Brussel sprouts

Short description of the species

Botanical name

Brussel sprouts

Latin name

Brassica oleracea sk. gemmifera

Family

Brassicaceae

Plant height

0.5-1.0 m

Exposure

relatively undemanding (sun or semi-shadow)

Temperature requirement

frost-resistant (to -15 °C)

Údržba

medium

Water requirement

high

Soil requirement

medium-heavy, permeable, high humus content (requirement of direct organic fertilisation)

Soil pH

6.2 – 7.5

Edible part

small florets (heads)

accessibility

Usage

direct consumption –side dish, soups; processing – freezing

Growing technology and harvest 

Propagation 

• generative – growing from seedlings 

Spacing 

• 0.60-0.70 x 0.60-0.70 m 

Harvest 

• smaller area – gradual harvest 

• large area – mechanized harvest (cutting of florets from stump directly in the field) 

• mild winter – possibility of harvest during winter 

Important dates 

• growing from seedlings + covering textile (protection against pests, mainly 2-3 weeks after planting) 

Storage 

• temperature = 0-1 °C 

• relative air humidity = 85-90% 

• storage period = 10-14 days 

Use 

• direct consumption – side dish, soups 

• processing – freezing 

Diseases and pests 

• the most dangerous disease: clubroot (Plasmodiophora brasssicae) – incorrect crop rotation 

• virus diseases: virus mosaics 

• bacterial diseases: wet rottiness (Erwinia sp., Pseudomonas sp.), black rottiness (Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris) 

• fungus diseases: falling of germinating plants (several species of microscopic funguses - Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium spp., Mycosphaerella brassicicola, Olpidium brassicae, Phytophtora spp., Pythium spp., Thanatephrous cucumeris, Verticillium spp. etc.), downy mildew (Hyaloperonospora parasitica), Alternaria leaf spottiness (Alternaria brassicicola, A. brassicae) 

• pests: cabbage root fly (Delia radicum), cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae), flea-beetles (Phyllotreta spp.), white butterfly (Pieris brassicae, Pieris rape), cabbage moth (Mamestra brassicae), cabbage whitefly (Aleurodes proletella)