The Etiology Of Cracked Stem Disease And Its Control Technologies In Broccoli (Brassica Oleracea L) Production

Broccoli is a favorite vegetable for its flavor and nutritional value. But the disease, called the cracked stem of broccoli, affected broccoli's nutritional value and the commercial value. In this paper, the etiology of cracked stem disease induced was analyzed to set up a key technological system to prevent and control the disease. The conclusions were as follows:The cracked stem of broccoli was mainly due to the deficiency of boron. The deficiency of boron was caused by many reasons. On the one hand, there is no enough boron in soil for plant growing necessarily; on the other hand, the farmers did not realize the role of boron on crop growth in the process of planting, and they usually neglected the application of boron fertilizer.The different varieties of broccoli affected the yield and the incidence of the cracked stem. In field trials, the variety of Mantuolu had higher yield than Youxiu, but its cracked stem disease incidence is lower than Youxiu. Therefore, in the process of planting in the field, selecting the appropriate variety can be effective in preventing the occurrence of the disease.There is no significant relationship between sowing times and the incidence of the disease. Although the late sowing could somewhat reduce the incidence of cracked stem disease, but it could not show high yield and high quality of broccoli. Therefore, the choice of sowing time should be considered in production but not as a key technology to prevent the disease.Different fertilizer treatments would affect the incidence of the cracked stem broccoli. When P and K were in the same levels, the ratio of nitrogen and boron would affect the incidence of the disease. When nitrogen was used increasingly, the increasing application of boron appropriately could reduce the incidence of the disease. Therefore, the reasonable application of different fertilizers could reduce the incidence of the cracked stem broccoli.A series of measures should be taken to prevent the occurrence of the disease. In broccoli production, broccoli varieties should be selected based on the local situation and fertilizers should be applied with well-managed to ensure high yield to reduce the incidence of cracked stem and improve its product value at the same time.