Articles
THE CONTINUITY OF PRODUCTION OF CAULIFLOWER IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
Contractual arrangements are made for quantities to be delivered to supermarket chains at specified times, and failure to deliver could result in financial sanctions, thus an accurate timing of production is vital.
The timing of field production of cauliflower for continuity of supply is controlled by climate and by genotype.
The genotype can have its maturity modified by an adjustment of sowing date or delaying transplanting.
The factor which may be used for timing is pre-determined by the season of curd production.
Thus cauliflower for maturing from December until early June all require a period of low temperature following transplanting for curd initiation.
Thereafter curd development depends on the climate to which the plants are exposed.
The winter heading and over-wintered crops therefore have a maturity which depends on the interaction between genotype and climate.
From June until late autumn, cauliflowers have their maturities determined by sowing date.
However, an exception is cauliflower produced in early June which are over-wintered in containers to achieve earliness.
Their maturity depends on the size of container used.
Extending the period of plant remaining in the seed bed beyond the usual period of six weeks only affects the maturity slightly, but it may considerably decrease the quality of the curd.
However, plants may be stored at 2 ± 1°C for periods from between 2 to 4 weeks prior to transplanting (Salter et al, 1971). There are indications that this cold-treatment-technique could lead to more predictable production as well as shorten the cutting period of a variety, besides providing a means of delaying maturity.