Where club root is a problem, particularly on acid soils, brassicas should be grown no more than one year in four or five with a planned liming policy before planting. The earliest crops are cleared by the end of September and so it is possible to follow with winter wheat. The crop fits well into a cereal rotation on land that is clean and fertile. Early varieties mature in 5–6 months, whereas late varieties mature in 10–11 months. Later planting will lead to reduced yield even with late maturing varieties. Transplanting of modules starts in April, until the first week in June at a target spacing of 60 × 38 cm. Processed (freezing) crops may be direct drilled from March to April at close spacings. Compacted soils may require sub-soiling before ploughing and harrowing/discing. CultivationsĪ firm soil with a good tilth is required. Lime should be applied well before planting/drilling. A soil pH level of 7.0 to 7.5 is required, particularly where club root may be a problem. Heavy soils should be avoided with later crops where machinery access will be needed in wet conditions. Lighter, sandier soil types may require irrigation. Lane, in Lockhart & Wiseman’s Crop Husbandry Including Grassland (Ninth Edition), 2014 Soils and climateīrussels sprouts can be grown on a wide range of soil types and grows well on moisture retentive soils. The seed is then usually dried to reduce seed moisture content to below 10% (if stored in sacks) or 8% (for bulk storage). The windrows are not turned in order to avoid pod shattering and seed shedding. The crop is usually cut and windrowed for up to 2 weeks. The decision on timing of harvest is therefore important in determining the quantity and also the quality of seeds. The seed pods are brittle and may shatter and shed seed before harvest. This method will not work for the parent inbred lines which have to be maintained by hand-pollination at the flower bud stage which overcomes the self-incompatibility.

This can be tested by growing a sample of seedlings and assessing their uniformity. The strong self-incompatibility and wide dispersal of pollen by the flies ensures the seeds are the products of cross-fertilization between the two varieties. In spring the plants flower and blowflies are introduced to ensure pollination. Suitable parent plants are selected and transplanted to polytunnels in autumn. This is usually done mechanically so high-quality seed is required to produce trays of modular transplants in which there are no blanks (i.e., 100% germination) and all seedlings are the same size.įor seed crops, seeds of the two parent varietal lines are sown in separate nursery beds in spring. Commercial crops are mostly established by transplanting seedlings. Seed production exploits the strong self-sterility in the species. Modern varieties are mostly F 1 hybrids and so the seed is not true to type. Thus, wide isolation distances are recommended (sometimes over 1 km) and good weed management. The varieties of Brussels sprouts readily cross-fertilize with each other and with other types within the species (cabbage, cauliflower, calabrese, kale, and fodder kale) and wild weedy brassicas. The inflorescence bears a large number of flowers which ripen over a long period of time. They are important seasonal vegetables in temperate regions. Naylor, in Encyclopedia of Applied Plant Sciences, 2003 Brussels Sproutsīrussels sprouts are a form of cultivated Brassica oleracea in which the lateral buds develop as small round vegetative buds. The chapter reviews various methods for breeding Brussels sprouts. Brussels sprouts are mainly cross-pollinating and have a sporophytic self-incompatibility system. For Brussels sprouts, resistance to foliar fungal diseases is the highest priority. A wide range of pests and diseases afflict Brassica crops, but the relative importance varies from crop to crop. This chapter discusses the objectives of breeding of Brussels sprouts. The inheritance of most characters of Brussels sprouts has not been studied in detail apart from self-incompatibility and the biometrics of some quantitative characters. The chromosomes are very small and no karyotype analyses have been published. Brussels sprouts are diploid (2n = 18) and have been little studied cytologically. Brussels sprouts are best adapted to temperate regions of the world and require a long growing season with cool summers and mild winters to achieve high productivity. The origin of this plant remains obscure and has been ascribed to both savoy cabbage and various forms of kale. SMITH, in Genetic Improvement of Vegetable Crops, 1993 Publisher Summaryīrussels sprouts is a cultivated Brassica in which the marketable parts of the plant are the swollen axillary buds known as “sprouts” or “buttons.” It is generally classified as Brassica oleracea var.

Brussel sprout plant