APRIL 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC
35
Fast growing broccoli skips the cold phase Research
What if broccoli could be grown from seed to
harvest in eight to ten weeks? What if produce farmers no longer have to plan broccoli production with a built-in period of cold weather in order for the plant to flower? And what if that means that two crops can be field- grown in a season or grown year-
by MARGARET EVANS
round producing four to five crops in protected conditions?
Scientists at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK,
have now developed a line of broccoli that is no longer dependent on seasonal weather conditions. “The new line was produced through crossing and marker selection,” says Dr. Judith Irwin, senior scientist, crop genetics. “No GM techniques were involved. The project has been running for 10 years [and] this new line was first observed in 2015.” Developing dependable food crops for local or
regional supply is the primary goal of every farmer, especially given the projections of climate change and influences on growth patterns in a warming world. And that may hold especially true for plant species that depend on seasonal cold weather to transition to the flowering stage. The science team at the John Innes Centre has been working on ways to increase crop productivity and reduce vulnerability to fluctuations in climate. The word ‘broccoli’ comes from broccolo, an
Italian word meaning the flowering crest of a cabbage. The familiar broccoli with its large flowering head like a miniature tree has been enjoyed for over 2,000 years and is the result of early breeding of cultivated brassica crops in the Mediterranean region which began around the sixth century BC. Since the time of the Roman empire, broccoli has been a valued food among
Italians but the crop wasn’t introduced to England until the mid-18th century. It was brought to the US by southern Italian immigrants who began growing it commercially. It was widely popular by the 1920s. Today, California grows 90% of US broccoli and Canada, along with Japan and Taiwan, are major importers. In Canada, leading producers of
broccoli are BC, Quebec and Ontario. It is cultivated on more than 4,000 hectares across the country and we produce around 43,000 metric tonnes worth over $35 million. Broccoli is a health food and is rich in vitamins and minerals including vitamins C and K. It also contains a number of B vitamins as well as a wide range of minerals including potassium, folacin, iron, phosphorus and fibre and important phytochemicals such as betacarotene, indoles and isothiocyanate. To retain those vitamins and minerals, broccoli requires very little steaming and is just as great eaten raw.
But does it taste good?
So, does the new line of broccoli contain any changes in nutrition or flavour? “We have not tested this yet other than to look
very generally at iron content, which is within the normal range,” says Irwin. “We hope to do our first taste tests later this year and full nutritional studies in subsequent generations [of the plant].” Irwin says that the team will be looking at other brassica crops such as cauliflower in the future to capture greater growing potential. The broader implications of what the research could offer is providing a lot of anticipation as to the potential for crop-proofing against future climate change. “We are very excited by this development,” Irwin says. “There are many possibilities it opens up. We
are currently looking at the potential for use both in the field and under protected conditions but currently this is in the pre-breeding stage.”
The new broccoli line is one of a number selected by the researchers to address the climate and secure food issue.
The British Food Report 2017 stated that only 23% of consumed fruits and vegetables are actually grown in the UK. By comparison, 43% of vegetables consumed in BC are grown in the province
according to BC’s Food Self-
Reliance Report 2010. “It has the potential to remove our exposure to seasonal weather fluctuations from crop production,” says Irwin. “This could mean broccoli – and, in future, other vegetables where the flower is eaten, for example, cauliflowers – can be grown anywhere at any time, enabling continuous production and supply of fresh local produce." Irwin and her team identified the new line as part of JIC's GRO Institute Strategic Programme. They were surprised to see how rapidly it grew from seed to harvestable sprouting broccoli spears and detailed analysis identified the gene responsible for the trait. They are now testing further generations under conventional glasshouse and controlled environment conditions. Needless to say, there has been considerable
interest in the research among local farmers since the release of JIC’s press release but the next stage of study will be, naturally, more testing.
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