Marketability of Broccoli

Broccoli marketability is determined based on the culling of heads with mechanical damage, signs of overmaturity, bud opening, yellowing of inflorescences, or stalk lignification. During variety trials, the marketable head mass, inflorescence density, absence of hollow stems, and the plant's ability to form secondary heads after the harvest of the central one are recorded.

A decrease in marketability is often triggered by temperatures above 25°C during the inflorescence formation period, which leads to the formation of bumpy or low-quality heads. Economically efficient production relies on using varieties capable of maintaining product uniformity at the crop's optimal temperatures of 10–20°C, thereby avoiding a critical reduction in marketable yield when planting schedules are disrupted.