02 161

Chinese Broccoli (Kailaan)
in Southern Australia
A report for the Rural Industries Research

and Development Corporation
by Dr Wendy Morgan and Professor David Midmore
January 2003
RIRDC Publication No 02/161

RIRDC Project No UCQ-10A
2003 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.
All rights reserved.
ISBN 0642 58560 1

ISSN 1440-6845
Chinese Broccoli (Kailaan) in Southern Australia

Publication No. 02/161
Project No. UCQ-10A
The views expressed and the conclusions reached in this publication are those of the author and not
necessarily those of persons consulted. RIRDC shall not be responsible in any way whatsoever to any person
who relies in whole or in part on the contents of this report.
This publication is copyright. However, RIRDC encourages wide dissemination of its research, providing the
Corporation is clearly acknowledged. For any other enquiries concerning reproduction, contact the
Publications Manager on phone 02 6272 3186.
Researcher Contact Details

Professor David Midmore
(Plant Sciences Group
Central Queensland University
Phone: (07) 49309770
Fax: (07) 49 309225
Email:d.midmore@cqu.edu.au
In submitting this report, the researcher has agreed to RIRDC publishing this material in its edited
form.
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Published in January 2003

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ii
Foreword
This publication, one of a number arising from the RIRDC project UCQ-10a, presents data from
cooperative trials on Chinese broccoli (kailaan) carried out in Victoria and Tasmania.
These trials show that Chinese broccoli can be grown all year in Victoria and options for cultivars for
season and location are identified. No firm conclusions can be drawn about the potential for Chinese
broccoli in Tasmania except that transplants bolted when grown in autumn and summer at Burnie in
the north of the state. Details on crop duration by season and marketable yields are also addressed in
the report.
This project was funded from RIRDC Core Funds which are provided by the Federal Government,
with varying levels of co-funding from the cooperating institutes.
This report, a new addition to RIRDCs diverse range of over 800 research publications, forms part
of our Asian Foods R&D program, which aims to support industry in its drive to develop new
products and markets and to gain competitive advantage through improving productivity in, and
achieving price premiums for, Australian production.
Most of our publications are available for viewing, downloading or purchasing online through our
website:
! downloads at www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/Index.htm
! purchases at www.rirdc.gov.au/eshop
Simon Hearn
Managing Director
Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation
iii
Acknowledgements
Project participating institution Contact person:
Agriculture WA, Bunbury Ms Vynka McVeigh

Central Queensland University, Rockhampton Professor David Midmore
Mac Fresh Foods, Toowoomba Mr Mike O'Brien
Victorian Department of Natural Resources and
Environment, Knoxfield Dr Wendy Morgan
NSW Agriculture, Gosford Dr Nguyen Quoc Vong
Northern Rivers Agricultural Development
Association, Murwillumbah Mr Peter McLaughlin
Northern Territory Department of Business and
Resource Development, Darwin Ms Melinda Gosbee
Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Mareeba Lester Loader
Tasmanian Institute for Agricultural Research, Dr Frank Hay
Burnie
University of Queensland, Gatton Assoc. Prof. Alan Wearing
University of Tasmania, Burnie

Chris Abbott
Craig. Palmer
Rowland Laurence
Department of Natural Resources and Environment

Bairnsdale
Rob Dimsey
Neville Fernanado
Siva Subramaniam
IHD, Knoxfield
Mandy Chew
Slobodan Vujovic
ORS, Myrtleford
Gregory Hayes
Dianne Ferguson
ISIA, Tatura
Bill Ashcroft
Murat Top
Dr David Gallacher of CQU who compiled much of the current knowledge.
Growers who assisted the project by allowing the trials to be carried out on their property.
Graeme King whose practical comments on cultivar performance were invaluable and generously
given for both Victorian trials.
Trong Tring who supplied practical comments and his own OP selection for the trial at Geelong
Tony Byrne, RIRDC Asian Foods Program Manager for support and encouragement.
iv
Contents
Foreword ............................................................................................................................................... iii
Acknowledgements............................................................................................................................... iv
Contents.................................................................................................................................................. v
Tables and Figures ............................................................................................................................... vi
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................ vii
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1
Current Knowledge............................................................................................................................... 2
Cultivation........................................................................................................................................... 3
Pests and diseases................................................................................................................................ 4
Post harvest ......................................................................................................................................... 4
Quality assessment .............................................................................................................................. 5
Domestic markets ................................................................................................................................ 5
Export markets .................................................................................................................................... 6
Materials and Methods ......................................................................................................................... 6
Tasmania, 1998-1999 .......................................................................................................................... 6
Summer transplanted crop............................................................................................................... 7
Autumn transplanted crop ............................................................................................................... 7
Victoria, 1998-1999 ............................................................................................................................ 7
Harvest measurements, 1998-1999 ................................................................................................. 8
Victoria 1999-2000 ............................................................................................................................. 9
Harvest measurements, 1999-2000 ............................................................................................... 10
Results .................................................................................................................................................. 12
Tasmania, 1998/1999 ........................................................................................................................ 12
Summer crop ................................................................................................................................. 12
Autumn crop.................................................................................................................................. 12
Victoria, 1998-99 .............................................................................................................................. 12
Planting dates and locations .......................................................................................................... 12
Cultivar Summary ......................................................................................................................... 13
Quality Issues .................................................................................................................................... 20
Diseases ......................................................................................................................................... 21
Disorders ....................................................................................................................................... 21
Victoria, 1999-2000 .......................................................................................................................... 22
Myrtleford............................................................................................................................................ 22
Boneo .................................................................................................................................................... 22
Tatura................................................................................................................................................... 22
Stratford............................................................................................................................................... 23
Planting dates and locations .......................................................................................................... 23
Terminal and side shoot yield ....................................................................................................... 24
Discussion............................................................................................................................................. 32
References ............................................................................................................................................ 35
v
Tables and Figures
Table 1. Trial planting dates, Victoria, 1998 1999.
Table 2. Trial plantings for each cultivar in five locations, Victoria, 1998-1999.
Table 3. Trial planting dates in four locations, Victoria, 1999-2000.
Table 4. Chinese broccoli plants bolting and mean number of leaves per plant, Burnie, Tasmania,
May 1999.
Table 5. Days to harvest, percentage marketable plants and marketable yield, Victoria 1998-
1999.
Table 6. Total (terminal and side shoots) marketable yields, Victoria 1999-2000.
Table 7. Best performing Chinese broccoli cultivars and planting dates at five locations in
Victoria, 1998-1999 (Terminal shoot yields).
Table 8. Best performing Chinese broccoli cultivars and days to harvest at different planting
times at four locations in, Victoria, 1999-2000 (based on terminal and side shoot yields).
Fig. 1. Maximum and minimum prices (A) and throughput (B) at Flemington Markets.
Fig. 2. Taiwanese imports of fresh or chilled kale and similar brassicas, 1997.
Fig. 3 Cultivar terminal and side shoot yields by region and planting, 1999-2000.
Fig. 4 Cultivar marketable side shoot number per plant by region and planting, 1999-2000.
Appendix
Appendix 1. Leaf shape descriptors 1998-1999 and 1999-2000.
vi
Executive Summary
Chinese broccoli, commonly known as Kailaan (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra) is harvested for
its flowering stems with compact florets. Harvest time, and post-harvest conditions are critical in
order that the flowering heads do not contain (m)any opened flowerbuds.
Characteristic of Asian cuisine, Chinese broccoli is found in Asian markets and to a small, but
increasing, extent in Australian retail outlets. The Australian demand is satisfied though production
by Asian background growers and by a small number of specialist growers. Open pollination (OP)
lines developed by growers meet the requirements of particular markets.
A number of trials were established in Victoria and Tasmania within this project, to determine site
and variety specificity for optimal production, taking advantage of the varied climatic conditions
afforded by the states. Trials assessed the primary stem production, the ratoon sideshoot production,
and quantified quality parameters of the respective harvests.
All varieties bolted (very early flowering) in Tasmania, in summer or autumn seasons. While low
temperatures are known to induce bolting, it may be that the practice of transplanting (seedlings 52
days old in summer and 63 days old in autumn) further induced bolting. The OP variety Mandy was
more tolerant to bolting than other varieties.
Location and sowing dates in Victoria (all trials were established by direct seeding) affected yield
and time to harvest. Crop duration was greater in the north of the state in the winter (sown April to
August, c. 110-150 days), and least in early summer (sown December) when the crop duration did
not markedly differ between locations (all c. 60 days).
There was an inverse relationship between crop duration and marketable yield across sites; the slower
longer period of growth in colder plantings did not compensate for the shorter season faster growth
of warmer plantings.
Yields of shoots ranged from 0.3-21 t/ha, and from 1-42 t/ha when side shoot harvests were included.
These are higher than reported yields elsewhere. Almost invariably the higher yields were achieved
by the OP varieties, but the market characteristic (eg due to greater resemblance to broccolini) would
limit their acceptance beyond the specific markets for which they have been selected.
Essentially, harvests of Chinese broccoli could be achieved throughout the year in Victoria by
objective choice of variety and location. Marketable yields as a percentage of total yield (based on
numbers of marketable shoots per total number of shoots) were consistently low in a number of site
by sowing date combinations, and those site by sowing date combinations were not considered
suitable for commercial production.
For August and February sowings, Boneo (Melbourne), the only site with current commercial
production, would appear the most suitable for production of main and side shoots, but October
sowing in Myrtleford north east of Victoria, January/February in Mornington Peninsular
(Melbourne), September/October in East Gippsland, July in the south west (Geelong), and February
for Tatura in north central Victoria.
vii
From a variety perspective, the following were trialed in both years:
! Green lance was low yielding and only suited to sowing in the north east region (Myrtleford) for
December to February
! OP Kailaan was also low yielding, and only acceptable in Myrtleford and Stratford in the summer.
! Tai Nan had thin terminal and side shoots, with low marketable yield especially suppressed during
the winter sowings.
! Kailaan White showed consistent high yield across sites (but not at all sowing dates) but was
rather variable in terms of harvest date within a sowing. It was a high performer in summer
sowings.
Other varieties, sown in only one of two years included OP Mandy (later maturing and higher yields
than most, but undesirable marketable characteristics), Dai Sum (well performing across most
sites/sowing dates, but quite low yields due to shoot stems), Sak Sum (fast growing and poor yield),
4502 (unsuitable for warm sowings, but otherwise acceptable), BBT 35 (suitable for each of August.
October, December, and February sowings for at least one site), Cultivar A (generally poor
performing), Cultivar B (consistently high performing, and warranting more attention) and King (on
a par with Cultivar B at Boneo, the only site where it was sown). Specific suggestions for varieties,
regions and sowing dates are made within the text
viii
Introduction
Chinese broccoli (Chinese flowering broccoli, kailaan, gai lum) is a brassica vegetable (Brassica oleracea var.
alboglabra) cultivated for its young flowering stems. Shoots with compact florets and small leaves are
harvested just as the first flowers begin to open. The main or terminal shoot on each plant is cut to leave buds
on the stem for the subsequent development of sideshoots. The stalk, leaves and unopened flowerbuds are all
eaten. Chinese broccoli has a slightly bitter taste and is used in soups and stir-fries or eaten as a steamed
vegetable.
Production in Australia is generally restricted to a few growers of Asian background, and to a limited number
of other specialist growers. Both sets of producers tend to have their own lines or cultivars, methods of
production, and specific markets. They use their own open pollinated lines because these meet the
requirements of their particular markets, such as the restaurant trade or Asian greengrocers. Produce is usually
supplied direct and growers have often built up their own clientele. Each market may have a range of product
specifications, which can vary with the availability of produce. The growers seed lines perform differently
from the commercial lines available and are sought for their flavour by many Chinese restaurants.
Chinese broccoli has consistently been one of the top five Asian vegetables sought by Australian supermarkets.
Because of the obviously limited access to grower lines, industry expansion to meet an increasing demand
would need to rely heavily on commercial cultivars. A range of cultivars are available from a number of seed
suppliers within Australia.
The major issues in expanding production have been to determine cultivars to plant, planting method and
planting schedules. The open pollinated cultivars grown commercially are grown either as transplants or are
direct seeded and appear to perform under both those establishment methods. The potential for hybrids to
provide higher yields and more consistent quality product has not been explored with the Asian vegetable
industry. Previous grower experience with commercial hybrids indicated that the use of seedling transplants
leads to premature flowering (often in seedling house) and poor plant development.
The Victorian Governments Access to Asia project identified a need to objectively evaluate the performance
of commercial hybrid Chinese broccoli cultivars within the different regions of Victoria, with a view to
determining the seasonal availability of fresh product. The RIRDC project Consolidating the Asian Vegetable
Industry also chose Chinese broccoli as one of six vegetables to be investigated for national seasonal
availability and hybrid cultivar performance and decided Tasmania could be a potential production area.
In 1998/99, cultivar trials were carried out at Burnie, Tasmania and at five locations in Victoria. Commercially
available cultivar performance and the most suitable sowing times across a twelve-month period were
investigated. Harvest was restricted to the main or terminal shoots only, as researchers were unfamiliar with
the crop and its variety of markets. Cultivars which performed well in these trials are suitable for a once over
harvest production requirement.
Commercial practice with Chinese broccoli is to harvest both the main shoot and the subsequent side shoots
from plants. Therefore, a further evaluation of commercial cultivars was carried out in 1999/00 in Victoria and
agronomic measurements were expanded to include both the terminal shoots and the side shoots. Side shoot
harvests continued for up to six weeks. Cultivars which performed well in this series of trials are suitable for
sequential harvesting.
Eight cultivars, including the best from the 1998/99 evaluation, were assessed in replicated trials at four
locations. There were four sowing dates at eight week intervals between August and February, the optimum
sowing window identified in 1998/99. A number of yield and quality components, including those identified as
important to growers, were measured and used to identify the relative merits of cultivars. A comparison with
a growers open pollinated line was undertaken at one site.
1
This report draws together research undertaken at regional, state and national level between 1998 and 2000,
funded in part by the RIRDC/UCQ-10a project, Consolidating the Asian Vegetable Industry and by the
Victorian Government. The aim of the research was to identify national production capability and supply and
productivity issues for supply chain development of domestic and future export markets. The highest yielding
cultivars which met market requirements are identified.
Current Knowledge
Chinese broccoli, is a member of the Crucifer family, Brassica oleracea L. cv. group Chinese Kale (name
proposed by PROSEA) and has also been described as
Brassica alboglabra L.H. Bailey

