U.S. Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
Heat-Tolerant Broccoli
[Running time:  ~ 1:47]

Welcome to focus on Ag research from the Agricultural Research Service or A-R-S.  A-R-S is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific research agency.

We’re eating more broccoli nowadays! Since the 1960s, total U.S. annual broccoli consumption has grown from one to nine pounds per person. One cup of broccoli provides more than a hundred percent of our daily requirement for vitamins C and K. It’s also a good source of fiber, vitamin A, folate and potassium. 

However, getting this cool-weather vegetable to our table isn’t easy. Excessive heat can reduce broccoli yield and quality. ARS scientists in Charleston, South Carolina, are working on a solution. Plant geneticist Mark Farnham and his team, at the U.S. Vegetable Laboratory, have developed heat-tolerant broccoli varieties.

To find out how these varieties thrive in warm temperatures, ARS and university scientists are 
growing them on the eastern seaboard. Field trial results will determine the best varieties for 
wide-scale production. 

To learn more about this research, visit AgResearch magazine at www.agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov.  

That’s our podcast for today.  Thanks for listening.