The Chinese cabbage is a vegetable with high nutritional value. The choice for adapted genotypes to local conditions is important to provide success in its cultivation. Thereby, we evaluated the performance of Chinese cabbage cultivars grown under high temperature conditions. The experiment was carried out in the Universidade Estadual do Mato Grosso, in Cáceres, Mato Grosso state, Brazil, from April 8th to June 23rd, 2011. The experimental design was randomized blocks with five replications. Seven cultivars were evaluated (Granat, Michihilli, Kyoto, Seijin F1 Kinjitsu, AF 74 and AF 66). We evaluated the number of bolted plants, productivity (PT) (t/ha), weight of head (g/plant), head diameter (cm), head height (cm), stem length (cm), plant height (cm), number of leaves of the skirt, and compactness. We found no statistical difference regarding productivity. AF 66 showed a better performance for head production. Seijin presented the highest head diameter (13.2 cm). Plant height results were inversely proportional to the head diameter. Cultivar Michihilli had the highest average value for stem length (17,4 cm), considereing 9.1% of plants flowered on the day of harvest. For head compactness we obtained a score of 4.3 for the cultivar AF 66. 'Kyoto' averaged 15 discarded leaves regarding the number of leaves of the skirt. Among the studied cultivars, AF 66 presented the best result, also showing good adaptation to the hot climate of Caceres.
Brassica pekinensis; high temperatures; production.
