Cauliflower Seed Production Technology

The seed production technology with various list of varieties and hybrids developed in India.

1. College of Agriculture, Rajendranagar Practical Assignment Course Title : Principles of Seed Technology Course Code : GPBR – 212 Course Credits : 3(1+2) Seed production techniques of NS, BS, FS and CS in Cauliflower crop along with important characters of varieties/ Hybrids Submitted By : Arunodaya Maji CARA-2018-110 Batch - D Under the guidance of, Course Incharge – Dr. B. Vara Prasad Sir

2. Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) 2n = 18

3. Botany Cauliflower is highly cross-pollinated crop due to self-incompatibility. Flower is protogynous in nature. Stigma remains receptive 5 days before and 4 days after opening of the flower. The time taken from pollination to fertilization is 24-48 hours depending upon the temperature. The optimum temperature for fertilization and seed development is 12° C - 18° C. Bees are the major pollinators.

4. Inflorescence of crucifer is Raceme Numerous small yellow/white flowers with 4 petals, 6 stamens, of which 2 are short and other 4 stamens are longer than the style and Single superior ovary. The stigma receptive even 5 days before and 4 days after anthesis . Flowers are protogynous in nature. Inflorescence

5. Method of Seed Production

6. Seed to seed method (In-Situ Method) : In this method, the plants with good curd are left in the field where they flower and produce seeds. But this method occupies lot of area because selected plants for seed production are left scattered in the field. However, in cauliflower this method yields relatively better quantity and quality of seeds. The seeds ripen from March to May. Head to seed method (Transplanting): In this method, the selected plants with head of curd of cauliflower are uprooted carefully and replanted in a compact block for seed production. For seed production, seed to seed method is recommended since the head to seed method in India has not been very successful. In seed to seed method (In situ method) the crop is allowed to over winter and produce seed in the original position, where they are first planted in the seedling stage.

7. Step-1: Selection of an healthy, true to type curd Step-2: Sterilization. All the apparatus to be used for curd scooping i.e. knife; forceps etc. Step-3: Selection of curd and removing the central portion of the curd. To facilitate bolting, different curdcutting methods like scooping, half curd cutting and curd pruning are recommended . These practices have impact on branching, seed yield and seed quality. Step-4: Cleaning . After removing the core portion of the curd the wounds will be cleaned gently. Step-5: Protection from fungal infection using ‘ Indofil ’ or ‘ Mancozeb ’ Step-6: Nursing: After removing the core portion of the cauliflower curd, proper nursing is need to be provided through side dressing of chemical fertilizer and organic manure.

8. Seed Production at Early Bolting Stage Seed Production at Advanced Bolting Stage

9. Stages of Seed Production

10. 34 All the year round Cauliflower Brocoverde Cauliflower Cheddar Cauliflower Early A Snowball Cauliflower Early dawn Cauliflower Graffiti Cauliflower Purple Cape Cauliflower Snow Crown Cauliflower Snowball self-blanching Cauliflower Violet queen Cauliflower Snowball Y improved cauliflower Arka kranthi Cauliflower varieties

11. Varieties Early group Pusa Katki : This variety is suitable for early sowing. Curds are yellowish white and compact. Pusa Deepali : Early season crop. Plant are medium tall with erect waxy green short leaves, curd compact white and medium in size. Ready for harvest in 100-120 days. Yield about 200 q/ha. Medium group Giant Snow Ball : It is a main season variety. Curds are snow white in colour and large sized. Average yield is 250 q/ha. Pusa Synthetic: Plants erect, frame narrow medium, curds somewhat creamy white to white and compact. Pant Shubra: This is a mid season variety. This variety is characterized by semi erect outer leaves. Inner leaves partially cover the curds which are compact, slightly conical, non ricey and creamish white in colour. This variety produces marketable curds by DecemberJanuary . It takes about 120 days to produce marketable curds from nursery sowing. The yield potential of this variety is 250 q/ha. Pant Gobhi-2 : The marketable curd of this variety are available in October in the plains. The curds are yellowish and medium compact. Average yield about 100 q/ha. Pant Gobhi-3: This is a synthetic variety. This is classified as September maturity group variety. The curds are creamish white and non ricey . The yield potential of this variety is about 150 q/ha.