Brassica oleracea L. var. albiflora (O. Kunze) Musil
Brassica oleracea L. var. alboglabra (L.H. Bailey) Musil
Brassica rapa var. alboglabra
Chinese broccoli is known by many common names which vary between and within countries.
broccoli de chine French
cai r Vietnamese
chair lan Chinese
Chinese broccoli English
Chinese kale English
gaai laan Chinese
gai lan Chinese
gai lum Chinese
gailan Chinese
gailon Filipino
gelancai Chinese
gui ion Chinese
jie lan Chinese
kaai laan Chinese
kailan Chinese
kai lan tsoi Chinese
kai lan Indonesian
Malaysian
Chinese
kailan cina Malaysian
kailan Chinese
Dutch
English
French
Japanese
Malaysian
Portuguese
kailan-kal Danish
kairan Japanese
phakkhana Laotian, Thai
spei saa Khmer
white flowering broccoli English
Kailaan is a popular vegetable for Asian stirfries, and is quite easy to grow. The young flowering stem with
flower buds is eaten for its distinctive flavour.
2
Cultivation
Cultivars
Varieties differ in stem length and colour, from light to medium green (Cantwell et al. 1996). The F1 hybrid
varieties generally grow more vigorously (Moore and Morgan 1998). Seed of selected varieties is collected and
re-sown annually by Victorian and producers have an excellent flavour, and are highly competitive with
commercial varieties. The flavour makes them much sought after by Chinese restaurants in particular.
Production
Kailaan is grown commercially throughout Australia (Lee 1995). Victorian production in 1990/91 totalled 22.8
t from 7.1 ha (Waters et al. 1992).
Soil type
Kailaan requires a fertile soil with good drainage and a high level of organic matter (Moore and Morgan 1998).
pH
Optimum pH is between 6.0 and 7.0. It should not be allowed to fall below 5.0 (Moore and Morgan 1998).
Climate
Kailaan is a cool season crop with some frost tolerance. It can be grown year round in the upland tropics
(Sagwansupyakorn 1994) and in Victoria, but the optimum variety changes during the season (Moore and
Morgan 1998). Uniform conditions are favourable: not too wet, dry or shady, and not too windy when the
plant is young (Moore and Morgan 1998). It is a perennial plant that is usually grown commercially as an
annual (Sagwansupyakorn 1994).
Temperature
The optimum temperature for rapid growth is 18-28C. Low temperatures promote early flowering and are
necessary for complete floral development. The crop is frost tolerant and more heat tolerant than other broccoli
(Sagwansupyakorn 1994).
Mixed cropping
Chinese mustard and Chinese broccoli can be used as a bait crop for diamondback moth (Yu et al. 1998).
Plant density
A planting layout of 2-4 rows per bed and 8-12 cm between plants gives a density of 108 000 to 220 000
plants/ha (Cantwell et al .1996). Sow heavily and then thin after 3 weeks of growth. Thinned plants can be
sold as the first harvest (Sagwansupyakorn 1994). A dense planting results in a high leaf area index, a desirable
product and high marketable yield. It also increases time to maturity and reduces the stem mineral content, due
to higher competition among plants (Moore and Morgan 1998).
Seeds are sown at about 0.6 cm depth (Moore and Morgan 1998). There are approximately 200 seeds/g.
Germination
The optimum temperature for germination is 25-30C (Sagwansupyakorn.1994). Emergence occurs 3-6 days in
summer and 4-10 days in autumn (Moore and Morgan 1998).
Transplants
Seedlings are transplanted at 3-4 weeks (Moore and Morgan 1998). Seedlings often grow too fast in
polyhouses, causing early flowering and minimal vegetative production. Growth should be monitored,
particularly in warm weather. Seedling trays require wind protection but should only be stored in polyhouses
in cool weather.
3
Fertiliser
A number of fertiliser regimes are discussed in Moore and Morgan (1998). High planting densities require
higher levels of N, of 400 kg/ha or more (Hill 1990). One format is a base dressing of 500 kg/ha Pivot 800,
followed by side dressings of 125 kg/ha CaNO3 or equivalent at 3 weeks after transplanting. Dual
(metalochlor) at 3 L/ha is often applied directly after transplanting.
Watering
The crop requires frequent light watering for optimum growth, since it is shallow rooted (Moore and Morgan
1998).
Harvest
The crop is ready to harvest at 10 weeks from sowing in autumn and 8-9 weeks in summer (Moore and
Morgan 1998). Young flowering stems are selected with compact florets and small leaves attached, and cut at
15 to 20 cm length (Anonymous 1997) with a sharp knife. Flavour is maximised when plants are harvested
well before the buds begin to open. They should be harvested frequently to prevent bolting and toughening,
particularly in summer. About three cuts can be obtained from one stem, and the main stalk should be cut
relatively short to enhance further growth. A liquid feed after each harvest may benefit regrowth (Moore and
Morgan 1998).
Yield
The average yield in a season with 2-3 harvests is 6-11 t/ha (Shuler 1995). Yield is dependent on harvesting
frequency and method (Sagwansupyakorn 1994).
Pests and diseases

A wide range of pests and diseases, common to Brassica crops, has been reported in Australia. The crop
requires frequent observation and a rapid response to ensure that quality of the crop is maintained.
Occasionally spraying can be avoided by harvesting the plants very young, or by growing very small amounts.
Generally however, the crop is frequently sprayed to ensure that very few leaves are holed or scarred.
Few chemicals are registered for use on leafy Asian vegetables. This issue is currently being addressed through
a collaboration of growers and government bodies. Contact Queensland Fruit and Vegetable Growers for up to
date information.
Disease observations for Victoria are listed in Chew and Morgan (1997), and for New South Wales in Nguyen
(1992).
Post harvest
Handling
Stems are best harvested in the early morning to minimise water stress, and tied into bunches of 5 to 7 plants.
The main stem should be 10-15 cm long and 1.5-2.0 cm wide at the base (Moore and Morgan 1998).
Storage temperature:
Kailaan is best kept at 0-1C (Welby and McGregor 1997, Thomson 1999) but should not be allowed to freeze
(Thomson 1999) or 1-5C (Thomson et al. 2001). Respiration rate was significantly lower at 1C than at 5C
(Thomson et al. 2001). Low temperature keeps respiration and ethylene production to a minimum with
respiration of kailaan 8.1, 10.2 and 29.2 l CO2/g/hr at 1, 5 and 10C and ethylene production 0.1, 0.1 and 0.3
l/g/h (Zong et al.1998).
Relative humidity
The harvested product is highly susceptible to water loss, so a relative humidity of 95-100% is obtained with
crushed ice topping (Welby and McGregor 1997).
4
Shelf life
A shelf life of more than 21 days is possible with the correct storage (Zong et al. 1998). This can be increased
to 27 days by removing ethylene (Wills et al. 1999). Shelf life at 5-10C is reduced to 7-14 days (Zong et al.
1998).
Packaging
Use of low density polyethylene bags appears to reduce flower bud deterioration, but generally does not
improve storage life (Zong et al. 1998). Thomson et al. (2001) recommend 30 m polyethylene bag with
oxygen transmission rate of 6,400 ml/bag/day.atm for 5 kg product.
Quality assessment
A good quality product has 15-20 cm tall green stalks and white flower buds that are developed but unopened.
Common postharvest defects include open or deteriorating flowers, and yellowed or decayed leaves (Cantwell
et al. 1996).
Domestic markets
Kailaan is one of the most popular Asian vegetables in Australia, and there is potential for development of both
fresh and processed produce. It is eaten boiled, steamed or fried (Anonymous 1997). Ethnic restaurants and
small retailers are well supplied, and interest from supermarket chains created a surge in demand in the early to
mid 1990's (Vinning 1995).
Prices and throughput at Flemington Markets, Sydney, are given in Figure 1. Kailaan is available throughout
the year in Asian grocery stores of Sydney and Melbourne. Prices at Melbourne Markets average $0.90 to
$1.50/bunch wholesale, while retail prices are $1.00 to $1.60/bunch (Moore and Morgan 1998). Melbourne
Markets is supplied by both local and interstate growers (Chew and Morgan 1996).
$10
1996 1997 20
Volume (x1000 dozen)
1996
1998 1999
Price ($/dozen)
$8 16 1997
1998
12
$6 8
$4 0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
A B
Figure 1: High and low prices (A) and throughput (B) of kailaan at Flemington Markets. Note that the weight of one dozen cuttings can
vary with season (Flemington Market Reporting Service)
5
Export markets
Markets exist wherever there are ethnic Chinese (Vinning 1995). There have been mixed reports about the
potential for exports. Prices are generally low and shipping costs high, due to the low density of the produce.
There have been a number of cases of Australian exports to spot markets, but continued supply has not
occurred.
Singapore
Kailaan prices have been in steady decline, reaching about S$3.00/kg in 1994. Prices tend to peak from April
to June (Vinning 1995).
Taiwan
Three varieties of kailaan are marketed in Taiwan: Pugong, Helgelan and Gelanya, totalling about 4 200 t/year.
Helgelan is produced at much greater quantity but Gelanya prices are higher, usually double (1993 data).
Prices are highest June to July and November to December, reaching NT$20 - 40/kg (Vinning 1995). Most
Taiwanese imports are sourced from Vietnam (Figure 2).
Thailand
About 145 000 t was produced in 1994. Retail prices have steadily increased, reaching 14 Baht/kg in 1993.
Prices are higher in the second half of the year, particularly October and November (Vinning 1995).
Viet Nam
USA
Thailand Price (US$ / kg)
Philippines Value (x US$10 million)
Netherlands Volume (x1000 MT)
Indonesia
Australia
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5
Figure 2: Taiwanese imports of fresh or chilled kale and similar brassicas 1997. This material provided courtesy of the Asia Regional
Agribusiness Project/Fintrac Inc. through the Market Asia web site at http://www.marketasia.org.
Materials and Methods

