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Vegetables

Vegetables

Introduction
Nutritional Profile
Area and Productivity
Climatic Requirements
Suitable Soil Type
Recommended Varieties
Agronomic Practices
Plant Protection
Harvest And Post Management

Introduction

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea)

Cabbage is a cole and cruciferous crop, also a leafy green or purple biennial plant, grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. Cabbage is cultivated in about 3.69 lakh hectares with an annual production of 79.49 lakh tonnes, and in Assam with 744.75 thousand tonnes annual production. In Assam, this cole crop is extensively cultivated in all districts as major cash crops in rabi season.

Cabbage

Nutritional Profile

  • Cabbage is a good source of protein (1.3 per cent), carbohydrates (4.6 per cent), calcium, iron, carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, as well as vitamin C.
  • Cauliflower is the non-starchy, complex kind with lots of fiber and low amounts of natural sugar, and it is cholesterol-free.
  • Cabbage is an excellent source of minerals such as calcium (39 mg), iron (0.8 mg), magnesium (10 mg), sodium (14.1 mg), potassium (114 mg), and phosphorus (44 mg).
  • It has substantial amounts of β-carotene (provitamin A), ascorbic acid, riboflavin, niacin, and thiamine.
  • Ascorbic acid content varies from 30-65 mg per 100 g fresh weight.
  • Red cabbage is a rich source of anthocyanin pigments. Both mono and diacylated cyanidin derivatives have been identified in red cabbage.
  • Cabbage contains thermolabile sulfur compounds, which evolve sulfurous odors. The major volatile sulfur compounds (dimethyl disulfide and hydrogen sulfide) of cooked cabbage are derived from a precursor of 1, S-methyl cysteine sulfoxide, a free amino acid.
  • The presence of 2-propenyl isothiocyanate in both white and red cabbage and 3-butenyl isothiocyanate in red cabbage has also been reported.

Area and Productivity

In Assam, area of cabbage is 423000 hectares and production is 9784000 MT

Climatic Requirements

Cabbage requires a cool and moist climate for its growth with a temperature range of 15o-21oC for optimal growth and head formation. The intensity of flowering depends upon the age of the plants and the period for which they are exposed to low temperatures.

Suitable Soil Type

Well-drained sandy loam soil with pH 5.5-6.5

Recommended Varieties

Early Maturity
  • Golden Acre
  • Pride of India
  • Pusa Mukta (Sel – 8)
Late Maturity
  • Drum Head
  • Eclipse Drum Head
Description of Varieties
Golden Acre

Plant small, compact with a few outer leaves, short-stemmed with small cup-shaped leaves, head very uniform, solid and round weighing 1.5 to 2.5 kg, interior clear white, excellent in quality, early maturity (60-70 days), yield 280 q/ha.

Pride of India

Characterized by small solid round head weighing 1.0 to 1.5 kg, outer leaves few and slightly cup-shaped, early maturity (60-70 days), yield 220 q/ ha.

Pusa Mukta

Plant short-stalked, medium-sized, leaf light green, margin wavy, leaf blade slightly puckered, head slightly flat, maturity 65 days. Average yield is 250 q/ha, resistant to black rot, suitable for salad purpose.

Drum Head

Head large, drum-shaped, loose, late maturity (80-100 days), yield 450q/ha.

Agronomic Practices

Nursery Raising of Cabbage
  1. Select a sunny area with well-drained friable light soil rich in organic matter.
  2. Bring the soil into fine tilth and prepare the bed of 1 m width and of convenient length. Raise it to 10-15 cm above ground level.
  3. For an area of 10 m2 in the bed, mix 20 kg sand or silt and 20 kg compost (well decomposed, dried, and sieved) thoroughly.
  4. To make the soil free from soil-borne disease-causing pathogens (most common disease in the nursery is the ‘Damping-off’) drench the bed with 0.2% solution of Chlorothalonil or Carboxin so as to saturate the soil up to a depth of 10-15 cm.
  5. Keep it covered, immediately after treating, with a polythene sheet or gunny bag or thick paper for 2 days.
  6. Uncover the soil and get it loosened and leave it as such for 3 to 4 days.
  7. Treat the dry seeds with Carboxin @ 2 g/kg seeds against seed-borne pathogens.
  8. Apply Clothianidin 50 WDG @ 80 g ai/ha as soil drench in order to protect the seedlings from soil insects.
  9. Sow the seeds thinly in U-shaped furrows spaced at 2.5 cm and at a depth of 1-2 cm (4 times the diameter of the seed). Cover the seeds immediately with a thin layer of sand mixed with well-dried and sieved cow dung. The surface should be leveled and formed by a wooden leveller.
  10. Water the sown beds using a water can fitted with a fine rose.
  11. Cover the beds with a thin layer of straw, banana leaf, or dried grass to prevent displacement of seeds. The cover should be removed at the first appearance of sprouts.
  12. The seedlings get ready for transplanting when they attain 10-15 cm height or become 30-35 days old. Avoid shading or protection of seedlings; allow maximum sunlight except in case of expected injury due to heavy rain or frost.
  13. Harden the seedlings before lifting by gradual reduction of water for about 7 days.
  14. Soak the beds 6 hours before lifting to facilitate the maximum retention of roots and plant turgidity.
  15. Dip the seedlings in plant protection formulations just before transplanting to avoid attack in the initial stage of establishment.
Land Preparation and Cultivation Guidelines for Cabbage
Land Preparation
  • Land should be prepared to a fine tilth.
  • Apply Farm Yard Manure (FYM) or compost.
  • It is advisable to apply slaked lime every 3 years according to the soil test result. Lime should be applied at least 30 days before planting.
Seed Rate
  • Early varieties: 400 g/ha (53.3 g/bigha), 10 g of seeds per sqm
  • Late varieties: 300 g/ha (40 g/bigha), 10 g of seeds per sqm
Time of Sowing

First week of September to last week of November.

