THE ASSESSMENT OF SEEDLING QUALITY AIMED TO ENSURE SUSTAINABLE CABBAGE SEED PRODUCTION.

Brassicaceae vegetables have been grown and consumed worldwide since ancient times and they are considered a functional food due to the presence of phytochemicals, mineral and vitamins necessary for human well-being. For this reason, species as cabbage are highly requested by consumers. At farm level, constrains related to seed production process highlight the importance of seed germination and seedling performance. The study is integrated in major research aimed to develop new modern scheme for cabbage seed production. The objective of this work was to assess seedling quality by measuring several morphological, phenological and physiological parameters with influence in performance of cabbage sustainable seedling production. The experiment was assessed on "Silviana" autumn cabbage, created at VRDS Bacau, and was conducted using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The work presents the results of germination, seedling growth dynamic, carotenes, xanthophylls and chlorophylls content as affected by different factors as variety, age and growing climate. This study reveals the importance of using qualitative seedlings during the process of seed production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]