Tasmania, 1998-1999
Seven varieties of Chinese broccoli were evaluated in replicated field trials at the TAFE farm in Burnie,
Tasmania in the summer of 1998 and autumn of 1999. The trials were located in a field with red Ferrosol soil,
with a history of regular cropping. The cultivars were evaluated as a summer and an autumn sown crop. The
following Chinese broccoli cultivars (and their sources) were tested:
Fairbanks Green Lance F1, Kale Kailaan

Magnus Kahl Thainan V50-CT
Yates Kailaan
Known You Chinese Kale: Veg gin, Full White, Kale Kailaan
IHD, Knoxfield: Mandy (open pollinated)
6
Summer transplanted crop
Seed was sown in trays on 28/9/98 and seedlings transplanted on 17/11/98. The trial consisted of three
replicate plots per cultivar in a completely randomised block design. Each plot was 2 m2 and consisted of 3
rows with 20 plants/row (inter row spacing 10 cm). Plots were watered using overhead sprinklers. The trial
was terminated on 18/1/1999.
Autumn transplanted crop

Seed was sown on 8/3/99 and seedlings transplanted into plots on 10/5/99. Trial design and plot size were as
above except that there were 4 replicate plots per cultivar arranged in a randomised block design and there
were 15 plants in each of the 3 rows per plot (inter row spacing 13 cm). Numbers of plants bolting were
recorded on 31/5/1999 and 2/7/1999. The trial was terminated on 16/7/1999.
Victoria, 1998-1999
Replicated field trials evaluated eight cultivars in five regional locations; Lindenow (Gippsland), Boneo on
Mornington Peninsula (Melbourne), Geelong (south west), Tatura (north central), and Myrtleford (north east).
Plantings commenced from the end of mid-April 1998 and continued approximately bi-monthly until mid-
March 1999. Locations differed in actual planting dates (Table 1). Plantings undertaken in each region and
cultivars evaluated are given in Table 2.
Table 1. Trial planting dates, Victoria, 1998 1999.
Planting Trial locations Planting date

number
North Central Melbourne North East East Gippsland South West
1998 1 22/4 11/5 30/4 23/4 24/4
2 3/7 1/7 24/6 1/7
3 21/8 26/8 26/8
4 25/9 12/10 12/10 30/9 24/9
5 12/11 16/11 17/11 20/11 19/11
6 22/12 14/12 22/12 30/12 18/12
1999 7 11/2 28/1 29/1 10/2 3/2
8 22/3 15/3 25/3 15/3
The cultivars evaluated (and their seed sources) were:

Fairbanks OP Kai Laan, Kailaan White
Magnus Kahl Seeds Thainan
Golden Harvest Dai Sum Kailaan, Sak Sum Kailaan
Hendersons Green Lance
Open Pollinated grower lines Mandy, Trong
7
Table 2. Trial plantings for each cultivar in five locations, Victoria, 1998-1999.
Cultivar Trial locations Planting number1
North Central Melbourne North East East Gippsland Geelong

OP Kailaan 1-8 1-7 1-8 1, 3-8 1,2, 4-8
Kailaan white 1,2,7,8 1-7 1-8 1, 3-8 1,2, 4-8
Dai sum 1,2,7,8 1-7 1-8 1, 3-8 1,2,4,6,8
Sak sum 3-6 3-7 2-8 3-8 4-6
O.P. Mandy 1-4,7,8 1-7 1-8 1, 3-8 1,2,4,6,8
Green Lance 3-6 3-7 3-8 3-8 1,2,4,5,7,8
Thainan 1-8 1-7 1-8 1, 3-8 1,2, 4-8
Trong 1,2,4,6,8
1
Corresponds approximately to dates in Table 1
At Geelong and Melbourne some of the growers own seed line was included in the trial and replicated as for
the other cultivars for performance comparison with the hybrids.
Establishment was by direct seeding either by hand or using a hand seeder at a depth of approximately 20 mm.
Unless otherwise described the trial layout was as a randomised block design with 3 replicates for each
cultivar. Block layout was dependent on the nature of the site, including soil type and block gradients.
Plots were 3 metres long with 3 rows per bed and an interow spacing of 30 cm at all locations except Tatura
(20 cm), giving 45 plants per plot. The trial was located within the growers crops to facilitate cultural
practices. Irrigation varied with location. For details of each locations cultural practices (fertiliser and
pesticide applications) refer to Dimsey et al. (2002).
Harvest measurements, 1998-1999

Measurements were taken on the terminal shoot only. Plots were subsampled based on the middle 1 metre of
the plot, which should have comprised 15 plants. The whole plant was cut just above the second node from the
ground. The following was recorded on each plant in the subsample:
Stem length from base to tip.
Stem thickness:
a. Measured from base of plant where it is cut and halfway up plant (2 measurements)
b. Measured from base at trim length and halfway up plant (2 measurements)
Stem was trimmed to 15 cm if needed.
Weight in grams.
Number of plants with flower buds starting to open.
Number of marketable plants percent marketable plants.
Leaf shape Based on photos from descriptor (Appendix 1)
1. Shape is Oval and leaf margin is Sinuate (to be described as leaf shape 1).
2. Shape is Oblanceolate and margin is Sinuate (to be described as leaf shape 2).
3. Shape is Elliptical and margin is Crennate (to be described as leaf shape 3).
Leaf Size
Length and width of 2 leaves per plant
1. The first leaf from the trimmed base.
2. The youngest fully expanded leaf.
Stem Length - Measured from base of plant where cut to tip.
Petiole length is to be recorded as an observation on each cultivar.
Flower colour.
Days to harvest.
8
Total and marketable subsample weight for leaves and stems was measured and dry weights taken (after
drying to a constant weight at 72C). Marketability was assessed on trimmed shoots. The percentage
marketable was calculated as the number marketable as a proportion of the number for 100% harvestable.
Marketable yield was derived using the weight of marketable trimmed shoots and the percentage of marketable
shoots.
Victoria 1999-2000
Replicated field trials evaluated eight cultivars at four locations in regional Victoria which were the same as the
1998-1999 trial sites, except that Geelong was excluded.
Planting commenced in mid August 1999 and continued bi-monthly to February 2000. There were four trials at
Myrtleford and Boneo, three at Tatura, and two at Stratford. Sowing dates for each location are shown in
Table 3.
Table 3. Trial planting dates in four regions, Victoria, 1999-2000.

Location
Planting Number
Myrtleford Boneo Tatura Stratford
North East Melbourne North Central East Gippsland
1999 1 August 25 August 18 September 15 August 20
2 October 19 October 13 No trial No trial
3 December 7 December 30 December 15t No trial
2000 4 February 7 February 16 March 8 February 23
The cultivars evaluated (and their sources) were:

Hendersons Green Lance
Fairbanks OP Kailaan
Magnus Kahl Kailaan White, Thainan
East West 4502, Bang Bua Thong 35 (BBT 35)
Golden Harvest Cultivar A, Cultivar B
All the cultivars in this list were commercially available in 1999 and some had been evaluated for terminal
shoot production in 1998/99. Cultivar A and Cultivar B were supplied only with Chinese character
identification (an English translation was obtained but did not offer clearly distinguishable cultivar names). An
open pollinated grower cultivar, King, was included at the Boneo site.
Cultivars were replicated three times in a randomised block design at each of the four locations. Each sowing
used a single, raised bed approximately 60 m long at Myrtleford and Stratford, 70 m long at Boneo and 87 m
long at Tatura. Respective total (centre to centre) and formed bed widths were 1.8 m and 1.2 m at Myrtleford
and Stratford, 1.7 m and 1.2 m at Boneo, and 1.5 m and 0.9 m at Tatura. Each experimental plot was 2.25 m
long and contained approximately 35 plants at Myrtleford and Stratford, 3.0 m long with 45 plants at Boneo,
and 3.6 m long with 32 plants at Tatura.
Three rows were sown per bed at Myrtleford, Stratford and Boneo, and two rows at Tatura. Inter-row spacing
was 0.3 m at Myrtleford and Stratford, 0.4 m at Boneo and 0.2 m at Tatura.
Seed was sown with a hand seeder at a depth of 0.2 cm. Seedlings were thinned to an intra-row
spacing of 20 cm. Plant population (at this spacing, and the respective location, bed width and row
number/bed) was 83,300 plants per hectare at Myrtleford and Stratford, 88,200 at Boneo and 66,667 at
Tatura.
For details of cultural practices at each location refer to Hayes et al. (2002).
9
Harvest measurements, 1999-2000
Approximately 15 plants in the middle 1.0 m of each plot at Myrtleford, Boneo and Stratford, and 16 plants
from the middle 1.6 m of each plot at Tatura, were harvested for terminal shoot and sideshoot measurement.
Five of these plants were marked to provide data on single sideshoots.
The harvestable percentage was the number of surviving plants in the whole plot as a percentage of the potential
number (36 per plot at Myrtleford and Stratford, 45 at Boneo, and 32 at Tatura).
Measurements were taken on the terminal and side shoots.
Terminal shoot measurements

Terminal shoots were harvested at Myrtleford, Tatura and Stratford when flowers began to open, and at Boneo
when buds on at least 50 percent of plants were nearly open. At Myrtleford, Tatura and Stratford, harvest
within a plot often extended over several days. The number of days from sowing and the number of plants
harvested were recorded at each harvest. At Boneo, terminal shoots of all plots of a given cultivar were
harvested in a single pass, even though a mixture of harvest stages may have been present.
Terminal shoots were cut to a length of approximately 15 cm, or shorter if necessary. At Boneo, some were cut
at a length of up to 30 cm. The harvested length was measured and shoots trimmed to 15 cm. Trimmed terminal
shoot measurements were length, base diameter, weight, number of open flowers, marketable or not marketable.
Side shoot measurements

The number of nodes on each harvestable plant in the middle 1.0 m of each plot was counted after the terminal
shoot was removed. At Myrtleford, Tatura and Stratford side shoot harvest commenced when most plants in a
plot had shoots with an open flower. Side shoots with open flowers were considered harvestable and cut to
leave one or two nodes at the base. At Boneo, side shoot harvest began when the first side shoots were
considered marketable.
At Myrtleford side shoots were harvested at approximately 7-day intervals over five weeks in Sowing 1, over
six weeks in Sowing 2, over seven weeks in Sowing 3, and at 10 to 14 day intervals over six weeks in Sowing
4. Harvests at Tatura were at 7-day intervals over four weeks in Sowing 1 and 3, and over 6 weeks in Sowing
4. Those at Stratford were at 7-day intervals over five weeks. Side shoots were harvested once a week for five
weeks for all four sowings at Boneo.
Data collection and analysis

