The Evaluation of Two Different Harvesting 'Topbunch' and 'Hi-Crop' Collards (Brassica Oleracea (L)) Leaves from Plants Grown in a Wiregrass Tunnel House

A study was conducted to determine if a 100% or 50% harvest intensity of ‘Topbunch’ collards leaves could be a recommended practice for Tunnel House producers. The experiment was conducted as a split-plot design with harvest dates as main plots, and harvesting intensity of 100% or 50% of leaves as sub-plots. All treatments were replicated three times, drip irrigated, and fertilized according to soil test recommendations. The results showed significant interactions between harvest methods and dates for number and weight of leaves harvested. There were also significant differences for the weight of leaves harvested and numbers. The leaf recovery rates were greater for plants that had 50% of their leaves harvested compared to those which had 100% of their leaves harvested. This higher recovery rate for the former suggests that the harvest interval could be reduced in the future from 21 to 15 or 18 days