Thomas Bjorkman, Professor, School of Integrative Plant Science Horticulture Section Cornell AgriTech 

In the last 15 years there has been an uncommon amount of breeding for our climate. Previously the attention went to varieties for California’s cool coastal summers or temperate desert winters. American breeding still overwhelmingly emphasizes those markets, but the new attention to the East, stimulated and supported by the Eastern Broccoli Project, has produced valuable advances. Advanced crosses that excelled in regional testing are waiting to be commercialized.  

For our region, broccoli varieties need to be adapted to warm nights during the growing season. That is an uncommon adaptation. Catalogs often describe varieties as “heat tolerant”, but that description usually refers to adaptation to desert heat—which is a bigger market for broccoli seed. Unfortunately, adaptation to the desert climate does not confer adaption to our eastern growing season. Even in the East, something that a catalog describes as heat tolerant in Quebec or central-New England summers may not hold up in New York and southward. 

[Alt text: The surface of two broccoli heads. The heat tolerant check has unevenly sized flower buds. The improved on has very even buds.] 

Even the top varieties can develop uneven bead in the heat of summer. Recent breeding has improved uniformity. 

Other important adaptations for New York include a distinct dome to shed water and resistance to turning purple under stress. Alternaria head-rot resistance is valuable, and current trials show that genetic tolerance exists. 

The recent breeding improvements mean that old stalwart varieties can’t compete with newer materials. I encourage all broccoli growers to focus on new varieties that have the attributes their market wants.  

Planting several of the best varieties is prudent because even the best will sometimes misbehave when a particular combination of environmental factors disrupts development.  

New varieties to consider 

Crown cut. The greatest volume of broccoli sales by far is crown cut, so this where the breeding has been focused. All of these varieties mature within a few days of each other. Unless noted, they are available from several distributors. 

The dominant variety in the East remains Eastern Crown (Sakata). It yields very well due to its dense head. In trials to date, and has sufficient heat tolerance that the yield advantage makes up for the few times the quality doesn’t measure up. This variety replaces its predecessors, Emerald Crown, Green Magic and Gypsy, having all their benefits plus higher yield and better adaptation to the East.  

Imperial (Sakata) has long been a global leader for the warmest slot in the season. It is used here in the same way for harvest in August. 

Burney (Bejo). A strong summer variety released specifically because it performs in this region. It has a more open head than Eastern Crown, so the maximum yield is lower. Organic seed is now available, making it the newest and best-adapted organic variety. In trials to date, Burney has shown fewer Alternaria leaf and head spot symptoms than Eastern Crown.

Burney has been one of the best adapted varieties since its release a decade ago. 

Bejo’s Exp-3622 is a hybrid that I’m particularly excited about, because it came out of an Eastern Broccoli Project public-private collaboration. While similar efforts continue with other seed companies, this hybrid has reached market testing for 2024. Exp-3622 combines climate resilience developed by Cornell’s Philip Griffiths with excellent commercial qualities from Bejo breeder Cees Sintenie. It has handled warm summer nights very well in regional trials. It is also a vigorous grower with a dense head in a similar style to Eastern Crown. For 2024, seed is only available through Bejo’s representative, Jan Van der Heide j.vanderheide@bejoseeds.com or 805-689-1783.  

[Alt text: Two compact broccoli heads, with short, thick branches]

The new experimental EXP3622 (right) has a similar dense head structure to current market leader, Eastern Crown (Left) 

Abrams (Seminis). High yield potential. Good field holding. Heat tolerance comparable to Emerald Crown. Higher population keeps stem solid.  

King’s Crown (Tainong) did well in New York and Florida though not in Maine. A limited amount of seed is still available from Stokes. 

Roxanne (Emerald) tested well in the hot harvest Southeast spring, for both adaptation and yield potential. Available from Gowan.  

Two other market classes also have new varieties. 

Sprouting broccoli Broccolini, asparagus broccoli and sprouting broccoli are popular with many consumers. Several vegetable brassicas make one-inch heads with long stems for that market. They are less popular with growers because the harvest cost is astronomical. An alternative is to grow a standard broccoli with extra-long branches, so that spears can be harvested with a single cut. Two new varieties with this growth habit are Montebello (Bejo ) and Montflor (Syngenta). These are suited for harvest from mid-September.  

[Alt text: a broccoli head with long branches]
Montflor is a single-cut variety for stem broccoli 

Dinner-plate broccoli. Giant single heads, 10 to 14 inches across, have a market, usually at Amish auctions and Long-Island farm stands. Varieties designed for a standard 5-6 inch crown cut head tend to make loose heads and hollow stems when planted at the wide spacing needed to make heads that big. Godzilla is the most consistent producer of these giant heads. 

Videos of many varieties can be found on the Eastern Broccoli YouTube page. www.youtube.com/@easternbroccoli7931, and more information about raising broccoli at easternbroccoli.org 

CCE ENYCHP Grower Advisory Survey  Dear Eastern NY fruit and vegetable farmers,  The following survey is an attempt to get feedback from farmers about how CCE ENYCHP can best serve the needs of the fruit and vegetable industry. Please take a few minutes to answer the questions in the following survey. We use these responses, and other information gathered throughout the year, along with actual data tracking electronic newsletter usage, to inform decisions on where to dedicate program resources.  Your responses will remain anonymous and are only used for CCE ENYCHP program planning. The survey link can be found here: https://cornell.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1Nr4TzjesETlGbY  Thank you for your time.  -The ENYCHP Team

Help advise future tomato breeding programs!

