Oakes Irrigation Research
Site
Carrington Research Extension Center * North Dakota State University
P.O. Box 531, Oakes, ND 58474-0531, Voice: (701) 742-2189, FAX: (701)
742-2700, email: rgreenla@ndsuext.nodak.edu
CAULIFLOWER HYBRID PERFORMANCE TRIAL, 1996
Richard G Greenland and Leonard Besemann
Cauliflower is one of the more difficult brassica crops to grow. This year it grew very well but we had some problems with it in previous years. Production procedures are similar to cabbage or broccoli.
Table 28. Emergence and harvest data.
Table 29. Cauliflower head number and head quality.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
| Soil: | Hecla sandy loam and Embden sandy loam; pH=6.9; 2.8% organic matter; soil-P was high; soil-K was medium; soil-S was very low. |
| Previous crops: | 1995 - tomato and pepper; 1994 -pumpkin and winter squash; 1993 - field corn. |
| Seedbed preparation: | Disked on April 22. Multiweeded (field cultivated) three times on April 22; once to incorporate fertilizer and twice to incorporate herbicide. |
| Planting: | Direct seeded on April 30 with a Stanhay vegetable planter. Seeds were spaced 7 inches apart in 16-inch rows. Plants were later thinned to 15 inches apart (about 23,000 plants/acre). Seeds were placed about ½ inch deep into a flat, fine seedbed. |
| Plots: | Plots were two rows (32 inches) wide by 17 ft long. The study had 4 reps. |
| Fertilizer: | On April 17, broadcast 14 lbs N/acre and 70 lbs P2O5/acre as 10-50-0, 16 lbs N/acre and 19 lbs S/acre as 21-0-0-24, and 94 lbs K20/acre as 0-0-60. Sprayed 35 lbs N/acre as 28-0-0 on April 22. Side dressed with 55 lbs N/acre as urea on July 8. |
| Irrigation: | Surface drip irrigation as needed. |
| Pest Control: | Weeds were controlled using Treflan + Devrinol (1 pt + 2 lb/acre applied preplant incorporated on April 22), Dacthal (10 lbs/acre on May 2), and by hand weeding. Sevin (1.5 pts/acre on May 15) controlled flea beetles. Sprayed Javelin (1 lb/acre on July 15), Asana (8 oz/acre on July 10, July 25, and Aug 1), and DiPel (1 lb/acre on Aug 9) to control cabbage looper and cabbage worm. |
| Harvest: | Cauliflower was hand harvested when heads were of marketable size and had good quality. Harvests were from Aug. 3 to Aug 23. |
RESULTS
Fremont was by far the best cauliflower this year. Cauliflower joins the ranks of vegetables that taste sweeter when grown in this climate. We never thought of cauliflower as being sweet until we harvested some from our plots. All of the cauliflower needed tying to blanch properly. We need more research and experience before attempting to grow cauliflower on a larger scale.
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Table 28. Emergence and harvest of the 1996 cauliflower hybrid performance trial conducted at the Oakes Irrigation Research Station.
| Hybrid | Seed source1 | Early emergence | Days to harvest | Harvest spread2 | Yield |
| 1000s/acre | days | 1000 lb/acre | |||
| Amazing | BZ | 31.5 | 104 b | 14 | 20.2 b |
| FMX 88 | FM | 27.9 | 105 b | 16 | 17.5 b |
| Fremont | JS | 29.3 | 101 a | 10 | 39.7 a |
| LSD (0.05) | 2.6 | * | NS | * | |
| C.V. (%) | 5 | 1 | 20 | 21 | |
*Values in the same columns followed by the same letter
are not significantly different at the 0.05 level.
1See Appendix A for source codes.
2Days between the first head harvested and the last head
harvested.
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Table 29. Cauliflower head number and head quality for the 1996 cauliflower hybrid performance trial conducted at the Oakes Irrigation Research Station.
| Hybrid | Seed source1 | Number of heads | Head size | Head density2 | Head diameter | Overall score3 |
| 1000s/acre | oz/head | 1 to 3 | inches | 1 to 10 | ||
| Amazing | BZ | 19.9 b | 16.1 b | 2.7 b | 6.0 | 7.1 |
| FMX 88 | FM | 14.0 b | 20.2 ab | 2.9 ab | 5.9 | 7.7 |
| Fremont | JS | 26.9 a | 23.7 a | 3.0 a | 5.7 | 8.2 |
| LSD (0.05) | 0 | * | * | NS | NS | |
| C.V. (%) | 16 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 7 | |
*Values in the same columns followed by the same letter
are not significantly different at the 0.05 level.
1See Appendix A for source codes.
2The higher the number the denser the head.
3The higher the number the better.
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Go to Oakes Irrigation Research Site Variety Performance Trials
Go to Oakes Irrigation Research Site 1996 annual report