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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Adaptive Cropping Systems Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #308186
Title: Growth and physiological responses of Chinese cabbage cv. 'Chungwang' to different irradiances during early-to-middle growth stages

Author
item SON, IN-CHANG - Rural Development Administration - Korea
item MOON, KYUNG-HWAN - Rural Development Administration - Korea
item SONG, EN-YOUNG - Rural Development Administration - Korea
item OH, SOONJA - Rural Development Administration - Korea
item SEO, HYEONGHO - Rural Development Administration - Korea
item MOON, YOUNG-II - Rural Development Administration - Korea
item Barnaby, Jinyoung

Submitted to: Horticultural Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/29/2015
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Chinese cabbage is an important vegetable crop in Asia and is an essential food item in South Korea, where it is used to make kimchee. In spite of its widespread use and importance, the cultivation of Chinese cabbage has not been carefully evaluated under controlled conditions. In the current study, the growth responses of Chinese cabbage to five different light levels were examined using plants grown in controlled environment chambers. Dry weight and fresh weight accumulation increased in proportion to the amount of light available, although total biomass formation was similar in the highest and next to highest light levels. Only plants grown at the two highest light levels formed heads, which are tightly bunched leaves in the center of the plant. Cabbage plants that do not form heads are unacceptable to consumers. The results of this study suggested that the second highest light level in this study was optimal for the growth of Chinese cabbage. These results provide an assessment of the light requirements needed for Chinese cabbage production and can be used to help farmers determine optimal growing conditions.

Technical Abstract: Changes of the growth and morphology of Chinese cabbage cv. ‘Chungwang’ in response to five different irradiance treatments were investigated during the early and middle stages of growth. Seedlings were transplanted to 15 liter pots at the fourth leaf stage and plants were grown in controlled environment chambers for 49 additional days. Peak irradiance values measured at midday were 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 µmol m-2 s-1 and these were designated treatment groups I to V, respectively. A positive correlation was observed between fresh and dry weight accumulation and the irradiance used for growth. Leaf number and leaf area also were positively correlated with irradiance except that total and mean leaf areas for plants in group IV exceeded that of group V. Head formation was observed for plants in group IV and V, but was impaired in lower irradiances. Measurements of Fv/Fm and leaf thickness were inversely proportional to irradiance treatment. Also, palisade parenchyma formation was significantly reduced at the lower irradiances. These findings suggested that optimal peak light levels for Chinese cabbage ‘Chungwang’ production were 800 µmol m-2 s-1 during the early and middle stages of growth.