Studies on Transplanting Dates and Method of Seed Production in Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) under Jammu Sub-Tropics

The present investigation was conducted for two consecutive years (2018-19 and 2019-20) to find out the optimum method and suitable dates of transplanting for seed production in broccoli under Jammu sub-tropics. The treatment combinations comprised three dates of transplanting viz., 30th September, 15th October and 30th October and two methods viz., in-situ and ex-situ conducted in a Factorial Randomized Block Design (FRBD) with four replications. The analysis revealed that in-situ method of seed production significantly influenced all morphological and yield traits and was statistically superior to ex-situ method. Among dates, the 30th September date of transplanting proved significantly superior to all the characters except days to 50% bolting, days to 50% flowering, number of siliqua per plant, and days to seed maturity. The interaction effects revealed that treatment combinations in-situ and 30th September (M1D1) were significantly influenced and better performance for maximum traits than other treatment combinations. Thus, it can be concluded that in-situ method and transplanting of seedlings on the first week of October performed better concerning most characters and are the most suitable period for broccoli seed production. These findings recommend that the adoption of promising variety can increase the profitability and production efficiency of broccoli and livelihood security to the farmers of mid hills of Jammu and Kashmir.