We are looking for your input on Cornell tomato breeding programs. If you grow hybrid or heirloom tomatoes, please take a few minutes to answer this survey.  

Your responses will remain anonymous and are only used for research/program planning. The survey link can be found here: https://cornell.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6zKLM2NddBQigOG 

Thank you for your time. 

-Teresa Rusinek, ENYCHP Vegetable Specialist, and Gregory Vogel, CALS Professor School of Integrative Plant Science Plant Breeding and Genetics Section  

Survey on Adjuvant Use 

Cornell faculty member Dr. Christophe Duplais is beginning to inventory the adjuvants we commonly use in combination with insecticides, fungicides, bactericides, herbicides, phytohormones, and for EPFs spore dispersal. Please take a moment to complete his survey at https://forms.gle/dmj3vyWpj1CpvkKW6 to help evaluate the performance of the adjuvants we use and their economic impact. 

USDA Unveils Updated Plant Hardiness Zone Map 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released a new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM), updating this valuable tool for gardeners and researchers for the first time since 2012. USDA’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The new map—jointly developed by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Oregon State University’s (OSU) PRISM Climate Group—is more accurate and contains greater detail than prior versions. 

It is available online at https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/. In addition to the map updates, the Plant Hardiness Zone Map website was expanded in 2023 to include a “Tips for Growers” section, which provides information about USDA ARS research programs of interest to gardeners and others who grow and breed plants. 

The 2023 map is based on 30-year averages of the lowest annual winter temperatures at specific locations, is divided into 10-degree Fahrenheit zones and further divided into 5-degree Fahrenheit half-zones. Like the 2012 map, the 2023 web version offers a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based interactive format and is specifically designed to be user-friendly. Notably, the 2023 map delivers to users several new, significant features and advances. The 2023 map incorporates data from 13,412 weather stations compared to the 7,983 that were used for the 2012 map. 

EPA Requests Comment on Modernizing Pesticide Label System to Improve Safety and Accessibility 

Released on November 15, 2023 

The U.S. Environmental Protection agency is requesting feedback on its plan to adopt digital pesticide labels that will make labeling information clearer, more consistent, and more accessible to users. The Agency is specifically requesting feedback on the proposed organization of digital labels and the proposed phases of developing these labels. 

EPA’s plan for digital labels covers the creation of both a structured label—which would provide a framework for consistently placing and ordering label information—and a digital label, which would organize the label information as electronic data. Currently, the pesticide product label registration process is mostly manual, with EPA staff reading through long, detailed label submissions to pull out specific information, like application rate, to enter into the EPA’s Pesticide Product and Label System. This has led to time consuming reviews and high cost to registrants and regulators. Further, the increasing complexity of pesticide labels and lack of standardized label format and language can create challenges for pesticide users and the public seeking information about which products to use and how to use them. The easier it is for users to find and understand label information, the better they can follow instructions to protect their safety and health and their environment. 

Moving from traditional labels to digital labels and providing a database of accepted label language would make submitting label content simpler and more consistent for all pesticide registrants and would improve the Agency’s ability to review and access submissions efficiently. 

EPA is requesting public comment on all aspects of structured digital labels, including: 

• anticipated benefits 
• risks and challenges 
• key information fields (such as pesticide use site, formulation, and maximum application rate), and potential phases of adoption. 

The whitepaper will be open for 120 days for comment at www.regulations.gov on docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2023-0562. 

Changes in the PRL: How To Report Electronically  *Note: These changes apply to certified commercial applicators and technicians, not private applicators.

What is the Pesticide Reporting Law (PRL)?  Environmental Conservation Law Article 33, Title 12 is also known as the Pesticide Reporting Law (PRL). The PRL was enacted in 1996 and requires Certified Commercial Pesticide Applicators, Certified Commercial Pesticide Technicians, Aquatic Anti-Fouling Paint Applicators, and Commercial Permittees (including Importers, Manufacturers, and Compounders) to submit annual reports detailing pesticide activities for the prior calendar year. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is responsible for implementing the data collection portion of this law.  Amendments to the PRL Now Require Electronic Reporting  A 2022 amendment to the law requires all PRL annual reports due February 1, 2024 and thereafter to be reported in an electronic format developed or accepted by the DEC.  How to Comply with the Changes in the PRL  Link to DEC’s PRL Electronic Reporting Youtube Page To assist reporters who have never reported electronically before, DEC has developed a series of PRL videos that give step-by-step instructions on how to navigate the reporting website and how to download or install DEC’s free reporting options.  These videos are now available on DEC’s Webinars YouTube page.  A link to these videos will also be added to the pesticide reporting website nysprl.com very soon.  DEC is no longer able to accept PDFs, scans, images, and printed spreadsheets since these are not considered to be acceptable electronic formats.  Start watching the how-to videos!  Who Must Report? And How to Report You Made No Applications or Sales.  2a. Which Forms Must Applicators Submit? 2b. Which Forms Must Commercial Permit Holders Submit?  Which Reporting Option is Right for You?  Option A User Guide  Option D. Installation Package User Guide  Option D and O. Spreadsheets User Guide  For additional information regarding the PRL, please contact the DEC’s Pesticide Reporting and Certification Section at 518-402-8748 or prl@dec.ny.gov.