EFFECT OF TRANSPLANTING DATE ON VEGETATIVE CHARACTERS, LEAF PIGMENTS AND YIELD OF SOME CAULIFLOWER HYBRIDS UNDER SANDY SOIL CONDITIONS

Abstract

: This work was carried at a private vegetable farm (Sand Valley Experimental Station) Ismailia Governorate, Egypt during the two successive fall seasons of 2020 and 2021 to study the effect of transplanting date on vegetative growth, leaf pigments and productivity of five cauliflower hybrids under sandy soil conditions. This experiment was include 10 treatments, which were the combinations between two transplanting dates (transplanting in 1 st August and transplanting in 1 st September) and five cauliflower hybrids (Barkha, Solid Snow, Mexico, Fargo and Raoul). These treatments were arranged in a split plot design with three replications. Transplanting dates were randomly distributed in the main plots, while the cauliflower hybrids were randomly arranged in the sub-plots. The most important results were summarized as follows: The interaction between transplanting date in 1 st Sept. and Fargo hybrid recorded the maximum values of plant height, number of leaves lant, leaf length, leaf width and leaf area, whereas the interaction between transplanting in 1 st August and Barkha hybrid gave the highest concentrations of chlorophyll a, b, (a+b) and carotenoides in leaf tissues of cauliflower in both seasons. The interaction between transplanting date in 1 st Sept and Mexico hybrid gave he highest values of total yield/faddan with no significant differences with the interaction between transplanting in 1 st Sept. and Fargo hybrid in the 1 st season. However, the interaction between transplanting in 1 st Sept, and Raoul hybrid significantly increased N, P and K contents in curd in both seasons.