At each harvest the following per plot measurements were made:
Number of plants with harvestable side shoots.
Number of side shoots harvested.
Number of untrimmed side shoots in each of five length classes: 10 cm, 11 to 15 cm, 16 to 20 cm, 21 to 25 cm
and >25 cm.
Total weight of untrimmed side shoots.
Total weight of trimmed marketable side shoots (at 15 cm, but 20 cm+ at Boneo).
Number marketable or not marketable.
In addition, each side shoot from a (marked) five-plant subsample was measured for:
Untrimmed shoot length.
Trimmed shoot length (approximately 15 cm, but 20 cm+ at Boneo).
Trimmed shoot base diameter.
Trimmed shoot weight.
Number of leaves.
Marketable or not marketable.
Terminal shoots and side shoots were classed as marketable if they had only one or two open flowers, a soft
stem easily penetrated by a fingernail, a stem diameter at the base of no less than 0.8 cm and no more than 2.5
10
cm, and if they were largely free of external faults. A minimum trimmed shoot weight of 15 g was also
imposed for marketability at Tatura.
The terminal shoot marketable percentage was calculated from the number of marketable shoots as a proportion
of the total potential number harvestable, from the middle one metre of each plot (approximately 15 plants).
The side shoot marketable percentage was calculated from the number marketable as a percentage of the total
number of side shoots harvested from the middle one metre of plot.
Terminal shoot marketable yield was derived from the trimmed shoot weight, the percentage marketable, and
the population density for a particular location (83,300 plants per hectare at Myrtleford and Stratford, 88,200 at
Boneo, and 66,667 at Tatura).
Side shoot marketable yield was calculated from the marketable trimmed side shoot weight per plant and the
population density as above.
Per plant side shoot results (number harvested, number marketable, marketable weight) and the number of
nodes per main stem were derived using the number of harvestable plants in the middle metre of each plot, at
the time the terminal shoots were harvested.
Statistical analysis was carried out using the Analysis of Variance package of the Genstat 5 program.
11
Results
Tasmania, 1998/1999
Summer crop
One month after transplanting (17/12/98), all cultivars exhibited over 30% of plants bolting. Bolting appeared
to be delayed slightly in the open pollinated variety compared to others. Plants were pruned on 26/12/98 to
encourage vegetative growth. However, by 18/1/99 all varieties exhibited a high proportion of regrowth
bolting. As none of the cultivars appeared suitable for summer planting, the trial was discontinued shortly
thereafter (62 days after transplanting).
Autumn crop
Most varieties exhibited a high percentage of bolting and flowering soon after transplanting (Table 4). This
occurred when plants were at an early stage of growth, as shown in Plate 1 and by the mean number of
leaves/plant (Table 4). An exception was the open pollinated variety, which exhibited a low proportion of
bolting at this time. On 16/7/99, 67 days after transplanting nine plants from the 4 plots of the open pollinated
cultivar had produced marketable heads. However, a large proportion of plants bolted in the month after this
(results not shown).
Table 4. Chinese broccoli plants bolting and mean number of leaves per plant, Burnie, Tasmania, 1999.
Mean % bolting Mean % bolting Mean number of leaves/

(sd1) 31 ( sd) 2 July plant ( sd)
May 2 July
Fairbanks Green Lance F1 91.0 8.5 96.5 5.5 5.7 2.6
Magnus Kahl Thainan 54.4 25.3 69.2 6.3 9.6 0.5
Open pollinated 4.6 3.3 8.0 5.9 8.8 1.2
Yates Kailaan 74.1 36.0 96.7 2.9 8.1 0.9
Chinese Kale Veg gin 87.8 4.6 97.8 1.8 8.0 1.7
Chinese Kale Full white 80.0 11.3 88.0 5.0 10.2 1.8
Kale Kailaan 88.3 6.3 94.9 5.9 7.1 0.3
1
Standard deviation
Victoria, 1998-99
Planting dates and locations
Days to harvest, percentage of marketable plants and marketable yield of terminal shoot, varied with planting
date, cultivar and location (Table 5).
Optimal planting time was from late September to late January for best marketable yield and least time in the
ground.
Marketable yields varied with season, from 0.3-20 t/ha across Victoria from winter to summer production.
Yields varied with production season with 0.3-14 t/ha in winter, 0.4-11.3 t/ha in late spring and 1.1-20.7 t/ha
early summer 0.6-14 t/ha in summer. These highest yields in all cases included cultivar Mandy which had
marketable yields up to 20 t/ha.
Days to harvest were longer when production was during winter months (90-180 days) and were least when
production was during summer (50-80 days).
12
Dai Sum and Mandy took longer to mature than the other cultivars in plantings 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8 and Mandy
took longer than all other cultivars in plantings in June/July and September/October. Similarly, Mandy and Dai
Sum had lower percentage of marketable plants but high marketable yields during the winter production crops.
Days to harvest were greater in the north of the state during winter production (plantings in April to August).
During spring production (plantings in September to November) plants took longer to mature in north central
and south west regions. Crops in all locations matured at the same time with early summer production
(Planting 6), the south west crop took longer than other locations during mid summer and in late summer crops
took similar periods to mature but cultivars varied in maturity times.
Time to harvest across sites was inversely related to marketable yield with lower marketable yields associated
with a longer time to harvest.
Cultivar Summary
Descriptions of cultivars across trials is given below and performance of each cultivar is shown in Table 5.
Table 6 summarises information on the best performing cultivars across five locations in 1998/1999.
In general, later cultivars gave larger plants with higher yields.
13
Table 5. Days to harvest, marketable plant percentage and marketable yield of terminal shoots, in five regions in Victoria 1998-1999.
Planting 1 Mornington Peninsular North East East Gippsland South West North Central
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Cultivar
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Days to
Days to
Days to
Days to
Days to
%
%
Yield
Yield
Yield
Yield
Yield
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
OP Kailaan 102 64.4 1.71 116.7 60.0 1.3 90 46.0 0.34 109 80 2.31 120 50.0 1.1
Thainin 107 60.0 3.87 123.0 35.6 0.6 103 78.1 1.47 109 73 2.61 120 64.6 1.1
Kailaan White 107 64.4 4.15 133.0 42.2 1.5 91 73.4 1.61 109 78 2.93 120 56.2 1.1
Dai sum 120 53.3 4.80 152.0 35.6 5.4 105 93.7 4.45 119 89 6.39 180 54.2 1.7
Green Lance 116.7 64.5 1.6 105 87 1.82
Mandy 120 77.8 14.69 152.0 40.0 5.0 117 90.0 8.48 129 78 14.03 149 62.5 2.7
Trong 129 40 3.94
LSD (P=0.05) 14.3 2.07 26.9 4.4 10.1 1.85 9.8 1.47 NS 0.7
14
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Cultivar
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Days to
Days to
Days to
Days to
Days to
%
%
Yield
Yield
Yield
Yield
Yield
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
OP Kailaan 105 64.4 6.31 123 47.8 0.5 * * * 109 54.2 1.3
Thainin 112 64.4 10.57 123 42.2 0.4 99 67.0 6.38 109 58.3 1.4
Kailaan White 112 64.4 11.17 123 37.8 1.3 99 60.0 5.31 109 33.3 1.2
Dai sum 112 71.1 11.26 123 17.8 1.2 104 64.0 6.24 131 41.7 1.0
Green Lance 93 60.0 2.23
Mandy 126 80.0 16.73 133 13.5 1.4 111 84.0 14.49 125 37.5 3.0
Trong 111 56.0 7.28
LSD (P=0.05) 6.9 1.96 7.3 13.1 NS 8.2 1.85 17.6 0.9
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Cultivar
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Days to
Days to
Days to
Days to
Days to
%
%
Yield
Yield
Yield
Yield
Yield
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
OP Kailaan 61 87.0 2.1 77 35.4 0.9
Thainin 64 75.0 1.3 89 45.8 1.5
Kailaan White 67 78.3 1.3
Dai sum 75 81.2 1.4
Mandy 80 67.7 1.8 89 37.5 2.6
Green Lance 61 82.7 1.4 77 43.7 1.1
Sak Sum 61 81.7 1.4 77 33.3 0.8
LSD (P=0.05) 3.1 NS NS 16.6 0.8
15
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Cultivar
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Days to
Days to
Days to
Days to
Days to
%
%
Yield
Yield
Yield
Yield
Yield
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
OP Kailaan 63 48.9 1.7 57 51.1 1.5 59 91.1 2.92 86 53.3 2.64 68 39.6 1.2
Thainin 70 51.1 2.32 57 51.1 1.1 61 91.1 3.55 91 55.6 3.65 74 58.3 1.7
Kailaan White 70 60.0 3.03 65 48.9 0.8 62 83.8 4.60 91 57.8 5.18
Dai sum 70 55.6 3.68 70 55.6 2.9 66 83.2 7.72 91 60.0 7.28
Mandy 77 75.6 11.46 80 31.1 1.7 70 84.1 8.67 97 66.7 9.06 74 35.4 2.2
Green Lance 63 53.3 12.2 57 91.0 1.2 57 100 3.60 86 53.3 1.77 68 47.9 1.3
Sak Sum 63 53.3 10.9 57 71.1 1.0 60 84.5 2.14 86 55.6 2.08 68 33.3 0.8
Trong 97 62.2 6.0
LSD (P=0.05) 8.9 1.36 18.5 0.9 4.2 NS 1.67 9.0 1.26 9.1 NS
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Cultivar
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Days to
Days to
Days to
Days to
Days to
%
%
Yield
Yield
Yield
Yield
Yield
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
OP Kailaan 56 55.6 2.87 44 64.4 2.6 50 48.9 1.7 76 44 1.51 74 79.2 3.8
Thainin 56 55.6 2.73 51 38.7 3.4 56 18.7 0.4 78 42 1.96 78 62.5 3.3
Kailaan White 63 60.0 4.80 55 44.4 1.7 55 47.4 2.0 57 33 1.47
Dai sum 70 55.6 10.84 62 48.9 2.9 61 45.3 2.9
Mandy 70 57.8 19.58 69 42.2 3.6 61 32.2 2.4
Green Lance 56 48.9 1.75 44 84.3 1.0 47 51.0 1.1 78 51 1.60 74 56.3 1.4
Sak Sum 56 44.4 1.61 51 24.4 0.5 52 32.6 0.2 78 40 1.63 74 62.5 1.6
LSD (P=0.05) 12.6 2.66 23.0 1.0 4.5 NS 1.5 5.9 NS 19.4 1.4
16
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Cultivar
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Days to
Days to
Days to
Days to
Days to
%
%
Yield
Yield
Yield
Yield
Yield
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
OP Kailaan 60 51.1 3.37 51 54.7 3.3 59 59.1 1.4 65 72.9 3.7
Thainin 60 46.7 2.9 58 40.0 1.6 57 36.7 1.1 59 27 1.76 70 56.2 3.2
Kailaan White 60 44.4 3.1 58 56.7 2.7 57 48.6 2.2 59 51 2.78
Dai sum 67 57.8 6.6 66 28.9 2.7 62 70.7 5.9 66 58 4.15
Mandy 67 64.4 10.1 72 39.1 3.0 63 70.0 3.0 66 60 5.75
Green Lance 54 48.9 20.7 51 88.9 4.3 56 51.2 1.6 65 52.1 1.4
Sak Sum 54 44.4 1.73 51 46.7 1.9 55 26.7 0.5 59 51 1.66 65 64.6 1.8
Trong 59 47 3.53
LSD (P=0.05) 11.0 1.43 29.6 1.7 4.6 24.5 1.4 NS 3.69 NS 1.7
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Cultivar
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Days to
Days to
Days to
Days to
Days to
%
%
Yield
Yield
Yield
Yield
Yield
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
OP Kailaan 56 88.9 9.6 60 68.9 2.5 50 75.2 2.6 72 47 1.2 55 87.5 4.6
Thainin 62 77.8 7.0 60 63.3 1.9 55 74.5 3.3 78 44 1.7 55 86.7 5.3
Kailaan White 62 91.1 12.9 62 49.6 2.3 55 82.0 3.9 80 36 1.8 55 93.5 5.7
Dai sum 69 77.8 11.1 73 21.6 1.6 68 59.3 3.5 67 100.0 14.0
Mandy 71 82.2 15,5 80 36.3 2.1 71 64.7 5.7 73 95.8 12.6
Green Lance 53 93.3 7.1 55 76.1 3.0 50 84.3 2.9 78 56 1.1
Sak Sum 56 75.6 5.73 60 66.3 2.3 52 42.9 0.9
LSD (P=0.05) 9.1 3.27 20.7 1.0 5.7 19.2 3.7 NS NS NS 3.6
17
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Marketable
Cultivar
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Harvest
Days to
Days to
Days to
Days to
Days to
%
%
Yield
Yield
Yield
Yield
Yield
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
(t/ha)
OP Kailaan 83 73.3 1.4 78 51.1 1.0 64 80 1.7 72 49 0.7
Thainin 90 66.7 2.6 88 55.5 0.8 70 80 2.2 72 51 1.0
Kailaan White 90 77.8 3.9 88 44.4 0.7 72 77 2.2 72 38 0.8
Dai sum 90 73.3 4.3 106 60.0 1.5 82 80 3.5 84 53 1.7
Mandy 97 80.0 9.2 122 35.5 1.2 97 58 2.8 84 44 1.7
Green Lance 78 84.4 1.9 78 82.4 0.9 64 87 2.5 72 38 0.6
Sak Sum 83 80.0 1.6 78 60.5 0.8 66 70 1.8
Trong 78 33 0.6
LSD (P=0.05) 13.9 1.96 24.0 0.5 8.3 17.7 1.4 NS 0.64
O.P. Kailaan
This was generally a fast growing early maturing cultivar and often flowered too early. The fast growth
rates may have been the cause of lower individual plant weights and reduced marketable yields, which
occurred at all sites. O.P. Kailaan appears to be more suitable to the North East and North Central
growing conditions particularly over summer and to a lesser extent autumn. This was the most sensitive
cultivar to downy mildew across all plantings and locations. It had a tendency to produce plants with a
tree like structure in plantings with a summer harvest.
Thainan
Thainan appears to be most suitable over all regions (except for the North East) during a range of
months, indicating that this cultivar is suitable to a wide range of growing conditions. However, it
displayed non-uniform maturity, low marketability and corresponding low yields. It had long stems and
large leaves and showed a moderate tolerance to downy mildew. Thainan was very susceptible to
clubroot. This tended to be a large leafed cultivar with leaves contributing significantly to the overall
weight.
Kailaan White
Kailaan White appears to be more suitable to the Melbourne and Geelong growing conditions
particularly over summer. This may help explain the mixed reports from industry about harvest times
and marketability. This cultivar tended to be short stemmed with large leaves and was non-uniform in
maturity. Kailaan White was moderately tolerant to downy mildew but was affected by clubroot. There
was some tendency to produce plants with a tree like structure in summer harvested plantings, but not
as strongly as OP Kailaan or Sak Sum.
Dai Sum
As for Thainan, Dai Sum appears to be most suitable over all regions (except for the North East) during
a range of months, indicating that this cultivar is suitable to a wide range of growing conditions.
Considered a uniform crop it was generally slow growing with large leaves and short stems. A high
percentage of plants were marketable but yield in t/ha was lower due to the short small size of the plant.
The most resistant cultivar to downy mildew was Dai Sum, across all plantings and locations and in East
Gippsland was consistently the most tolerant of clubroot. This tended to be a large leafed cultivar with
leaves contributing significantly to the overall weight.
Mandy
This was a growers selected cultivar and later maturing than the others, which consistently produced
plants of the greatest weight. In general this cultivar was promising in early stages of growth but close
to harvest it began to look more like broccoli with a very large framed leafy plant and a large flower
head with large florets. This cultivar was not desirable given these characteristics. Mandy at times
expressed some degree of tolerance to clubroot. Mandy was the second most resistant cultivar to downy
mildew, second only to Dai Sum. This cultivar tended to have very large leaves contributing
significantly to the overall weight of the plant and high yields.
Green Lance
Green Lance appears to be suitable cultivar for all regions throughout the trial, particularly in the North
East. Generally this fast growing cultivar was very consistent with uniform growth and yield. It was a
light plant with long stems, small leaves but low yielding. Green Lance, like Kailaan White and Sak
Sum, was susceptible to downy mildew second only to O.P. Kailaan. Also Green Lance was susceptible
to clubroot. There was some tendency to produce plants with a tree like structure in summer harvested
plantings, but not as strongly as OP Kailaan or Sak Sum. This tended to be the smallest leafed cultivar
with the leaf contributing less to the overall yield and as a consequence was one of the lower yielding
cultivars.
Sak sum
This cultivar was considered to be fast growing producing thin stems with corresponding low weights
and yields. Sak sum appears to be most suitable to Geelong, North East and North central growing
18
conditions, particularly during spring and summer. Sometimes woody stems and a tree structure were
reported in plantings with a summer harvest. Sak Sum was very susceptible to downy mildew, clubroot
and also blackleg. This tended to be a smaller leafed cultivar with the leaf contributing less to the overall
yield and as a consequence was a lower yielding cultivar.
Trong
This was a grower selected cultivar and was only grown at Geelong. In general this cultivar was
promising in early stages of growth but it was not uniform in appearance. It often had large dark green
leaves and a large flower head with large florets. This cultivar was not desirable given these
characteristics. Trong was the second most resistant cultivar to downy mildew second only to Dai Sum.
This cultivar had an average leaf size which was relatively consistent.
19
Table 6. Best performing Chinese broccoli cultivars and planting dates at five locations in Victoria,
1998-1999.
(Terminal shoot yields only, therefore suitable for once over harvest)
Planting Days to Harvest