12. Late group Snow Ball-16: This is a late variety. The plants are of shortened stem. Curds snow white, self blanched, compact and uniform in maturity. Yield 250-300 q/ha. Pusa Snow Ball-1 : Leaves straight, upright, inner leaves tightly cover the curds. Curds are compact, medium in size and snow white in colour. Yield 250-300 q/ha. Pusa Snow Ball K-1 : Self blanched, snow white curds and resistant to black rot under field conditions. Last to mature in Snow Ball group. Yield 250-300 q/ha. Kt-25: This is a late maturing variety. Leaves are waxy, upright, slight bending towards inner side with puckered margins. Curds are very solid, medium sized white with good keeping quality. Suitable for transplanting from October to early November and can yield edible curd between end of January to end of March, tolerant to Sclerotinia rot and black rot diseases, gives yield up to 200-300q/ha. Pusa Him Jyoti : Plants are erect, leaves bluish green with waxy coating, self blanched, white curd, average curd weight 500-600 g. It matures in 60-65 days from planting to harvesting. This variety is suitable for April to July sowing in the hills above 1000 m height. Average yield is 160q/ha. Hisar-1 : Suitable for mid late season, curds are medium to large and white in colour. Average yield is 250 q/ha.

13. Land Requirement In the hills, select field on which the same kind of crop or any other cole crop was not grown in the pervious two years, unless the crop within the previous two years, was field inspected by the certification agency and found not to contain seed born diseases infection beyond the maximum permissible limit. The land selected should be free from volunteer plants, wild species and objectionable weeds. The land should be fertile with good drainage facility.

14. Spacing Early group : 60 cm x 30 cm Mid and late group : 60 cm x 45 cm FYM (t/ha) N (Urea) P2O5 (DAP) K20 (MOP)kg/ha 25 120 (250.0) 60 (132.0) 60 (102.0) Fertilliser & Manure

15. Cultural Practices Source: Obtain appropriate class of seed from the source approved by seed certification agency. The seed production can be taken up during the month of August. Seed Rate: 600 g/ha Nursery : Seeds may be sown on raised nursery beds 15-20 cm height in rows with 10 cm spacing. Twenty five nursery beds of 2 to 2.65 m x 1 to 1.25 m size are enough for one hectare. Thin sowing should be done to avoid damping - off. Three tonnes of FYM should be applied to nursery bed. DAP spray at 10 to 15 days after germination is important. Apply lime @ 5 t/ha before one month to nursery field and apply Borax and Sodium molybdate @ 4 kg/ha before sowing. Transplanting : Transplant the seedlings at 35-40 days old preferably at evening time with the spacing of 60 x 45 cm (for early varieties in plains) or 90 x 60 cm for late variety and irrigate immediately after transplanting Roguing : Roguing should be done from early vegetative stage to flowering stage. Roguing should be done based on the curd size, shape and colour, when fully developed. Off type plants with poor curd formation and plants affect by designated diseases like black leg, black rot, soft rot, leaf spot and phyllody should be removed during roguing . First roguing is done after curd formation. Plants forming loose ricey , fuzzy and buttons are rejected. Blind, deformed and diseased plants are also rejected. Second roguing is done after bolting but before flowering, plants with peripheral and uniform bolting are kept for seed production. Early and late bolters are also rejected.

