In contrast to watermelon, cauliflower plant growth was poorer
in the plots treated with the organic materials (digestate or cattle
manure) than in those receiving mineral fertiliser, leading to a
low marketable production; normal production is 25–35Mgha−1
(MARM, 2010b), which was obtained with the mineral fertiliser.
Thompson et al. (2000) noted how the marketable yield of
cauliflower is very sensitive to N application, an adequate supply
being necessary during the whole crop season. Therefore, the
low cauliflower yields under organic fertilisation could have been
related to N deficiency, according to the lower N concentrations
of the plants grown with the organic treatments, with respect to
the mineral fertiliser.