Date Harvest Date Gippsland Melbourne Geelong North North
East central
0 Late April 90 180 Early Dai sum Dai sum Green Thainan
August Thainan K White Lance Dai sum
OP
Kailaan
Early May 102-120 Late Dai sum

August K White
Thainan
Early July 93-133 Late ** Dai sum Dai sum None Thainan
October K White Thainan OP
Thainan K White Kailaan
Mid 61-89 Late Green ** Thainan

August October Lance Green
HK Taisum Lance
Late 59-74 Late Thainan Thainan

September Novembe Green Green
r Lance Lance
Mid 57-80 Mid Dai sum Dai sum Green

October December K White Thainan Lance
Sak sum
Mid 50-78 Mid Dai sum* Dai sum Green Green OP

November January Lance Lance Kailaan
Sak sum OP Thainan
Kailaan
Mid 51-72 Late Dai sum # Dai sum K White Green OP
December February K White Dai sum Lance Kailaan
Thainan K White Thainan
Late 50-80 Early Thainan Green Lance Thainan Green Dai Sum
Jan/Early April Green K White K White Lance K White
February Lance OP
Kailaan
Sak sum
Mid 64-122 June/July Green Dai aum K White Green
March Lance Kailaan Thainan Lance
HK Taisum white OP
Green Lance Kailaan
Note: - the long winter growth period
* The best but planting affected by clubroot.
# Lower clubroot incidence.
** Flood plantings not carried out or harvestable
Late spring early autumn harvest.

Late autumn early spring harvest
Days to harvest varied with the region. The North East region tended to have the longest period in
winter and East Gippsland the shortest. Over summer days to harvest were similar between regions.
Quality Issues
20
Diseases
Downy Mildew (Peronospora parasitica)

This was the main disease issue for Chinese broccoli production with the incidence more prevalent in
southern districts of the state. The only plantings where the incidence of downy mildew was not an
issue were those in November/December, harvested in early January and late February respectively.
The most sensitive cultivar across all plantings and locations where downy mildew occurred was OP
Kailaan. The next most sensitive cultivars were Green Lance, Sak Sum, Kailaan White with Thainan
showing a lower incidence.
The most resistant cultivar was Dai Sum again across all plantings and locations and on occasions Dai
Sum failed to contract the disease. The next most tolerant cultivars were Mandy and Trong.
Clubroot (Plasmodium brassicae)

This only occurred in the East Gippsland plantings and was confined to November to March plantings
with yield most affected in the first two. Chinese brocolli is a crucifer and as such is clearly susceptible
to clubroot as are other cruciferous plants. Normal clubroot management practices should be applied if
the incidence is expected.
Only one cultivar, Dai Sum, was consistently tolerant of clubroot with other cultivars at times
expressing some degree of tolerance. These included OP Kailaan, Mandy, Sak Sum and Kailaan White.
Black Leg (Erwinia carotovora)

