YIELD AND QUALITY ATTRIBUTES OF ENDIVE (CICHORUM ENDIVIA L.) CULTIVATED IN ROCKWOOL SLABS

Endive is a leaf vegetable with high taste and nutritious values. The content of mineral compounds and vitamins in endive is higher than in lettuce. The aim of the investigation was the assessment of yielding and biological and sensory quality of endive cultivated in rockwool slabs. Three crispum leaf endive cultivars: ‘Galanti’, ‘Perceval’ and ‘Barundi’ and one latifolium leaf cultivar (escarole chicory) – ‘Kethel’ were examined in greenhouse conditions. Plants were grown on rockwool slabs with three replications and 15 plants in each. The weight and number of leaves of the whole plant rosette and its naturally bleached inside part were assessed. In leaves the content of dry matter, chlorophyll (SPAD), ascorbic acid, total sugars and nitrate (NO₃), P, K and Ca were determined. Endive cultivars differ in respect to yielding, the share of bleached part in the whole plant and quality. The highest weight (514.2 g) of the entire rosette was reached by the cultivar of the escarole chicory type – ‘Kethel’. The entire rosette of ‘Barundi’ cultivar up to 59% of the whole plant comprised the bleached part, which was also characterized by the biggest number of leaves. Endive cultivated in rockwool reaches high and consumer accepted quality. ‘Kethel’ cultivar produced the greatest amount of sugars (1.25%) and accumulated small amounts of nitrates (160.4 mg.100^-1 g FW). In the remaining cultivars nitrate concentrations were below the maximum acceptable level for human consumption too. Sensory evaluation points to a better felt life crispness in ‘Kethel’ cultivar than in cultivars of curly leaf margins. ‘Barundi’ cultivar proved in sensory evaluation to be the least juicy with also the highest mark for the grassy but sweet taste. In sensory evaluation all the investigated cultivars of endive reached the similar overall evaluation and the highest desirability obtained ‘Barundi’ cultivar.