Long Stem Cauliflower

This present invention relates to cauliflower plants having a long stem and which are suitable for mechanical harvesting.

Cauliflower ( Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) is a member of the Cruciferae (mustard) family and is an important crop grown worldwide. The world production of cauliflower is close to 5 million tons a year, covering an area of around 300,000-400,000 hectares. The edible part of the plant is the head, also called curd, which comprises of the arrested inflorescence and floral meristems. Cauliflower is an appreciated vegetable because of its pleasant taste and nutritive value.

The cauliflower curd is very delicate and easily damaged, and is exclusively harvested by hand. This is however inefficient and costly, and it is estimated that 30-50% of the production costs for cauliflower are harvesting costs.

Attempts have been made to harvest cauliflower curds mechanically, but they have faced difficulties in identifying the mature curds and detaching them from the plant without damaging the curds. Recently, a mechanical harvester specifically designed for cauliflower was described. This mechanical harvester uses sensor technology and image processing (see HortLINK Caulicut project, http://www.ost.gov.uk/linkllinkcasestudies/cauliflowersapril03.pdf). However, the cost of the machines was reported to be high. This would require a substantial upfront investment, and it remains to be seen whether the prototypes described will be commercially successful.

There is therefore an unfulfilled need to reduce costs of production for cauliflower. In particular, there is an unfulfilled need for developments allowing increased efficiency and reductions in the costs of harvesting marketable cauliflower curds.

The stem of a plant of this present invention is longer than that of currently existing cauliflower plants capable of producing a marketable curd, and requiring approximately the same number

of growing days to reach maturity in the same cycle.

The feature of elongated stems offers the advantage of providing enough room between the ground and the bottom of the curd and thus facilitates the harvest of the curds. The feature of elongated stems also allows economical and efficient mechanical harvesting of the curd, while minimizing the risk of damage by miscutting and soil contamination of the curd. This is particularly useful for cauliflower plants of shorter cycles, which tend to grow shorter stems.

The plant of the invention further comprises a trait of loose foliage. The total leaf weight of a plant of the invention is lower than the total leaf weight of currently existing cauliflower plants capable of producing a marketable curd. The leaf volume index of a plant of this invention is smaller than the leaf volume index of currently existing cauliflower plants. Plants with loose foliage allow for faster, more convenient and more efficient harvesting of the curds, and reduce the risk of jamming a mechanical harvester during harvest.

The average internode length of the stem of a plant of the present invention is longer than that of currently existing cauliflower plants. The feature of longer internodes offers the advantage of providing longer stems while maintaining a low number of leaves on the stem or reducing the number of leaves on the stem.

The plant of this invention further comprises a trait of a persistent white curd. The trait of persistent white curd prevents or slows down cauliflower curds from turning yellow when exposed to sunlight, in particular in plants with curds that are not covered or only partially covered by inner leaves, for example plants with a loose foliage.

The plant of this invention comprises a combination of the traits of long stem, long internodes, number of internodes, loose foliage, low total leaf weight, small leaf volume index, and persistent white curd, and short or medium cycle and uniformity.

Patent

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