EFFECTS OF TIME AND RATE OF SADH APPLICATION TO BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Abstract

SADH (succinic acid-2, 2 dimethylhydrazide) was applied to Brussels sprout plants at rates ranging from 2,000 to 8,000 ppm in field trials conducted over 4 yr. SADH applied to cv. Hedda, 6–8 wk after transplanting at a rate of 8,000 ppm increased marketable yield over that of the untopped controls by 13–31% in two out of three experiments. Plant height was reduced by SADH application, the date of application being more critical than the rate of application. Very early and very late SADH treatments had no effect on plant size. The quadratic equation Y = (0.16889 × 10−3) X2 − (0.20711) X + 132.343 ± 7.35, where Y = plant height as a percent of height of control plants and X = accumulated heat units, describes the relation between SADH effect on plant height and time of application measured as accumulated heat units from date of transplanting.