The broccoli is a member of ‘Cole Crop group’ closely related to cabbage, cauliflower, kale and mustard. It is botanical classified as a variety of Brassica oleracea species, grown during cool-season for its green flowering head. The word broccoli comes from Italian word broccolo, which means ‘flowering crest of a cabbage”. Broccoli has large flower heads, usually green in color, arranged in a tree-like structure on branches sprouting from a thick, edible stalk. Broccoli is a high-quality vegetable for fresh use and is one of the most popular frozen vegetables. Itis highly nutritious crop containing high amount of vitamins (A and C) and minerals (K, P, Ca and Fe). Moreover, it also contains thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. Broccoli is the richest source of protein among cole crops. A high intake of broccoli has been found to reduce the risk of cancer (as it contains glucoraphanin compound) and also prevents heart disease. A number of these compounds are produced by plants in response to environmental stress or pathogen infection, providing a potential explanation of why concentrations of these compounds might be higher in plants grown in organic systems without application of pesticides.
Chandan Singh Ahirwar*
School of Agriculture, ITM University, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh (474 001), India
Ravindra Nath
Ahirwar, C.S., Nath, R., 2020. Organic broccoli farming: A step towards doubling farmers’ income. Biotica Research Today 2(4), 47-50.
Allen, R., Allen, Z., 2007. Broccoli: The crown jewel of nutrition. Vegetarians in Paradise.
Gogoi, S., Millu, R., Das, P., Bora, N., Das, B.K., 2016. Effect of sowing dates and spacing on broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) seed production. Indian Journal of Agricultural Research 50(4), 350-353.
Thapa, U., Rai, R., 2012. Evaluation of sprouting broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica). Genotypes for growth, yield and quality. International Journal of Agriculture Sciences 4(7), 284-286.