TROPICAL CAULIFLOWER

The present investigation on ¿Evaluation of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis) for southern Keralä was conducted at the Department of Olericulture, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, during the period October 2012 to March 2013. The objectives were to identify tropical cauliflower varieties suitable for plains of southern Kerala and to study the influence of date of planting on yield and quality. The experiment was laid out in the field in split plot design with four dates of sowing as main plot and 12 varieties of cauliflower as sub plot treatments with five replications. Analysis of variance revealed significant difference among sowing dates, varieties and their interactions for all the characters studied.Among the sowing dates, November 1st sowing recorded highest curd and yield characters. Highest net curd weight was recorded for November 1st sowing (361.69 g) followed by October 1st sowing (336.57 g). Sowing on November 15 resulted in early curd initiation whereas that on October 1 resulted in early curd harvest. Better plant height, leaves per plant, gross plant weight, leaf length, leaf breadth and leaf size were also exhibited by November 1st sowing. No sig