Editing Cauliflower (section)

=== Horticulture ===
Cauliflower is relatively difficult to grow compared to cabbage, with common problems such as an underdeveloped head and poor curd quality.<ref name="umass">{{cite web |date=14 January 2013 |title=Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Other Brassica Crops |url=https://ag.umass.edu/vegetable/fact-sheets/cabbage-broccoli-cauliflower-other-brassica-crops |access-date=26 February 2017 |publisher=Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment, College of Natural Sciences, University of Massachusetts at Amherst| location = Massachusetts}}</ref>

==== Climate ====
Because the weather is a limiting factor for producing cauliflower, the plant grows best in moderate daytime temperatures {{convert|70–85|°F|°C|order=flip}}, with plentiful sun and moist soil conditions high in organic matter and sandy soils.<ref name=ume/> The earliest maturity possible for cauliflower is 7 to 12 weeks from [[transplanting]].<ref name=umass/> In the northern hemisphere, fall season plantings in July may enable harvesting before autumn frost.<ref name=ume/>

Long periods of sun exposure in hot summer weather may cause cauliflower heads to discolor with a red-purple hue.<ref name=ume/>

==== Seeding and transplanting ====
Transplantable cauliflowers can be produced in containers such as flats, hotbeds, or fields. In soil that is loose, well-drained, and fertile, field seedlings are shallow-planted {{convert|1/2|in|cm|0|order=flip|abbr=on}} and thinned by ample space – about 12 plants per {{convert|1|ft|cm|order=flip|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name=ume/> Ideal growing temperatures are about {{convert|65|°F|°C|order=flip}} when seedlings are 25 to 35 days old.<ref name=ume/> Applications of fertilizer to developing seedlings begin when leaves appear, usually with a starter solution weekly.

Transplanting to the field normally begins in late spring and may continue until mid-summer. Row spacing is about {{convert|15-18|in|cm|order=flip|abbr=on}}.
Rapid vegetative growth after transplanting may benefit from such procedures as avoiding spring frosts, using starter solutions high in [[phosphorus]], irrigating weekly, and applying fertilizer.<ref name=ume/>

==== Disorders, pests, and diseases ====
The most important disorders affecting cauliflower quality are a hollow stem, stunted head growth or buttoning, ricing, [[browning (food process)|browning]], and leaf-tip burn.<ref name=ume/> Among major pests affecting cauliflower are [[aphid]]s, [[root maggot]]s, [[cutworm]]s, [[moth]]s, and [[flea beetle]]s.<ref name=umass/> The plant is susceptible to [[black rot]], [[Blackleg (Brassica)|black leg]], [[club root]], black [[leaf spot]], and [[downy mildew]].<ref name=ume/>

==== Harvesting ====
When cauliflower is mature, heads appear clear white, compact, and {{convert|6-8|in|cm|order=flip|abbr=on}} in diameter, and should be cooled shortly after harvest.<ref name=ume/> Forced air cooling to remove heat from the field during hot weather may be needed for optimal preservation. Short-term storage is possible using cool, high-humidity storage conditions.<ref name=ume/>

==== Pollination ====
Many species of [[Calliphoridae|blowflies]], including ''[[Calliphora vomitoria]]'', are known pollinators of cauliflower.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Wolf|first1=Jan M. Van Der|last2=Zouwen|first2=Patricia S. Van Der|date=2010|title=Colonization of Cauliflower Blossom (Brassica oleracea) by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, via Flies (Calliphora vomitoria), Can Result in Seed Infestation|journal=Journal of Phytopathology|language=en|volume=158|issue=11–12|pages=726–732|doi=10.1111/j.1439-0434.2010.01690.x|issn=1439-0434}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; width:12em; text-align:center;"
|+ Cauliflower production <br>{{small|2023, millions of tonnes}}
|-
| {{CHN}} || 9.7
|-
| {{IND}} || 9.5
|-
| {{USA}} || 1.1
|-
| {{MEX}} || 0.8
|-
| {{ESP}} || 0.6
|-
| '''World''' || '''26.5'''
|-
|colspan=2|{{small|Source: [[FAOSTAT]] of the [[United Nations]]}}<ref name="fao">{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC|title=Cauliflower (data combined with broccoli) production in 2023, Crops/Regions/World list/Production Quantity/Year (pick lists)|date=2025|publisher=UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT)|access-date=22 April 2025}}</ref>
|}