Agrobiological assessment of broccoli hybrids under the conditions of the Western Forest-Steppe of Ukraine

Purpose. To conduct a comprehensive agrobiological assessment of broccoli hybrids Brassica oleracea L. convar. botrytis (L.) Alef. var. сymosa Duch. in terms of the key agronomic traits under the conditions of the Western Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. Methods. The object of the study was the following foreign broccoli hybrids: ‘Lucky F1’ (reference), ‘Batavia F1’, ‘Belstar F1’, ‘Monaco F1’, and ‘Rumba F1’. Phenological observations, biometric measurements, and records were conducted in accordance with the Methodology of Experiments in Vegetable and Melons (2001). Results. On ave­rage over the years of research, the highest yield was obtained from hybrids ‘Monaco F1’ (41.2 t/ha) and ‘Rumba F1’ (38.0 t/ha). A slightly lower yield was in ‘Belstar F1’ (32.3 t/ha) and ‘Batavia F1’ (29.6 t/ha). In general, all hybrids under investigation provided a significant yield increase (6.3–17.9 t/ha) compared to reference ‘Lucky F1’ (23.3 t/ha). The largest diameter of the main head was recorded in the hybrids ‘Rumba F1’ (19.7 cm), ‘Monaco F1’ (20.5 cm) and the smallest in ‘Lucky F1’ (14.3 cm). The weight of the main head of all hybrids was significantly higher than that of reference (295 g): ‘Batavia F1’ 451 g, ‘Belstar F1’ 477 g, ‘Rumba F1’ 514 g, and ‘Monaco F1’ 542 g. The weight of the side heads of the broccoli ranged from 328 g (‘Lucky F1’) to 807 g (‘Monaco F1’). The highest biochemical indicators of commodity product were provided by hybrids ‘Rumba F1’ and ‘Monaco F1’: the total dry matter content was 11.3 and 11.6%, soluble solids 6.4 and 6.7%, sugars 3.5 and 3.8%, and vitamin C 89.3 and 98.7 mg/100 g, respectively. Conclusions. Under the conditions of the Western Forest-Steppe of Ukraine, it is recommended to grow new foreign broccoli hybrids ‘Rumba F1’ and ‘Monaco F1’, which ensure high yield and quali­ty of commodity product. According to the results of the agrobiological assessment, a typical model of broccoli variety is proposed, which may serve as a project for the development of the evaluation form for ability indicators of Brassica oleracea L. convar. botrytis (L.) Alef. var. сymosa Duch. for distribution inUkraine.