MODELLING DEVELOPMENT AND QUALITY OF CAULIFLOWER

Difficulties in timing a continuous supply of cauliflower and problems with curd quality are closely related to temperature during the early development of the plant. Simulation models based on temperature might be used to forecast curd initiation and the risk of delays in crop development. A model for the period from transplanting to curd initiation in cauliflower was defined. It was attempted to describe the curd induction phase by three different functions: a linear, a modified Gaussian, and a parabola function. The three functions were compared in their ability to describe observed field data by non-linear regression analysis: The three functions showed no difference in this respect.

Data on quality of cauliflower curds from field experiments were correlated to temperature in different periods of plant development. Green bracts or ‘bracting’ (small leaves growing through the curd surface) was best described by the average temperature of the first 10 days after curd initiation. The correlation was positive but with large cultivar differences in the response. ‘Riceyness’ (premature development of small flower buds on the curd surface) was best described by the temperature from 15 to 25 days after curd initiation and with a positive correlation. The result for riceyness was not in agreement with earlier findings and further research is needed before conclusions can be made.