This disease was only present in two plantings in the North central August September plantings. No
cultivars were resistant but two, Thainan and Mandy, showed a higher level of tolerance than the others.
Disorders
Plant quality varied significantly with time of the year and growing conditions. Generally Mandy did not
fit the accepted mould of a Chinese broccoli plant bearing more resemblance to broccoli or broccolini
and consequently resulted in its downgrading for quality.
The term Tree Structure was used to describe appearance of a plant when secondary shoots have begun
to grow too early and too close to the top of the main stem, making it impossible to harvest the main stem
without sideshoots. Industry feedback is that plants with a tree structure are still marketable but with
packing, bunches will look uneven and it will also result in loss of subsequent side shoots. Such plants
would be down graded in quality.
More detailed qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the cultivars are given in Dimsey et al.
(2002).
21
Victoria, 1999-2000
Days to harvest and terminal, side shoot and total marketable yields varied with cultivar, location and
planting date or season (Table 7 and 8, Figures 3 and 4).
Table 7. Total (terminal and side shoots) Marketable Yields (t/ha), Victoria 1999-2000
Myrtleford
Cultivar Sowing 1 Sowing 2 Sowing 3 Sowing 4
Green Lance 0.85 d 3.74 bc 12.13 a 7.74 ab
OP Kailaan 1.08 cd 3.29 c 10.00 ab 6.49 ab
Kailaan White 2.00 bcd 8.67 a 8.79 ab 6.59 ab
Thainan 2.53 bc 7.18 ab 8.79 ab 5.50 b
4502 3.33 ab 8.51 a 6.13 b 5.69 b
BBT 35 4.59 a 10.64 a 10.06 ab 8.91 a
Cultivar A 1.52 cd 4.92 bc 10.12 a 6.31 ab
Cultivar B 2.35 bcd 8.64 a 8.22 ab 6.87 ab
LSD (p=0.05) 1.51 3.58 3.99 2.76
Boneo
Green Lance 18.15 b 10.92 d 13.68 ef 28.40 abc
OP Kailaan 8.66 c 10.54 d 10.46 f 15.79 e
Kailaan White 36.68 a 29.97 b 26.86 bcd 28.01 abc
Thainan 20.11 b 21.87 bc 21.46 cde 24.90 bc
4502 - 14.58 cd 18.01 def 32.20 a
BBT 35 18.76 b 20.64 c 29.83 abc 19.09 de
Cultivar A 14.37 bc 12.10 d 16.85 def 23.28 cd
Cultivar B 40.67 a 38.73 a 35.28 ab 29.25 ab
King 38.92 a 40.05 a 38.08 a 31.94 a
LSD (p=0.05) 8.81 7.69 10.96 5.43
Tatura
Green Lance 2.49 c No Trial 5.34 b 4.68 de
OP Kailaan 2.49 c 6.63 b 4.13 e
Kailaan White 4.50 abc 10.64 a 7.01 bc
Thainan 3.01 bc 6.65 b 6.10 cd
4502 5.84 a 5.09 b 11.30 a
BBT 35 5.44 ab 4.50 b 8.14 b
Cultivar A 3.21 bc 5.75 b 4.29 e
Cultivar B 6.60 a 7.43 ab 8.01 b
LSD (p=0.05) 2.62 3.60 1.54
22
Stratford
Green Lance 4.10 b No Trial No Trial 7.00
OP Kailaan 4.80 ab 7.20
Kailaan White 5.70 a 6.30
Thainan 4.30 b 6.80
4502 - 6.30
BBT 35 5.00 ab 6.20
Cultivar A - 6.40
Cultivar B 3.90 b 8.70
LSD (p=0.05) 1.60 Ns
Any two means with the same letter are not significantly different at the 95% probability level.
Planting dates and locations
August was the least suitable sowing date at Myrtleford, Tatura and Stratford, with cultivars producing
the lowest yields and number of marketable sideshoots. October and December were the best dates at
Myrtleford, followed by February. December and February were the best of the three sowing times
investigated at Tatura except that the sideshoot yield was less in February.
At Stratford trials were only established in August and February and cultivars performed best at the latter
date. At Boneo the effect of sowing date on cultivar performance was small compared with the other
sites. Most cultivars had a noticeably higher terminal shoot yield in the February sowing at all locations.
October and December were the best sowing dates at Myrtleford. Yield and marketable sideshoot
numbers of most cultivars was highest in these sowings. There was a noticeable decrease in
performance in February.
Best cultivar performance was at Boneo. It produced the highest cultivar marketable yields and sideshoot
yield and numbers in all plantings except December, when three cultivars had a greater number of
sideshoots at Myrtleford. Sideshoot yields were inflated because shoots were trimmed to the growers
market length of 20 cm, as opposed to 15 cm at the three other sites. However, the estimated yields
assuming a 15 cm length remained the highest. Myrtleford was the next best location. Though terminal
shoots were of poor quality and low yield, sideshoot yields were higher than at Tatura and Stratford.
Total yields at Stratford were similar to those at Myrtleford and Tatura, but with a much higher terminal
shoot contribution.
At Myrtleford, terminal shoots produced a lower yield than at the other sites due to a lower marketable
percentage. However, sideshoot and total marketable yields were higher than at Tatura or Stratford.
The number of marketable sideshoots per plant was similar to Boneo in December, but lower at the other
three sowing times.
At Stratford, cultivars were only sown in August and February. Total marketable yields were generally
similar to Myrtleford and Tatura at both dates. However, the terminal shoot contribution was much
higher than at Myrtleford and Tatura.
Cultivars at Tatura had poor sideshoot yield and marketable number per plant. The terminal shoots
contributed over half the total marketable yield in the August sowing and up to three-quarters in
December and February. There was little difference in the total yield between the December and the
February sowings. The sideshoot yield, however, decreased in February sowings.
23
Cultivars
Cultivar performance for the important production characteristics of marketable (terminal and side
shoot) yield and the number of marketable sideshoots produced per plant is summarised in Figures 3 and
4.
Most cultivars showed variation in performance between sowing dates for at least one location. Kailaan
White, BBT 35 and Cultivar B were the best commercial cultivars when all locations and sowing dates
were considered. All three were high yielding.
Kailaan White performed consistently well at Boneo, was the best at Myrtleford and Tatura in late spring
and summer, but performed well at Stratford only in August.
The performance of BBT 35 varied with location and sowing date. In the October sowing it was the best
at Myrtleford but not at Boneo, whilst in December it was one of the better cultivars at Myrtleford and
Boneo but not at Tatura. In the February sowing it was the best cultivar at Myrtleford and good at Tatura,
but was relatively low yielding at Boneo.
Cultivar B was slow growing and later maturing. Its performance was good at Boneo and Tatura in the
August sowing, and at Myrtleford and Boneo in October. In the December sowing it was one of the
better cultivars at Boneo and Tatura, and one of the best at all four locations in February.
The grower cultivar King was sown only at Boneo, where it was amongst the highest yielding cultivars at
all four sowing dates.
Terminal and side shoot yield
The terminal and side shoot contribution to marketable yield varied with location, cultivar and planting
date (Figure 3).
24
Table 8. Best performing Chinese broccoli cultivars, and days to harvest for different planting dates at
four locations in Victoria, 1999-2000.
(Terminal shoot and side shoot production therefore suitable for sequential harvests)
East Gippsland Melbourne North East Northern Irrigation

Sowing (Stratford) (Boneo) (Myrtleford) (Tatura)
Date Days to Days to Days to Days to
Cultivar Cultivar Cultivar Cultivar
Harvest Harvest Harvest Harvest
Kailaan 68 Kailaan 78 None 93 4502 79
August White 68 White 82 Recomme 88 BBT 35 72
BBT35 Cultivar B nded Cultivar B 74
Kailaan 63 Kailaan 59
White 69 White 58
Cultivar B Thainan 74
No Trial No trial
October 4502 64
BBT 35 65
Cultivar B
Kailaan 65 Green 53 Kailaan 72

White 65 Lance 52 White 72
BBT 35 72 OP 62 Cultivar B
December No Trial
Cultivar B 72 Kailaan 55
BBT 35
Cultivar A
Green 63 Green Lance 56 Green 58 Kailaan 84
Lance 57 Kalian White 63 Lance 69 White 93
OP Kailaan 67 Thainan 56 Kailaan 73 4502 93
Thainan 74 4502 68 White 79 BBT 35 92
February
BBT 35 55 Cultivar B 72 BBT 35 Cultivar B
Cultivar A 69 Cultivar B
Cultivar B
Days to Harvest = days from sowing to harvest of terminal shoots.

These recommendations are based on the results of trials carried out by the Victorian Department of Natural Resources and
Environment during season 1999/2000.
25
t/ha t/ha
t/ha t/ha
G G
G re G re
re re en
en
en e n La
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
La
L La O
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
nc
O
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
nc O P e
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
P e nc
O anc
P Ka P e Ka
Ka e Ka ila
ila ila
ila an K. an
K.
K. an W
K. an W
W h W h
Th ite Th hite Th ite
Th hite ai ai ai
ai N N N
N an an an
an
45 45 45
My r tle f or d
45 0
My rtlef ord
0 0 02
My rtlef ord
My rtlef ord
BB 2 BB 2 BB
BB 2
C T
C T35 C T3
location x sowing date.
C T3 ul 5 ul 35
ul 5 tiv ul
tiv tiv
tiv ar
C ar A
ul C ar A C A
C ar A
ul tiv ul ul
tiv tiv tiv
ar ar ar
ar B B B
B G G G
G re re re
re en en en
en
La La La La
O O nc O nc O nc
P
nc P e P e P e
e Ka Ka Ka
Ka ila ila
ila an ila
K. an K. K. an K. an
W W W W
h h h
Th hite Th ite Th ite Th ite
ai ai ai
ai N N N
N an an an
an
Boneo
BB
Boneo
45 45
Boneo
Boneo
45 0 0 C T3
02 BB 2 BB 2 ul 5
BB tiv
C T3 C T35 C T3 C
ar
ul ul
tiv
ul
tiv 5 ul A
tiv 5 ar tiv
C ar A C A ar
C ar A
ul ul
tiv ul
tiv B
tiv ar ar
ar B B Ki
B ng
Ki Ki G
Ki ng ng re
ng G G en
G re re La
re
en en en O nc
L La La P e
O nc O n Ka
P e
Cultiva r
O anc
P e P ce ila
Cu ltiva r
Cultiva r
Cultiva r
Ka Ka Ka
26
ila ila K. an
ila an W
K. an K. K. an h
W W W Th ite
h h h ai
Th ite Th ite Th ite N
ai ai an
ai
N N N
an an 45
an 02
45 45 45 BB
02 0 0
BB 2 C T35
Tatura
BB 2
Tatura
BB ul
Tatura
Tatura
C T35 C T3 tiv
M arke table Y ie ld - S owing 1 (August)
Cu T3 ul ul ar
lti 5 tiv tiv 5 C A
M arke table Yie ld - S owing 2 (O ctobe r)
v C
ar ul
M arke table Yie ld - Sowing 4 (Fe bruary)

C ar A A tiv
M arke tab le Y ie ld - S owin g 3 (D e ce mb e r)

C ar A ul ul ar
ul tiv tiv B
tiv ar ar
ar B B G
B re
G G G en
re re re
en en La
en O
La La L P
nc
e
O O nc O anc
P
P
nc P e e Ka
ila
Ka e Ka Ka
ila ila ila K. an
an K. an W
K. an K.
W W h
W h
Th ite
Th ite Th hite ai
Th hite
ai ai N
ai N N an
Na an an
n 45
45 45 02
45
0 0 0 BB
BB 2 BB 2
BB 2 C T3
T C T3 ul 5
C C T35 Str atf or d 5 tiv
Stratf ord
ul 3 5 ul ul
Stratf ord
tiv ar
Stratf ord
tiv tiv C
C ar A C ar A ul A
C ar A
ul ul ul tiv
tiv tiv tiv ar
ar ar B
ar
B B B
term inal
term inal
term inal
term inal
s ides hoot
s ides hoot
s ides hoot
s ides hoot
Figure 3. Cultivar mean terminal shoot, side shoot and total marketable yield, Victoria 1999-2000.
Number/Plant Number/Plant Number/Plant Number/Plant
G G G G
re re re re
en en en en
L L
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
L La
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
O O an
P c O anc
O anc
P P nc P e
Ka e Ka e Ka e Ka
ila ila ila ila
K. an K. an K. an
K. an
W W
sowing date.
W W
Th h i te Th hite Th hite Th hite
ai ai ai ai
N N N N
an an an an
45 45 45
Myrtleford
45
Myrtleford
0
Myrtleford
0
Myrtleford
02 02
BB BB 2 BB 2 BB
C T3 C T3 C T3
ul 5 ul 5 ul
tiv 5
C T35
ul
tiv tiv tiv
C ar A C ar A C ar A
ul ul ul C ar A
tiv tiv tiv ul
ar ar tiv
ar B ar
B B G B
G G
re re re G
en en en re
La La en
O
La O nc O L
P nce P P nce O anc
Ka Ka e Ka P
ila ila Ka e
ila ila
K. an K. an K. an
W W W K. an
W
Th h i te Th hite Th hite h
ai ai ai Th ite
N N N ai
an an an N
a
45 45 45 BB n
0 02 02
BB BB C T35
Boneo
Boneo
Boneo
BB 2 ul
Boneo
C T3 C T3 C T3 tiv
ul ul
ti v 5
ul 5 C ar A
tiv 5 tiv ul
C ar A C ar A C ar A tiv
ul ul ul ar
tiv tiv tiv B
ar ar ar
B B B Ki
ng
Ki Ki Ki G
ng ng ng re
G G G en
re re re
en en en L
L L L O anc
P e
Cultivar
Cultivar
Cultivar
O an
Cultivar
O an P c
O anc
P P c Ka
27
Ka e Ka e Ka e ila
il il ila K. an
K. aan K. aan K. an W
W W W h
Th ite
Th h ite Th hite Th hite ai
ai ai ai N
N N N an
an an an 45
45 45 45 02
Tatura
Tatura
Tatura
02 02 02 BB
Tatura
BB BB BB
C T35
C T3 C T3 C T3 ul
ul 5 ul 5 ul 5 tiv
tiv ti v tiv C ar A
C ar A C ar A C ar A ul
ul ul ul tiv
tiv tiv tiv ar
ar ar ar B
Number of Marketable Sideshoots Per Plant - Sowing 1 (August)
B B B G
Number of Marketable Sideshoots Per Plant - Sowing 2 (October)
Number of Marketable Sideshoots Per Plant - Sowing 4 (February)

G G G
Number of Marketable Sideshoots Per Plant - Sowing 3 (December)

re re re
re en
en en
La La
en L
La O anc
O O O P
P nce P nce P nce Ka e
Ka Ka Ka ila
ila ila il K. an
K. an K. an K. aan
W W W W
Th hite Th hite Th hite Th hite
ai
ai
N
ai
N
ai
N N
an an an an
45 45 45 45
02 02 02 02
BB BB BB BB
C T3 C T3 C T3
Stratford
C T3
Stratford
Stratford
ul 5 5 5 ul
Stratford
tiv ul ul tiv
tiv tiv
C ar A
ul C ar A C ar A C ar A
ul ul ul
tiv tiv tiv tiv
ar ar ar ar
B B B B
Figure 4. Cultivar mean number of marketable sideshoots per plant , Victoria 1999-2000. location x
Terminal shoot yield was greater than side shoot yield at Tatura and Stratford. At Boneo, particularly and
at Myrtleford side shoot yields were much greater than terminal yield and contributed more of the total
marketable yield at all planting dates. Side shoots contributed less to total marketable yield at the other
two locations.
The number of marketable side shoots was greater at Boneo and Myrtleford, except at the February
planting when number of sided shoots at Myrtleford was similar to Stratford (Figure 4).
Terminal shoot yields were highest in the February sowing at Myrtleford and Boneo.
August appears to be the least suitable sowing date at most locations. October and December were best
at locations where trials were established at these sowing dates. February was also a suitable sowing
date at all locations. However, a decrease in total yield, a larger terminal shoot yield contribution, and
an increase in the days to harvest could be expected.
Pests and Diseases