16. Foliar application : NAA @ 40 ppm sprayed at 30 days after curd initiation was superior in increasing the yield and quality of seed. Intercultural operations : Cauliflower being a shallow rooted crop, deep cultivation should be avoided. The crop needs at least 4 weeks weed free period after transplanting to prevent the yield loss. Pre-plant application of Basalin ( Fluchloralin ) @ 2-2.5 l/ha or Stomp ( Pendimethalin ) @ 3.3 l/ha in the finally prepared field followed by 1 hand weeding 40-45 days is the best. Special Practices 1. Blanching: It is done to protect the curd from discoloration caused by the sun. Leaves are tied over curds with coded strings or rubber bands Blanching should begin about one week before harvest. Self-blanching varieties are available, ex: snowball 2. Tying: is done to keep heads white , leaves are usually gathered around the head at about the time that they are 2 cm in diameter.

17. Discoloured Bud

18. 3. Disbudding & Staking : After the production of the desired number of siliqua the terminal part of each of the fruit stalks (peduncles) will be snapped to ensure better growth of the fruits and the seeds within it. At this stage staking will be provided to the plants with suitable size sticks.

19. Pest & Disease Management Use of insecticides during flowering affects the insect pollinators and will result in poor seed set. A single soil application of granulated Phorate , Dimethoate @ 18 Kg/ha during early February for control of sucking pests (Aphids) is advisable. In cauliflower the major disease in "Damping – off”. Thin showing and drenching with 150 g of Bavistin in 100 liters of water will control the disease.

20. Plant Protection Pests Cut Worms Aphids Diamond Backmoth Designated Diseases Club root Leaf spot Leaf Rot Black Leg Black Rot Soft Rot

21. Physiological Disorders Browning or Brown Rot Whiptail Buttoning Blindness Scooping Hollowness Riceyness Fuzziness

22. Field Inspections Minimum of four inspections are required viz., Pre-marketable stage Initiation of curd stage Curd formed stage Flowering stage .

23. Isolation Distance Foundation Seed – 1600 m Certified Seed – 1000 m

24. Field Standards   Contaminants Maximum permitted (%) Foundation Certified Off types * 0.10 0.20 Plants affected by seed borne diseases ** 0.10 0.50 Plants affected by phyllody ** 0.1 0.5

25. Seed Standards Factors Foundation Certified Pure seed (minimum) 98% 98% Inert matter (maximum) 2% 2% Other crop seed (maximum) (no./kg) 5/kg 10/kg Total weed seed (maximum) (no./kg) 5/kg 10/kg Germination (minimum) 65% 65% Moisture (maximum) (normal container) 7% 7% For VP Container(maximum) 5% 5%

26. Hybrid Seed Production 1. Manual emasculation and pollination Initially the method was adopted for producing F1 hybrids. Since much labour is involved, which results in lesser quantity of seed and escalades production cost. Hence, it is not ti practicable on commercial scale. 2. Hand pollination without emasculation Where male sterility is available, the process of emasculation is eliminated. Male sterility is the absence of non-function of pollen in platns , which can be used for commercial hybrid seed production. In cole crops, male sterility is controlled plants by a single recessive gene ms which is mutated from the fertile gene Ms. Male sterile plants are female fertile but their flowers and anthers are slightly smaller than those of male fertile one.

27. 3. Cytoplasmic male sterility Cytoplasmic male sterility has not apparently been found in cauliflower, but it has been introduced from several sources. Pearson crossed Brassica oleracea with Brassica nigra and derived male sterile material. This character was bred into broccoli and later into cauliflower.

