Although broccoli was cultivated L by the ancient Romans, it did not become a popular vegetable in the United States until about 50 years ago. It has been produced in California primarily in the coastal counties where the climate is moderate to cool. However, broccoli has also been grown on limited acreage in the Central San Joaquin Valley for harvest during the winter months. More recently, the fresh market and processing industry has become interested in the possible expansion of broccoli production in the Central Valley. Toward this end, extensive studies of varieties, time of planting, fertilization, and population. were conducted at the West Side Field Station, Five Points, and in cooperation with interested growers. Experiments were also conducted for the evaluation of many herbicides in the selective control of weeds in broccoli.

Richard Hoover and Fred Fischer assisted with these studies.