Leaf and curd production in cauliflower varieties cold-treated before transplanting

Abstract

Two experiments at Wellesbourne studied the effects of cold treatments on the leaf and curd production characteristics of a range of annual and biennial varieties of cauliflowers.Cold treatments delayed curd initiation and had a variable effect on the final number of leaves, but reduced the spread of curd initiation of plants which were 5 weeks old when cold-treated. The overall rate of leaf production and the final number of leaves generally increased with later-maturing varieties while initial rates of curd expansion generally declined.The annual varieties produced a small number of leaves and fairly synchronously formed a curd which developed rapidly; the biennial varieties had a higher rate of leaf production after transplanting and then changed to the generative state over a more prolonged period, following which the curd developed slowly.