Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T05:01:51.376Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effects of sowing date, plant density and year on growth and yield of Brussels sprouts (Brassica oleracea var. bullata subvar. gemmifera)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

A. E. Abuzeid  and
S. J. Wilcockson
A. E. Abuzeid
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU
S. J. Wilcockson
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

In field experiments in 1983–85 in Northumberland, UK, early sowings achieved a leaf area index (LAI) of 3·5, capable of intercepting 90–95% total incident solar radiation, earlier than late sowings. As there was a close relationship between total dry weight, bud dry weight and amount of intercepted solar radiation, early sowings invariably outyielded later ones. The efficiency of energy conversion of radiation was 1·28, 2·05 and 2·11 g/MJ for total dry weight and 0·97, 0·83 and 0·67 g/MJ for bud dry weight in 1983, 1984 and 1985, respectively. Harvest index ranged from ca. 25% in 1985 to 40% in 1984.

Increasing plant density from 2·22 to 6·66 plants/m2 advanced and increased maximum LAI and total and bud dry weight per m2 but had an adverse effect on distribution of dry matter. Maximum total dry weights were achieved at or slightly after maximum LAI. The onset of rapid bud growth coincided with maximum total standing dry weight and was advanced by early sowing but largely unaffected by plant density.

Early-sown crops produced more buds than late-sown ones because of a longer growing season. Plant density had a large effect on the number of buds per m2, which was almost directly proportional as the number of buds per plant was not severely affected. However, individual bud size was restricted as a result of competition for assimilates. Approximately 80% of buds finally recorded had been produced before significant bud growth had occurred.

Total bud fresh yields averaged over all sowing dates reached 17 t/ha in 1983 and 31 t/ha in 1984. The lower yield in 1983 was the result of late sowing caused by unfavourable weather. Early sowings significantly outyielded late ones because of earlier onset of rapid bud growth which gave a longer growing period. The effect of plant density on total sprout yield was less pronounced than that of sowing date but effects on yield per plant were large.

Yields of buds in the freezing grade (20–30 mm) increased rapidly between late September and early to mid-November in both 1983 and 1984 and reached 7·5 and 8·8 t/ha, respectively. The difference between freezing-grade yields in the two years (1·3 t/ha) was much less than the difference between total yields (14 t/ha). Late sowing in 1983 restricted bud growth resulting in a higher proportion in the freezing grade. Plant density had a greater effect on freezing-grade yield than on total yield. Low planting densities gave high yields of small buds at early harvests but denser planting gave higher yields at later harvests. Generally, increases in bud fresh weight over the harvest period were greater than those in bud dry weight because of water uptake. The average dry matter content of buds declined by 2–5 % from October to January.

The experiments confirmed that manipulation of sowing date and planting density is an effective way of spreading harvest date throughout the season in order to achieve an orderly sequence of crops for the fresh market and for processing.

Type
Review
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 112 , Issue 3 , June 1989 , pp. 359 - 375
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bremner, P. M. & Taha, M. A. (1966). Studies in potato agronomy. I. The effect of variety, seed size and spacing on growth, development and yield. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 66, 241–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burstall, L. & Harris, P. M. (1983). The estimation of percentage light interception from leaf area index and percentage ground cover in potatoes. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 100, 241–244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fisher, N. M. (1972). An analysis of the yield of single harvest Brussels sprouts (Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera D.C.). Ph. D. thesis, University of London.Google Scholar
Fisher, N. M. (1974). The effect of plant density, date of apical bud removal and leaf removal on the growth and yield of single harvest Brussels sprouts (Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera D.C.). II. Variation in bud size. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 83, 489–496.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fisher, N. M. & Milbourn, G. M. (1974). The effect of plant density, date of apical bud removal and leaf removal on the growth and yield of single harvest Brussels sprouts (Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera D.C.). I. Whole plant and axillary bud growth. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 83, 479–487.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gallagher, J. N. & Biscoe, P. V. (1978). Radiation absorption, growth and yield of cereals. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 91, 47–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Green, C. F. (1984). Discriminants of productivity in small grain cereals: a review. Journal of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany 16, 453–463.Google Scholar
Holland, R. W. K. (1985). Techniques used in vegetable variety performance trials. I. Brassica crops. Journal of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany 17, 117–128.Google Scholar
Jones, L. H. (1972). The effects of topping and plant population on dry matter synthesis and distribution in Brussels sprouts. Annals of Applied Botany 70, 77–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Khurana, S. C. & McLaren, J. S. (1982). The influence of leaf area, light interception and season on potato growth and yield. Potato Research 25, 329–342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirk, S. (1981). An investigation into the effects of plant density and time of harvest on yield of Brussels sprouts. Journal of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany 15, 488–496.Google Scholar
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1985). Vegetable propagation in cellular trays. Leaflet 909.Google Scholar
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1986). Agricultural Statistics United Kingdom 1985. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Milford, G. F. J., Biscoe, P. V., Jaggard, K. W., Scott, R. K. & Draycott, A. P. (1980). Physiological potential for increasing yields of sugar beet. In Opportunities for Increasing Crop Yields(ed. Hurd, R. G., Biscoe, P. V. and Dennis, C.), pp. 71–73. London: Pitman.Google Scholar
Monteith, J. L. (1977). Climate and the efficiency of crop production in Britain. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B 281, 277–294.Google Scholar
Murphy, R. F. (1975). Chemical stopping of Brussels sprouts. Irish Journal of Agricultural Research 14, 199–206.Google Scholar
Nieuwhof, M. (1969). Cole crops. World crop series. London: Leonard Hill.Google Scholar
Szeicz, G., Monteith, J. L. & Dos Santos, J. M. (1964). Tube solarimeters to measure radiation among plants. Journal of Applied Ecology 1, 169–174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomas, T. H. (1972). The distribution of hormones in relation to apical dominance in Brussels sprouts (Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera L.) plants. Journal of Experimental Botany 23, 294–301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, R. & Taylor, H. (1973). The effects of population and harvest date on the yields and size grading of an F, hybrid and open-pollinated Brussels sprouts cultivar. Journal of Horticultural Science 48, 235–246.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watson, D. J. & Watson, M. (1953). Comparative physiological studies on the growth of field crops. III. The effect of infection with beet yellows and beet mosaic viruses on the growth and yield of the sugar beet root crop. Annals of Applied Biology 40, 1–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitwell, J. D. & Senior, D. (1981). Effect of variety, plant density, stopping time and harvest date on drilled Brussels sprouts for processing. Acta Horticulture 122, 151–165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, J. B. (1973). Production of early brussels sprouts for machine harvesting. Experimental Horticulture 25, 43–52.Google Scholar
Wood, M. B., Williams, J. B., Whitwell, J. D., Firth, L. & Tatham, P. B. (1973). Brussels sprouts: continuity of supply from single harvests. Experimental Horticulture 25, 53–76.Google Scholar