28. CMS is a maternally inherited trait encoded by a gene located in the mitochondria . Expression of a mitochondrial CMS gene can be masked by nuclear fertility restorer (Rf) genes, allowing the plant to produce functional pollen (Ogura 1968). CMS Lines CMS Lines in Brassica sps rr RR

29. Free insect pollination Free insect pollination is feasible to produce F1 hybrids under natural conditions. But this can only be used when self incompatible lines are available. Self-Incompatibility It is genetically controlled physiological hinderance to self-fruitfulness or self fertilization. Cauliflower, broccoli and other Brassica vegetables posses homomorphic sporophytic incompatability controlled by one locus with multiple alleles. The sporophytic system, which operates in these crops, are utilized in making single, double and triple cross hybrids for commercial seed production. Production of hybrid seed involves. 1. Selection of parents development of homozygous self-incompatible lines by inbreeding and their maintenance. 2. Making diallel or top crosses using these incompatible lines 3. Testing of F1 hybrids in replicated trials along with parents and check cultivars 4. Production of F1 hybrid seed of the recommended F1 hybrid on the basis of trial using self- incompatible under local conditions.

30. Hybrid Cauliflower Cultivation Punam : This hybrid is of 95 days maturity group, developed by Beejo Sheetal Seeds Pvt. Ltd., Jalna . Curds are solid with 1.5-2.0 kg of average weight; gives yield of 200-250q/ha. This is popular among the farmers of J&K, HP and Uttaranchal. Seeds could be obtained from the developing centre. Pusa Hybrid-2: Pusa Hybrid-2 are semi-erect hybrid with bluish- green upright leaves, curds are creamy-white, highly compact, average weight 907g; matures from mid-November to mid-December in the North Indian Plains; resistance to downy mildew; gives an average yield of 250q/ha; Priya : This hybrid is of mid-early maturity group; developed by Beejo Sheetal Seeds Pvt. Ltd., Jalna . Curds are solid, milky white with 1.0 kg of average weight and protected by dark green outer leaves; gives yield of 200-250q/ha. Ageti Himlata : This is an early maturing hybrid developed by Century Seeds Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. Curds are very compact, medium sized, firm, dome shaped with smooth texture, able to retain pure white colour even in hot sun. NS-60 : This popular hybrid with mid season maturity group has been developed by Namdhari Seeds Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore. Curds are attractive, compact, dome shaped, milky white with an weight of 1.25-1.5 kg and good firmness; gives an average yield of 250q/ha in 60-65 days of crop duration (May-Sept in South India). NS-66 : This hybrid with mid-late season maturity group has been developed by Namdhari Seeds Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore. Curds are attractive, compact, smooth, dome shaped, pure white with an average weight of 1.5-1.7 kg and good firmness; gives an average yield of 250q/ha in 70-75 days of maturity duration (Sept-Oct in North India). Summer King : Curds dome shaped, creamy white, 400-600 g weight, self blanching, mature in about 55 days after transplanting, suitable for summer season cultivation.

31. Harvesting & Processing The ripened fruit is called siliqua . Harvesting may be done in two lots. Heavy bearing may topple the plants, hence staking may be done wherever necessary. Wind belts can also be erected if needed. Generally the early matured plants are harvested first, when the silique turn in to brown colour. Delayed harvest results into seed shattering and bird damage. Hence, 2-3 harvestings are required. About 50 days are needed for pod maturity after fertilization. Seeds of early types are ready for harvesting in December - January and in February- March for North Indian Plains. However, snowball types are ready for harvesting by June. As harvesting is done when bottom siliqua turn brown followed by yellowing of the top siliqua , curing is necessary for ripening the late maturing siliqua . After harvesting, plants are piled up for curing. After 4 to 5 days it is turned up side down and for further curing for 4 to 5 days. The siliqua are threshed with pliable sticks and cleaned. Then the seeds are dried to 7% moisture content, cleaned and treated with Bavistin @ 2 g / Kg of seed. Seed yield of Indian cauliflower may very between 500-600 kg/ha and snowball from 300- 500 kg/ha.

32. References : HEMANT KHULBE, PRABHA SHANKAR SHUKLA, DEEPA KHULBE AND SHAMBHOO PRASAD., 2010, Effect of Curd Size on Seed Yield of Cauliflower ( Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.) . Bioscan .,3 (2): 130-132. TNAU Agriculture Portal – Cauliflower Eagri.ac.in – ecourses online by ICAR