Growth and carbohydrate composition of winter white cabbage intended for long-term storage. II. Effects of solar radiation, temperature and degree-days

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Abstract
Summary The influences of degree-days, solar radiation and cold units on the accumulation of carbohydrates and amino nitrogen in the central core and head leaves of the winter white cabbage cv. Hidena Fl at harvest were investigated over three years. Total soluble sugar in cabbage head leaves was closely correlated with accumulated solar radiation from planting to harvest but the same linear relationship was absent in the cores. Sucrose and total soluble sugar in the core showed a logistic response to solar radiation accumulated from two weeks prior to the first harvest to each harvest. There was no correlation between hexoses in the cores and solar radiation. In the head leaves, hexoses, sucrose and total sugar were more strongly correlated with degree-days over 0-4°C from planting to harvest than from two weeks prior to the first harvest to each harvest. In the cores, sucrose showed a logistic response to the number of degree-days over 0°C when calculated from planting to harvest. The rapid accumulation of sucrose during a short period in the autumn, especially in the core, seems to depend on the conditions for growth during the whole growing period and the conditions for photosynthesis in the period of sucrose accumulation. The individual variation found in the amount of sucrose accumulated probably reflects differences in growth and photosynthetic efficiency between the plants. The results indicate that the onset of sucrose accumulation is temperature dependent and probably a consequence of a cessation of leaf production in the autumn changing the source-sink relationship of the cabbage plant.