Slug damage occurred with October planting in the north east particularly on Green Lance, OP Kailaan,
Thainan and Cultivar A.
Downy mildew was present at all plantings in the Melbourne region. OP Kailaan, Green Lance and
Cultivar A were the most susceptible cultivars with King, 4502 and Cultivar B showing a high degree of
resistance. In the north central and east Gippsland regions it was present in planting 1 on OP Kailaan
(moderate to severe levels) and Green Lance (less severe).
Aphids and leafminer were observed at low levels in East Gippsland in the August/September planting
on Green Lance (aphids), OP Kailaan (both) and BBT 37 (leafminer).
Clubroot was not present in East Gippsland during these trials, for they did not take place in the clubroot
season.
1999-2000 cultivar summary

As for the previous season, detailed description of cultivars and their performance is presented herein.
Green Lance
Green Lance plants were relatively small, and their shoots long and thin. In August, it performed poorly
at all locations. The marketable yield of both the terminal shoots and sideshoots was usually the lowest.
At Myrtleford shoots were thin and light and marketable percentages very low. At the other three sites
the low yields were mainly due to low shoot weight.
In October, Green Lance was sown only at Myrtleford and Boneo, where it was again one of the lowest
yielding cultivars. Terminal shoots were very thin and light at Myrtleford and almost none were
marketable.
In the December sowing Green Lance responded to the warmer growing conditions at Myrtleford and was
the best cultivar. Terminal shoot yield and quality were low, but sideshoot number and yield were the
highest. In contrast, it was one of the lowest yielding cultivars at Boneo. At Tatura, shoot quality was
reasonable but yields were relatively low. There was no December sowing at Stratford.
In February sowings Green Lance was one of the better cultivars at Myrtleford and Boneo, performed
reasonably well at Stratford, but had the lowest yield at Tatura. It had the highest yields at Myrtleford
and shoot quality was good. At Boneo damping off reduced the terminal shoot yield but sideshoot
number and yield, and the total yield, were the highest. It was low yielding at Tatura, though sideshoot
quality and number were good. At Stratford the sideshoots were heavy and their yield was one of the
highest.
Green Lance is an early maturing cultivar, but tended to produce long, thin and light shoots. It was low
yielding when sown in August or October. In the North East region it appeared suited to warm weather
sowing dates from December to February.
28
OP Kailaan
Plants tended to be small, and the shoots long and thin with small leaves. It was very susceptible to
downy mildew at Boneo and Tatura in the earliest sowings, and damping off caused losses at Boneo in
February. OP Kailaan is recommended only for East Gippsland (August or February), and the North
East region (December).
Terminal shoot and sideshoot yields were low at Myrtleford, Boneo and Tatura in the August sowing. It
performed better at Stratford, where it had the highest terminal shoot yield and a high total yield.
In the October sowing, it was the poorest cultivar at Myrtleford and Boneo. Shoots were thin and light
and marketable yields low.
OP Kailaan was one of the better cultivars at Myrtleford in December, was lower yielding at Tatura, and
a poor performer at Boneo. It responded positively to summer temperatures at Myrtleford, where the
marketable percentages and yields were amongst the highest. Yields at Tatura were not high, but
improved over the August sowing. At Boneo plant maturity was uneven and some terminal shoots
developed a tree-structure, with long, thin sideshoots in the upper axils. Shoot quality was poor and it
had the lowest yields.
In the February sowing, Stratford and Myrtleford were the best sites. Terminal shoot yield and
marketability were low at Myrtleford but high at Stratford, whilst sideshoot yield was high at Myrtleford
but middle-ranked at Stratford. OP Kailaan was the worst cultivar at Boneo. Damping off reduced
terminal shoot marketable percentage and yield, while low shoot number and weight reduced sideshoot
yield to the lowest mean. At Tatura shoots were light and marketable yields low.
OP Kailaan was low yielding and often the poorest performing cultivar. However, it was acceptable at
Myrtleford and Stratford when sown in summer. At Boneo it was very low yielding at all four sowing
dates.
Kailaan White
Kailaan White plants were small to medium in size and carried large, round leaves with a crinkled
surface. Shoots were of medium length and thickness. It is recommended for most sowing dates in all
regions
In August it was one of the best cultivars at Boneo and Stratford. At Tatura terminal shoot production
was good but the sideshoot yield was poor. Yields and marketable percentages at Myrtleford were well
below the best cultivars.
Sowings in October were made only at Myrtleford and Boneo, where it was one of the best cultivars.
Shoots were relatively thick and heavy and yields amongst the highest. At Myrtleford the total yield
was four times that of the August sowing.
In December, Kailaan White was the best cultivar at Tatura, one of the better ones at Boneo, had only
fair to good performance at Myrtleford, and was not grown at Stratford. At Tatura, the terminal shoot
yield was the highest and the sideshoot yield and marketable percentage were the second highest. Plants
at Boneo displayed uneven maturity and a tree-structure but sideshoot yield was equivalent to the best.
At Myrtleford the terminal shoot quality was low and sideshoots thick, heavy and leafy.
Performance was good in the February sowing at Boneo and Tatura, acceptable at Myrtleford, but only
fair at Stratford. Despite damping off losses at Boneo, terminal shoot yield, and sideshoot yield and
quality, were high. At Tatura, sideshoots number was low but the yield was close to the highest.
Terminal shoot yield at Myrtleford was low, but sideshoot yield was reasonably high. At Stratford,
terminal shoots were thick and heavy, but sideshoots were short, light, low in number and the lowest
yielding.
Kailaan White was high yielding and one of the better cultivars at most locations. It performed
consistently across all sowing dates at Boneo, was best in the late Spring and Summer sowings at
Myrtleford and Tatura, but performed well only in the August sowing at Stratford.
29
Thainan
Thainan plants were small to medium sized, with long, thin shoots. It is recommended only for the North
East in October, and for the East Gippsland and the Melbourne regions in February.
Thainan was one of the worst cultivars at all locations in the August sowing and does not appear suited
to cool temperatures. Terminal shoot yield was reasonable at Boneo and Stratford, but low at Tatura and
Myrtleford. Sideshoots were long and thin, and the yield amongst the lowest, at all sites.
In October, Thainan was acceptable at Myrtleford and Boneo. At Myrtleford, terminal shoot yield and
quality were low but sideshoot yield was equivalent to the best cultivars. At Boneo terminal shoot
quality was good despite uneven plant maturity, but the yield was low, and the sideshoot yield was
around half that of the best cultivars. There was no trial at Tatura or Stratford.
In December sowings Thainan was acceptable at Myrtleford and Boneo, but not at Tatura. At
Myrtleford terminal shoots were very long, thin, and of low quality, but there were a large number of
marketable sideshoots per plant. At Boneo terminal shoot yield and quality were low, but that of the
sideshoots was reasonable. Terminal shoot performance at Tatura was good, but sideshoot yield and
number per plant were the lowest.
When sown in February, Thainan was one of the better cultivars at Stratford and performed quite well at
Boneo. At Tatura sideshoot performance was poor, and at Myrtleford it was the lowest yielding
cultivar. Its performance at Boneo was the best of all four sowings. At Stratford terminal shoot yield
was high but a low number of sideshoots were harvested. Shoots were thin and light at Tatura and
sideshoot yield was one of the lowest. At Myrtleford, thin, light, poor quality shoots reduced both
terminal shoot and sideshoot yield to amongst the lowest.
Thainan was not one of the better cultivars. Both terminal and sideshoots tended to be thin and light.
Marketable yields were consequently low. It performed particularly poorly in cool weather.
4502
4502 produced bigger plants than most other entries. The leaves were large and had a distinctly crinkled
surface. Terminal shoots tended to be thick and woody.
In August, 4502 was sown only at Myrtleford and Tatura. Its performance was acceptable at Tatura,
where there was a high terminal shoot yield, and at Myrtleford where the sideshoot yield was high.
In October, 4502 performed poorly at Boneo but was one of the better entries at Myrtleford. It produced
few sideshoots per plant at Myrtleford but these were heavy and the yield high. It was later maturing at
Boneo, with slow sideshoot growth and low yields.
4502 was unsuited to hot conditions and performed poorly in the December sowing at the three trial
sites. It was the worst cultivar at Myrtleford where terminal shoots were thick, heavy and of poor
quality and where sideshoot number per plant and yield were the lowest. At Boneo, terminal shoot yield
was high but quality was low, sideshoot number and yield were amongst the lowest, and some plants
developed a tree structure. At Tatura 4502 was late to mature and produced low quality terminal
shoots and a low number of light sideshoots.
In February it was the highest yielding cultivar at Boneo and Tatura, had good terminal shoot but poor
sideshoot production at Myrtleford, and only fair performance at Stratford. Despite slow initial growth at
Boneo, yields were amongst the highest. It was again slow maturing at Tatura but shoots were heavy and
it had the highest yields. At Myrtleford terminal shoots were thick, heavy and high yielding, but
sideshoots were light, of low quality and number and had the lowest yield. Sideshoot number and yield
were also low at Stratford, but the terminal shoot yield was mid range.
4502 was slow growing and later maturing. Plants were large and the leaves big and characteristically
crinkled. Quality was often reduced by the thick and heavy nature of both terminal shoots and
30
sideshoots. Where a high proportion of shoots was marketable, yields were amongst the highest. It was
not suited to the warmer temperatures of an October or December sowing date.
BBT 35
Plants of BBT 35 were medium sized, with large and flat leaves, with a thick blade and petiole. It is
recommended for at least one site at each of the four sowing dates.
In August its performance was fair. Though the best cultivar at Myrtleford, shoot quality and yield were
not high. At Tatura there was good terminal shoot and fair sideshoot performance, and the total yield
was one of the highest. It was low yielding at Boneo. Sideshoot yield at Stratford was equal highest,
but terminal shoot yield was low.
BBT 35 was the best cultivar at Myrtleford in the October sowing, where shoot yield and quality were
good. At Boneo, plant maturity was uneven and yield and quality only acceptable. There was no
sowing at Tatura or Stratford.
In the December sowing, BBT 35 was one of the better cultivars at Myrtleford and Boneo, but not at
Tatura. Terminal shoot yield at Myrtleford was the highest, but sideshoot number and weight were low
and yield middle-ranked. At Boneo it was one of the highest yielding cultivars, thanks to the large
contribution of reasonable quality sideshoots. At Tatura, BBT 35 produced no sideshoots, while
terminal shoots were thick and heavy and some were too short to be harvestable.
In February sowings BBT 35 was the best cultivar at Myrtleford, was one of the better ones at Tatura and
Stratford, but had relatively low yields at Boneo. The terminal shoot yield at Myrtleford was the highest
for all sowing dates. A large number of good quality sideshoots, with the highest yield, were also
produced. Plants were later maturing at Tatura, but a high yield of good quality terminal shoots was
produced. Sideshoots were heavy and their yield middle-ranked. At Stratford BBT 35 was the last to
mature. Terminal shoot yield was the lowest, but sideshoot number and yield were the highest, and shoot
quality was good.
BBT 35 was one of the best cultivars in the trial, though its performance across locations and sowing
times was inconsistent. It is recommended at each of the four sowing dates from August to February for
at least one location.
Cultivar A
This cultivar had a poor growth habit, particularly in the Spring sowings. Plants were small, terminal
shoots were thin, and sideshoots were long and thin. It is recommended only for the North East region
in December, and for East Gippsland in February.
Cultivar A performed poorly at all sites in the August sowing. Both terminal shoots and sideshoots were
thin and light, and their quality and marketable yield were low.
In October it again produced thin, light and poor quality shoots at both Myrtleford and Boneo, and had
low yields. There was no sowing at Tatura or Stratford.
In December it was one of the better cultivars at Myrtleford, was low yielding at Boneo, and had good
terminal shoot, but only fair sideshoot, performance at Tatura. It responded positively to summer
temperatures at Myrtleford and produced much higher yields than in the earlier sowings. At Boneo
sideshoots were of good quality but yielded significantly less than the best cultivars. Cultivar A
produced the most sideshoots per plant at Tatura but its total yield was one of the lowest.
Its performance in the February sowing was good at Stratford, but marginal at Boneo and Myrtleford, and
poor at Tatura. At Stratford sideshoots were heavy and their yield was the second highest. At Boneo
sideshoot production was good, with high yield and number per plant, but the terminal shoot yield was
the lowest. At Myrtleford terminal shoot marketability and yield were amongst the highest, but sideshoot
31
yield was comparatively low. At Tatura shoots were long, thin, and light and the cultivar was low
yielding.
Cultivar A generally performed poorly. Shoots were thin and light, and marketable yields of both
terminal shoot and sideshoot marketable yields were low. Its performance was better at the December
and February sowing dates than in spring.
Cultivar B
Cultivar B was a slow growing and later maturing cultivar, producing large and leafy plants with thick
shoots. It is recommended for all regions across most of the sowing dates where it was trialed.
In August it was the best cultivar at Boneo, performed quite well at Tatura, but was low yielding at
Myrtleford and Stratford. At Boneo terminal shoot quality and yield were good, while sideshoots were
the thickest, heaviest and had the highest yield. Cultivar B also produced the highest sideshoot yield at
Tatura, as well as good quality terminal shoots with a high yield. At Myrtleford and Stratford shoots
were thin and light and yields low.
It was one of the best cultivars in the October sowing at Myrtleford and Boneo. At both sites shoots were
thick, heavy and high yielding. There was no sowing at Tatura or Stratford.
In December sowings Cultivar B was one of the better cultivars at Boneo and Tatura, but was only fair at
Myrtleford. At Boneo, some terminal shoots displayed a tree structure, but it produced the most
sideshoots per plant and had the highest yield. At Tatura, terminal shoot quality was good but yield low,
while sideshoot yield was the highest. Terminal shoots at Myrtleford were of poor quality and had the
lowest yield, while the sideshoot and total yield were similar to most other cultivars.
Cultivar B was one of the best cultivars in the February sowing at all four sites. Though one of the last to
mature, the terminal shoot and sideshoot marketable yield of Cultivar B were amongst the highest.
Cultivar B was one of the best cultivars evaluated. Though later maturing, it was generally one of the
highest yielding cultivars at each site at each sowing date, and produced good quality shoots.
King
King, a grower-selected cultivar, was only sown at Boneo, where it was one of the best entries. It is
recommended for all four sowing dates evaluated. It was a later maturing cultivar, with small to medium
sized leafy plants. At each sowing time it was one of the highest yielding cultivars. Terminal shoots
were relatively thick, heavy and short but their quality remained reasonably high. Sideshoots were
amongst the heaviest and the number marketable per plant amongst the highest. The first sideshoots were
harvestable about three weeks after the terminal shoots, and production was maintained for some time
after this.
King was one of the best cultivars trialed at Boneo and appeared suited to sowing times from August to
February.
Discussion
Chinese broccoli or kailaan can be grown in most states of Australia. Marketable yields were achieved
in Victoria which are higher than those previously reported of 6-11 t/ha over 2-3 harvests in Florida
(Schuler, 1995). In Victoria marketable yields of terminal shoot only varied from 0.3-21 t/ha depending
on cultivar, location and season. With terminal and sideshoot harvests marketable yields varied from 1-
42 t/ha depending on location, cultivar and season.
Yields were usually, but not always, higher with growers selected seed eg. Mandy and King, than the
commercially available seed. However, even when grown on the farm where it was selected, grower
selected cultivar Trong did not have a marketable yield as high as Mandy and, in many plantings, as Dai
32
sum. Mandy, whilst having good yields in both years in Victoria, had some quality characteristics
which, even if it were available to growers, would prevent its recommendation. However, it does meet
the customers requirements of the grower who selected it.
Optimal sowing times were found to be from September to January 1998-1999 and from August to
February in 1999-2000. Best performing cultivars for each region and sowing date were identified
(Dimsey et al. In press, Hayes et al. In Press).
The second year of trials confirmed previously recommended cultivars, Green Lance and Kailaan White,
particularly for the summer production plantings in December and February. With the cooler production
period plantings in August and October in all locations except Melbourne region (October planting),
recommended cultivars were different. As well, for the four planting dates, additional cultivars that were
selected for both terminal and side shoot production, were added to the recommended list. Most of the
added cultivars had not been in the previous year trials. Unfortunately the consistent performer in 1998-
1999 trials, Dai Sum, was not included in the second year trials.
Bolting was rarely reported in the Victorian trials, being only observed in the second planting (July 7
1998). All plants of cultivar OP Kailaan bolted at this, but not other, plantings suggesting a genetic
response to bolting.
It is not known why the cultivars in the Tasmanian 1998-1999 trials became so responsive to flowering
so early in development leading to visual bolting and no marketable yield. Comparing the Tasmanian
November 1998 planting with the Victorian November 1999 planting, the Tasmanian trial was
terminated without any data collected because all plants had bolted. In contrast comparing common
cultivars evaluated, Green Lance in Victoria had 50% marketable plants in all regions except north east
with 84% marketable plants, Thainan in three regions less than 45%, Melbourne 56% and north central
62% marketable plants. The non-commercially available cultivar Mandy varied from 32-60%
marketable plants. In Victoria the non-marketablity was due to appearance (eg. very large stems and
leaves, disease, non-uniform maturity) rather than due to bolting as experienced in Tasmania.
Similarly, comparing Burnie, Tasmania May 1999 transplanting with the Melbourne region planting in
May 1998, Thainan had 30% non-bolting plants in Tasmania whereas in Victoria, marketable percentage
was 60%. The open pollinated Mandy, showed least bolting tendencies, with 90% non-bolted plants
when the trial was terminated in Tasmania and 78% marketable at harvest in the Melbourne region
where it was selected. All other cultivars evaluated in Tasmania had less than 12% non-bolting terminal
heads.
The Tasmanian trial was established using transplants 52 days after sowing (DAS), for summer
production and 63 DAS for autumn production. Transplant shock may have resulted in the high
percentage of plants bolting. Bolting was recorded one month after November transplanting and 21 days
after the May transplanting. Low temperatures at establishment are known to induce bolting in many
brassicas. It is well known that transplanted Chinese broccoli bolts readily and that commercially grown
crops are direct seeded.
These trials have shown that Chinese broccoli has a relatively low marketable plant percentage. It is not
known whether this is due to the rigorous assessment that the Victorian trial imposed for marketability
(see materials and methods) or whether this is common in commercial production. However in the
February plantings of both years trials the range across cultivars terminal shoot marketable percentage
was similar at each location to that of the previous year. Marketable percentage of terminal shoots was
higher in Melbourne and north central regions than in North East and East Gippsland.
Boneo side shoot and total marketable yields were consistently greater than those of other sites. It was
the only site where Chinese broccoli was grown commercially. The combination of soil type, climate
and the cultural practices used may have produced this comparatively good result. At Boneo the grower
had input into determining marketability of the product. Terminal shoot yields were generally similar to
33
those at Tatura or Stratford in all but the February sowing, where Boneo was higher indicating that
genetics has greater influence than environment on cultivar terminal shoot performance.
Downy mildew was the most consistent disease occurring in both years in Victoria with severity
affected by location, cultivar and season. It was most severe from March to August with low incidence
throughout the remainder of plantings. It was most severe in the South West, Melbourne and Gippsland
regions with incidence up to 100% of OP Kailaan and 75% Green Lance plants being affected in a single
planting. Other cultivars varied in susceptibility with planting date and location. Downy Mildew was
not recorded in the north central region where all cultivars were susceptible to black leg, particularly OP
Kailaan and Green Lance in the August and October plantings. In East Gippsland clubroot was very
severe particularly in the November and December plantings and less severe in other plantings. Thainan,
Sak Sum and Green Lance were the most affected and Dai Sum the least. This was not unexpected as
clubroot seriously affects brassicas in this region with seriousness of effect related to cultivar.
These trials have shown that Chinese broccoli can be grown all year in Victoria and recommended
cultivars for season and location have been identified. No firm conclusions can be drawn about the
potential for Chinese broccoli in Tasmania except that transplants bolted when grown in autumn and
summer at Burnie in the north of the state.
34
References
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Victoria 143 pp.
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Canberra, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation 386 pp.
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36
Appendix 1
Leaf Shape Descriptors
Shape 1.
Shape 2.
Shape 3.
37
Plate 1 Early bolting of kailaan plants in autumn transplanting in Tasmania.
38

