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Various rates of endosulfan and pennethrin were applied to cauliflower with electrostatic, hydraulic air- assist and conventional hydraulic spray systems. Sweetpotato whitefly abundance and plant growth were measured at several intervals during the study. In addition, spray coverage was measured with each insecticide application. No differences in whitefly control or spray deposition were observed among the three sprayers. However, imidacloprid, provided excellent control. The significance of the spray technologies for whitefly control and future modifications are discussed.

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This study investigated the effect of cooking on the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content of cauliflower and carrots. For each replication the vegetable was divided in half to serve as its own control. One half was used raw and the other half was cooked in 60 ml of distilled water for 7 to 8 minutes. Internal temperature of the cooked samples verified a uniform cooking process. Moisture and NDF were determined in both raw and cooked samples. A texture reading, determined by shear force, was also done on the cooked samples. The resulting NDF residues from the raw and cooked samples were used to compare water-absorbing capacity and ash content. In terms of 100 g dry weight, NDF decreased in cooked cauliflower from 19.13 to 17.22 g (p< 0.05) and increased in cooked carrots from 9.47 to 10.54 g (p<0.05). The exact opposite was observed for water-absorbing capacity. It increased in cooked cauliflower and decreased in cooked carrots. Ash content showed large variations but a general increase in both vegetables after cooking. No positive relationship was found between texture and NDF in the cooked vegetables. These observations confirm the complex nature of dietary fiber. Results suggest that although cooking affected the NDF in selected vegetables, the quantity of the change was not large enough to alter dietary fiber's physiological effect in the body. / Graduation date: 1981

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Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) is described as a recalcitrant plant to genetic transformation processes especially Agrobacterium-mediated and as an extremely low frequency event then it requires a large amount of explants for this procedure to succeed. This thesis describes the development and refinement of a mass propagation system for cauliflower micropropagation and its use for overcoming recalcitrance to genetic transformation. Shoot meristematic tissue was taken from the curd of cauliflower and used to establish in-vitro cultures in liquid medium. Explants were cultured in a Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing various plant growth regulators combinations to induce shoot regeneration and which were optimised to be 2 mg L-1 (9.29 μM) kinetin and 1 mg L-1(4.9 μM) IBA. Shoots were cultured for 4–6 weeks to obtain rooted plants, which were then suitable for weaning and subsequently produce fully- developed in-vivo plants in pots in soil with a 95%+ success rate. A procedure for detection of the presence of insert DNA in recombinant plasmids in individual Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains was refined. Cauliflower was transformed using the EHA105 strain of A. tumefaciens harboring the binary vector pPRTL2 plasmid carrying the antioxidant gene Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) for increased stress resistance coupled with neomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII) for resistance to kanamycin and β-glucuronidase (GUS) as a marker gene. Selection was carried out in MS medium containing kanamycin (50 mg L-1), and surviving tissues were then tested by histochemical GUS assay.Agrobacterium-mediated plant genetic transformation requires a two-step process for its success: selection and regeneration of transformed tissues, and the elimination of the transformation vector (Agrobacterium). This study used carbenicillin and cefotaxime in MS media to eliminate A. tumefaciens, at selection levels of 25 and 50 mg L-1 kanamycin. Kanamycin severely reduced explant growth and regeneration of control cultures at concentrations as low as 10 mg L-1 and completely inhibited shoot organogenesis at 50 mg L-1. The integration of APX gene into putative transformant lines was confirmed using GUS and leaf disc assays. Genomic integration of the gene cassette was optimised using PCR analysis with primers flanking npt II and CaMV promoter regions. The stable integration of the APX gene in the putative transgenic plants was detected using PCR at 478bp. The result confirmed the first report of transformation with APX gene in Brassica oleracea. Thus, a protocol for effective Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of cauliflower was optimized. Transformed and control lines were sub-cultured many times on maintenance medium over 2 years without any loss of the transgene and then tested for salt resistance as in-vitro and in-vivo plants using a leaf disc assay. Control plants had little or no NaCI resistance whilst transformed plants showed varying degrees of resistance. Analysis of APX gene expression under salt treatment showed that putative transgenic cauliflower survived salinity stress compared with control plants. Non-acclimated and acclimated in-vivo plants were also assessed for resistance to frost. Both non-acclimated and acclimated APX transformed lines showed improved frost resistance compared to controls. The results clearly confirmed that NaCI and frost resistance were stable traits attributable to improved APX expression.

Revised; Originally published: 2009 / 2 pp. / This publication discusses water use in cauliflower production in Arizona.

Successful efficient whole cauliflower plant regeneration via somatic embryogenesis from root derived callus tissue was achieved. The research confirmed for the first time the capability of mass production of cauliflower somatic embryos through the indirect pathway. The best callus induction and proliferation was on semi solid Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 2, 4-D at 0.15 mg L-1 and Kinetin at 0.1 mg L-1 and 3% sucrose. The response of different explant types (cotyledon, hypocotyls and root) through callus induction and subsequent culture was determined. The best period for subsequent callus culture was 21 days. Continuous immersion in agitated liquid medium technique was subsequently used for primary somatic embryo production. The culture requirements were empirically optimized including: explants source and size of callus tissue, blending duration, plant growth regulator combinations and concentrations as well as carbohydrate type and concentration. The highest mean number of somatic embryos (30.9) per explant was achieved using root derived embryogenic callus tissue on MS medium provided with IAA 0.05 mgL-1 and Kinetin at 0.5 mgL-1 and 2% sucrose. Somatic embryos were developed and matured on this medium and germinated with the highest percentage (60%) on semi-solid MS medium devoid of growth regulators. The culture conditions that led to the formation of secondary somatic embryos were identified. The presence of activated charcoal in the culture medium had an effect on this process but some abnormality of secondary somatic embryos was observed. Artificial seeds were produced by encapsulating the somatic embryos with a sodium alginate gel (2%) and complexing with calcium chloride (100 mM) for 20 min. The ability of these artificial seed for germination was evaluated using various combinations of plant growth regulators that were either incorporated in the artificial matrix or in the germination semi-solid culture medium. It was confirmed that cauliflower root derived embryogenic callus tissue can be cryopreserved following a preculture-dehydration technique. Following cryopreservation, embryogenic cultures can proliferate in agitated liquid medium, and somatic embryos at the globular stage were formed. Also cold storage at 5 °C in the dark was used successfully to store cauliflower callus tissue for three months without diminution of the competence for somatic embryos formation. This ability for cold storage could have a positive effect in reducing costs and efforts that result from subsequent sub-culture. The encapsulation-dehydration technique was assessed for cryopreservation of somatic embryos but failed to lead to survival of any embryos. Somatic embryos that were produced in this study were able to be well acclimated using a reliable weaning procedure that achieved high rates of survival of plantlets and their subsequent growth to normal plants in the field was assessed. Morphological characteristics of somatic plants compared favourably with zygotic plants but although there was phenotypic similarity, some differences in plant height, curd size and time for curd maturity were observed.