Spacing
  • Early maturity: 45 cm x 45 cm (Row to Row x Plant to Plant)
  • Late maturity: 60 cm x 45 cm (Row to Row x Plant to Plant)
Manure and Fertilizer

FYM @ 10 t/ha, N 120 kg/ha, P2O5 60 kg/ha, K2O 60 kg/ha, and Borax 8 kg/ha

For the kitchen garden, half of N and whole of P2O5 and K2O may be applied by ring method around the plant at 15 days after planting and the other half of N at 30 days after planting.

Interculture
  1. Irrigation: Immediately after transplanting, a light watering should be given and continued till the seedlings are established. Subsequent irrigation should be given whenever required.
  2. Weeding: Give two weedings, the first at 20 days and second at 40 days after transplanting.

Plant Protection

Major insect-pests of cabbage:

Diamondback moth

Scientific Name: Plutella xylostella (L.)
Symptoms :
  • Young caterpillars cause small yellow mines on leaves
  • Scrapping of epidermal leaf tissues producing typical whitish patches on leaves
  • Full-grown larvae bite holes in the leaves and feed
Cabbage
Management:
  • Pheromone traps @12/ha
  • Crop rotation with cucurbits, beans, peas, tomato
  • Spray spinosad 48 SC formulation @ 45 mL per 0.15 ha @ 75 liters spray volume (0.6 ml per liter of water)
  • Flubendiamide 48 SC formulation @ 35 mL per 0.15 ha @ 75 liters spray volume (i.e. 0.5 mL per liter of water)

Cabbage butterfly

Scientific Name: Pieris canidia (L.)
Symptoms :
  • Defoliation
  • Bores into the heads of cabbage
Cabbage
Management:
  • Collect and destroy caterpillars in the early stage of attack
  • Conserve parasitoids like Cotesia glomeratus

Cutworm

Scientific Name: Agrotis ipsilon (Hfn.)
Symptoms :
  • young larvae emerging from small holes in the underside of the leaf.
Cabbage
Management:
  • young larvae emerging from small holes in the underside of the leaf. flubendiamide 48 SC formulation @ 35 mL per 0.15 ha @ 75 liters spray volume (i.e. 0.5 mL per liter of water).

Cabbage aphid

Scientific Name: Brevicoryne brassicae (L.)
Symptoms :
  • Yellowing
  • Crinkling and cupping
  • Distorted primordia
Cabbage
Management:
  • Spray chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC formulation @ 35 mL per 0.15 ha @ 75 liters spray volume (i.e. 0.5 mL per liter of water) against softbodied larval pests.

Major diseases of cabbage:

Alternaria black leaf spot

Scientific Name: Alternaria brassicae
Symptoms :

Small, dark specks first develop on leaves and later enlarge into circular, tan spots (0.25-0.5 inch in diameter)

Cabbage
Management:

Spray chlorothalonil 75 WG formulation @ 150 g per 0.15 ha @ 75 liters spray volume (i.e. 2 g per liter of water)

Bacterial soft rot

Scientific Name: Erwinia caratovora
Symptoms :

Small, water-soaked areas appear and rapidly enlarge.

Cabbage
Management:

Drench base of plants with Trichoderma and Pseudomonas formulations @ 10 g per liter of water.

Black rot

Scientific Name: Xanthomonas campestris
Symptoms :

The first symptoms are usually yellow V-shaped lesions at the leaf margins. As the diseased area of the leaf expands and turns brown, the leaf veins in the affected area may appear black.

Cabbage
Management:

Drench base of plants with a mixture of asafoetida @ 75 + turmeric @ 375 g in 750 liters of water for 0.15 ha (i.e. 0.1 g asafoetida and 0.5 g turmeric per liter of water).

Harvest And Post Management

Harvesting time for cabbage is 90 – 120 days after planting. The crop should be harvested promptly after the heads are firm and mature. Delay in harvest, even by a few days can result in split heads and increased incidence of field diseases. Harvesting immature heads, however, reduces yield and the heads are too soft to resist handling damage. The shelf life of immature heads also relatively shorter than mature heads. The head is harvested by tilting the head to one side and cutting it with a knife. The stalk should be cut as close to the head as possible, yet long enough to retain 2 – 4 wrapper leaves. The head should not be removed by snapping or twisting it since this practice damages the head. Broken stalks are also more susceptible to decay. As the heads are not ready for harvest at the same time, therefore they are harvested in stages based on the maturity of the heads. Harvested produce should always be stored in shade before packing.

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Assam Agricultural University

Jorhat, PIN - 785013 Assam

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