Timing of cauliflower production in southeast Spain

An investigation was conducted on continuous production of cauliflower from autumn to spring (five plantings) in the environmental conditions of Campo de Cartagena (southeast of Spain), using the semi-early cultivars 'Fargo', 'Sirente', 'Kimball' and 'Tenere'. The longest crop cycle occurred in mid-November planting, while the shortest cycle corresponded to the March planting. The time elapsing between transplant and initiation of the curd, and between initiation and harvest varied with the time of planting. Various methods were used to calculate the heat requirements in each of the following periods: transplant-initiation, initiationharvesting, and transplant-harvesting. The lowest coefficient of variation obtained for calculating the heat requirements in each of the above periods was obtained by using an upper threshold temperature. The harvesting period was shortest in the latest cycle. The weight and quality of the curd suggest that it is possible to establish a calendar for cauliflower throughout the production period in the conditions of southeast Spain.