
New Way to Grow Broccoli Cuts Chemicals,
Saves Water and Protects SoilBy Doris
Stanley March 27, 1997Whether stir-fried, creamed, steamed, raw, or in casseroles or soup,
Americans are eating more broccoli, and scientists with
USDAs
Agricultural Research Service have
developed a better way to grow it. By growing broccoli in a soybean mulch, theyre using less chemicals,
conserving water and eliminating soil erosion. This no-till system allows
farmers to grow broccoli on the highly erodible soils of the mid-Atlantic
states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina,
where the terrain is often sloped. Working with the Virginia Polytechnic Institute
and State University in Blacksburg, Va., ARS scientists plant a forage
soybean variety thats high in nitrogen and grows to about 6 feet. They
then cut the plants or roll them over to form a mulch to cover the soil. The
thick thatch suppresses weeds, retains moisture, and protects and enriches the
soil with organic matter. Broccoli requires soils rich in organic matter and
high rates of nitrogen. Results indicate that the new method produces yields comparable to those
from conventional planting in bare soil. In California, where about 88 percent
of U.S. broccoli is now grown, the crop is seeded in bare soil, followed by
thinning and cultivation. Because weeds cause the greatest crop losses,
cultivation and herbicide applications are standard and costly practices.
Growers routinely apply chemical fertilizers two or three times during the
growing season. Per capita consumption of broccoli in this country reached 6 pounds last
year, compared to only l.5 pounds in 1970. U.S. growers met this increased
demand by producing 1.3 million pounds last year--four times the 325,000 pounds
grown in 1970. Broccoli is high in vitamins and dietary fiber. Another plus:
Broccoli is rich in sulforaphane, a compound associated with reduced risk of
breast cancer. The March 1997 issue of Agricultural Research magazine,
the monthly publication of the Agricultural Research Service, gives more
details about the new no-till way to grow broccoli. The magazine can also be
viewed on the World Wide Web at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/ARScientific contact: Aref Abdul-Baki, USDA-ARS
Vegetable Laboratory,
Beltsville, Md., phone (301) 504-5057, fax (301) 504-5555, e-mail
[email protected]. U.S. Department of Agriculture | |