Detailed Explanation of Key Points of High-Yield Broccoli Cultivation Techniques
Broccoli is a vegetable grown for its green or purple flower heads, also known as green cauliflower, green broccoli, Italian kale, and so on. It belongs to the cabbage species of the Brassica genus in the Brassicaceae family, as a variety, an annual or biennial herbaceous plant. Its color is emerald green, its flavor is good, and its nutritional value is very high, containing rich protein, carbohydrates, fats, and multiple vitamins. It is a vegetable with complete nutritional components and has a relatively strong beauty-enhancing effect.
1 Variety Selection
Broccoli can be divided into two types, green and purple, according to the color of its flower heads. Most of the varieties currently used belong to the green type. According to different maturity periods, they can be divided into three major categories: early, medium, and late maturing. The most widely used cultivated varieties in production are early and medium maturing varieties, that is, selecting high-yield and high-quality varieties with a growth period of 90-120 days for planting. Such as: Cuihua, Green Comet, Apollo, etc.
2 Sowing and Seedling Raising
For the seedling raising site, select loam soil with high and dry terrain, good drainage, rich organic matter, loose soil texture, and fertility. The seedbed should be covered with 15-20 cm of nutrient soil. For each cubic meter of nutrient soil, add 1 kg of superphosphate and 0.3 kg of urea, mix evenly, spread flat, irrigate to settle, and sow when the soil moisture is suitable.
The sowing period should be determined according to the suitable seedling age and planting time. Generally, the seedling age is 35-40 days, so the sowing period should be 35-40 days before the planting time. Draw shallow furrows at a row spacing of 3-5 cm and sow, evenly scatter the seeds into the seedbed, cover with 1 cm of sieved fine soil, and to prevent seedbed diseases, spray 70% thiophanate-methyl 800-fold solution or 75% chlorothalonil 1000-fold solution. After sowing, immediately cover with plastic film to retain moisture. The seedbed temperature should preferably be 12-20°C, and should not be higher than 25°C or lower than 5°C. After the seedlings emerge and the cotyledons unfold, thin the seedlings in time, with a seedling spacing of about 1 cm, and appropriately control moisture to prevent leggy growth.
3 Planting
Broccoli plants are tall and have relatively high requirements for soil nutrients. Choose garden fields with convenient drainage and irrigation, loose and fertile soil texture, and strong water and fertilizer retention capacity for planting. Apply 3000-4000 kg of fully decomposed high-quality farmyard manure per mu, plus 35-40 kg of superphosphate, mix and compost before applying, plow and level, harrow finely, and make flat beds 1.2 m wide to facilitate drainage and increase soil temperature. High beds can also be made, with a bed height of 10-15 cm, a bed surface width of 60-70 cm, and a furrow width of 30-40 cm. At planting, apply 15 kg of quick-acting nitrogen-phosphorus compound fertilizer per mu, plus 10 kg of potassium sulfate, concentrated in the planting furrow, mix with soil, and then plant the seedlings. Seedlings should be transplanted with soil to reduce root damage. Planting density varies by variety, with a plant-row spacing of 40-50 cm and 3000-3200 seedlings per mu.
4 Field Management
4.1 Cultivation, Weeding, and Hilling After planting, cultivate and loosen the soil in time, which is conducive to increasing soil temperature and eliminating weeds. To prevent root damage, cultivation and weeding should be completed within 1 month after planting. Generally, cultivate 2-3 times in combination with topdressing. Loosen the soil and weed before topdressing, and hill up in time after topdressing. To save labor and avoid root damage during cultivation, 48% trifluralin emulsifiable concentrate can be used behind the bed, with a dosage of 100-130 g per mu, mixed with 20-25 kg of water and sprayed onto the ground, then covered with soil and filmed before planting.
4.2 Fertilizer and Water Management Broccoli is a vegetable that requires relatively more fertilizer. In addition to applying sufficient base fertilizer, topdressing should also be applied multiple times during the growth period. Generally, apply the first topdressing 10-15 days after seedling recovery, with 10 kg of urea, 15 kg of diammonium phosphate, or 300 kg of human manure and urine per mu. Apply the second topdressing when the terminal flower buds appear, with 10-15 kg of diammonium phosphate per mu and an appropriate amount of potassium sulfate or plant ash. During the flower head expansion period, foliar fertilizer can be sprayed. After planting, irrigate once every 5-7 days to keep the soil often in a moist state.
4.3 Removal of Side Branches For varieties used specifically for terminal flower heads, remove side buds before harvesting the flower heads. For varieties used for both terminal and side flower heads, more side branches grow, and generally 4-5 robust side branches are selected and retained, while thin and weak side branches are removed to reduce nutrient consumption.
5 Pest and Disease Control
Broccoli has relatively strong resistance and wide adaptability, and has no serious catastrophic pests or diseases. Common diseases include downy mildew, sclerotinia rot, black rot, black spot, etc. Pests mainly include cabbage caterpillars, diamondback moths, and aphids. The specific control methods are the same as conventional control.
6 Harvesting
The suitable harvest period for broccoli is relatively short, so it must be harvested in time. The harvest standard is: when the flower head has fully grown, the flower buds are uniform in size, the head is not loose, and it has not flowered, the quality and yield are highest. This is the suitable harvest period. Generally, harvesting in the early morning and evening is better. (Source: China Agriculture, Rural Areas and Farmers Network)