Collard greens are a primitive member of the Brassicaceae that are grown for their rosette of thick, dark green leaves, which are eaten primarily as cooked greens or pot herbs. Collards, along with most greens, are an excellent source of fiber
Abstract
The South Carolina Agriculture Experiment Station and the United States Department of Agriculture announce the joint release of ‘Carolina’ collard Brassica oleracea L. (Acephala group). ‘Carolina’ offers potential because of its resistance to downy mildew incited by Penospora parasitica (Pers.) ex Fr., because of its desirable horticultural characteristics, and because it broadens the genetic base of collard.
Collard (Brassica oleracea L., Acephala Group) is a uniquely American cole crop adapted to the southeastern United States, and several lines of evidence indicate its closest relative is heading cabbage (B. oleracea, Capitata Group). These two cole crops have been grown in close proximity in the Southeast from colonial times. Today, the number of commercially available collard cultivars is limited, and the most popular ones are susceptible to diseases like fusarium yellows, something that numerous cultivars of cabbage are highly resistant to. We postulated that hybrids between cabbage and collard would look more like collard because heading of cabbage is recessive to the nonheading nature of collard, and that such hybrids might be directly used as collard cultivars that express disease resistance from cabbage. Cytoplasmic male-sterile (cms) cabbage inbreds were crossed with different male-fertile collard inbreds using bees in cages to produce hybrid seed. Resulting cabbage-collard hybrids were compared to conventional collard and cabbage cultivars in three replicated field trials in South Carolina. In all trials, collard-cabbage hybrids exhibited similar size and stature as conventional collard, and throughout most of the growing season the hybrids remained nonheading. In addition, the collard-cabbage hybrids were much more uniform than open-pollinated collard cultivars. Among the cabbage-collard hybrids there was significant variation with some more collard-like than others. Results indicate that select collard-cabbage hybrids could out perform certain conventional collards and serve as potential new collard cultivars
, MO) and collards ( Brassica oleracea var. acephala cv. Blue Max) (Abbott and Cobb, Feasterville, PA). Materials and Methods Plant material and growth conditions. Field studies were conducted beginning on 6 July 2012 and continued until 26 Sept
(var. capitata ), cauliflower (var. botrytis ), kale (var. acephala ), Brussels sprout (var. gemmifera ), and collard in the United States alone (U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2014). Collard is a leafy
Collard (Brassica oleracea L. Acephala Group) is a leafy green vegetable adapted to the southeastern United States. The number of commercially available collard cultivars is limited, and the most popular cultivars are susceptible to fusarium yellows, a disease that most cabbage (B. oleracea Capitata group) cultivars are resistant to. We hypothesized that hybrids of cabbage and collard would look more like collard, because heading of cabbage is at least partially recessive to the nonheading growth habit of collard. We also postulated that cabbage–collard hybrids might be used directly as collard cultivars. To test these postulates, cytoplasmic male sterile cabbage inbreds were crossed to different male fertile collard inbreds and hybrid seed was produced. Resulting cabbage–collard hybrids were compared to conventional collard cultivars in three replicated field trials in South Carolina. In all trials, cabbage–collard hybrids exhibited size and weight more similar to conventional collard than cabbage, and throughout most of the growing season the collards remained nonheading. In addition, the cabbage–collard hybrids were much more uniform than open-pollinated collard cultivars. Among cabbage–collard hybrids there was significant variation with some hybrids appearing more collard-like than others. The collard inbreds designated A and B may have the greatest potential for making promising cabbage–collard hybrids. Particular hybrids (i.e., A3 or B2), derived from these inbreds and tested in this study, can perform better than certain conventional collards and may serve as possible new cultivars of this vegetable crop.
planting as well as at 0, 1, and 5 weeks after planting. Fertilizer application was intended to follow optimal collard production recommendations while taking preplant soil analysis, texture, and previous management into account. Conventional fertilizer as
South Carolina ranked first nationally in the production of collard ( Brassica oleracea var. viridis ) and turnip greens ( Brassica rapa var. rapa L.) greens ( U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2019 ). Weed management for vegetables in the
Abstract
Eight collard (Brassica oleracea L. Acephala Group) cultivars were evaluated for phenotypic yield stability during 4 years in northern Florida. A cultivar, characterized as possessing stability, performed above average yield in both favorable and unfavorable environments, with minimal deviations between environments. Linear relationships between individual cultivar yields and environmental mean yields were used to statistically evaluate phenotypic stability. Cultivars with mean yields above the grand mean, regression coefficients ≤1, and coefficient of linear determination ≥50% were considered to have phenotypic stability. Using these statistical criteria, only ‘Blue Max’ was considered to have phenotypic yield stability; all other cultivars were considered to be unstable. Selection for improved collard yield adaptability could be performed using empirical formulas already developed.
Field experiments were conducted in 1992 and 1993 to determine the effect of N fertility, cropping system, redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) density, and harvesting frequency on collard (Brassica oleracea var. acephala D.C) and cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] growth. The N fertilization regimes were 0, 80, 160, and 240 kg·ha-1, applied as urea in a split application. Four weeks after crop planting, redroot pigweed was seeded at 0, 300, and 1200 seeds/m2. Between weeks 6 and 12, collard leaves were harvested at 1- to 3-week intervals. Year, N fertility, and cropping system interacted to determine collard leaf number and mass. For example, in 1992, with N at 160 kg·ha-1, collards intercropped had more total leaf mass than those monocropped. Pigweed density had no effect on collard yields, which were greatest from the 3-week harvest frequency. Cropping system and pigweed density interacted to determine cowpea vine length, shoot dry mass, and branching. The high density of pigweed caused a 56% reduction of cowpea dry mass in 1992.