included a comparison of the use of graded and ungraded seed, transplanting and direct-drilling of the crop, different transplant ages, selection for uniformity at planting or thinning time, and plant density and nitrogen levels during the early seedling stage of growth.

In general the yields and quality of drilled and transplanted crops were similar with all varieties each year and neither the use of graded seed nor the nitrogen treatments had any significant effect on yield or curd quality. Both increasing plant density in the seedbed and increasing age of transplant caused a reduction in yield on most occasions. The effects of the treatments on yield and quality are discussed in relation to their effects on the maturity characteristics of the crops.