ABSTRACT:
The increasing consumption of single-head broccoli is due to several factors, among them there are food production in minimally processing form and the existence of hybrids that adapt to various climates, in addition to the simple harvesting of this typical architecture.This study aimed to identify the most relevant plant characters of broccoli, represented by growth characters, which are determinant in the production and canopy area. The study was conducted in an experimental area in Pato Branco city, PR. The 11 characters were evaluated for 365 plants, spaced with 0.8x0.5m, on a blank experiment. The characters of group 1 (height, number of leaves, stem height, stem diameter) were evaluated on the 21 and 58 day after transplanting (DAT), and the leaf area was evaluated on the 17 and 32 DAT. The characters of group 2 were quantity of fresh head mass and canopy area. At the initial stage of cultivation, on the 17 and 21 DAT, variations in the plants characters did not lead toany variation in production. The higher number of leaves and the larger stem diameter on the 58 DAT determined the greater mass of the broccoli heads.
Key words:
Brassica oleracea var. italica; linear relationships; canonical correlation; growth variables.