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Chinese Broccoli (Kailaan)

A report for the Rural Industries Research

by Dr Wendy Morgan and Professor David Midmore

RIRDC Publication No 02/161

ISBN 0642 58560 1

Chinese Broccoli (Kailaan) in Southern Australia

Researcher Contact Details

RIRDC Contact Details

Phone: 02 6272 4539

Published in January 2003

Agriculture WA, Bunbury Ms Vynka McVeigh

University of Tasmania, Burnie

Department of Natural Resources and Environment

Dr David Gallacher of CQU who compiled much of the current knowledge.

Table 3. Trial planting dates in four locations, Victoria, 1999-2000.

Appendix 1. Leaf shape descriptors 1998-1999 and 1999-2000.

Brassica alboglabra L.H. Bailey

Pests and diseases

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5

Materials and Methods

Fairbanks Green Lance F1, Kale Kailaan

Autumn transplanted crop

Table 1. Trial planting dates, Victoria, 1998 1999.

Planting Trial locations Planting date

The cultivars evaluated (and their seed sources) were:

Cultivar Trial locations Planting number1

North Central Melbourne North East East Gippsland Geelong

Harvest measurements, 1998-1999

Table 3. Trial planting dates in four regions, Victoria, 1999-2000.

The cultivars evaluated (and their sources) were:

Terminal shoot measurements

Side shoot measurements

Data collection and analysis

Mean % bolting Mean % bolting Mean number of leaves/

In general, later cultivars gave larger plants with higher yields.

Planting Days to Harvest

Early May 102-120 Late Dai sum

Mid 61-89 Late Green ** Thainan

Late 59-74 Late Thainan Thainan

Mid 57-80 Mid Dai sum Dai sum Green

Mid 50-78 Mid Dai sum* Dai sum Green Green OP

Late spring early autumn harvest.

Downy Mildew (Peronospora parasitica)

Clubroot (Plasmodium brassicae)

Black Leg (Erwinia carotovora)

Planting dates and locations

East Gippsland Melbourne North East Northern Irrigation

Kailaan 65 Green 53 Kailaan 72

Days to Harvest = days from sowing to harvest of terminal shoots.

M arke table Yie ld - Sowing 4 (Fe bruary)

M arke tab le Y ie ld - S owin g 3 (D e ce mb e r)

Number of Marketable Sideshoots Per Plant - Sowing 4 (February)

Number of Marketable Sideshoots Per Plant - Sowing 3 (December)

Pests and Diseases

1999-2000 cultivar summary

Leaf Shape Descriptors

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