Profitablility of Eastern Broccoli Is Highly Dependent on Plant Population

Eastern broccoli production can have a high profit, but only if produced efficiently. Three populations were tested: 26, 000, 39,000 and 52,000/ac in each of four years. The harvest criterion was a crown cut (4.5 to 5.25 inches diameter). The growing conditions were resource-rich in each year to achieve top yields. However in two years, weather disasters limited production. This natural phenomenon allows a risk analysis of the different populations. That is, does the higher investment in a population that is good when everything works, end up causing greater losses if there is a partial crop failure? These results showed that the optimal broccoli population resulted in higher profit, and a much reduced risk of economic loss in the event of a weather disaster. The revenue ranged from $5,000 to $13,000 per acre. The net profit ranged from -$2,000 to +$4,000/ac. Nevertheless, the same population (39,000/ac) was optimal in each year and never showed a loss. This population is considerably higher than what is conventionally used (15,000 to 20,000/ac). The conventional population is predicted to lose money. Identifying the optimal population for a particular farm is critical for making broccoli a lucrative crop.