Cole crops Family: Cruciferae
Cole Crops include:
Cabbage - Brassica olerace var Capitata
Cauliflower - Brassica oleracea var Botrytis
Broccoli - Brassica oleracea var Italica
Knol khol - Brassica oleracea var Gongylodes
CULTIVATION PRACTICES
Climate and Soil:
Optimum mean temperature for growth range from
15°C- 25°C. Well drained rich in nutrients loams to sandy
loam are consider to be the best. Soil should not be water
logged. Optimum pH for cabbage and knol khol is range
between 5.5-6.5 and cauliflower is between pH 6.0- 7.0.
Sowing season:
Season for nursery sowing is August - October
Seed Rate:
Cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli are 500 -600g/ha and knol khol is 800-1000g.
Varieties:
Nursery raising:
Soil of nursery bed should be well prepared and free from weeds and disease organisms. Farm Yard Manure or Compost 2-3kg/m2 be added to the seed beds. Raised seed beds of 8.5x1.0m size with 15-20cm height .Seeds are sown 1-2cm deep by dropping at 4-5cm in rows 10cm apart. Seeds are gently covered with the mixture of fine manure and soil. A regular and good moisture supply is needed for rapid germination and optimum growth of seedlings.
Spacing:
Row to row: 30-45 cm, Plant to plant: 30- 45 cm
Transplanting:
Generally, 4-6 weeks old healthy seedlings with 4 or 5 leaves are selected for transplanting in the main field. Transplanting of seedlings be done in the afternoon for better establishment.
Manures and fertilizer:
Requirement of manures and fertilizers for cole crops are FYM @ 10–15t/ha and fertilizers 130:110:100 NPK /ha (Source: Urea- 283kg/ha SSP -687kg/ha and MOP -167kg/ha)
Irrigation:
First irrigation is given soon after transplanting of seedlings and continues irrigation upto 7 days thereafter irrigations may be applied at 10-12 days intervals depending on moisture availability in the soil.
Weed control and earthing up:
Weeds need to be adequately controlled because they are efficient competitors with the crop for nutrients, moisture and light. Weed can be control through physically, mechanically and chemically followed by earthing up.
HARVESTING AND YIELD
Cabbages: Cabbages are harvested as soon as the heads are sufficiently hard and large enough, possibly even before full-sized. Heads should be cut off in such a way that a few of the large, open wrapper leaves are retained for protection around the heads. Yield range between 18 -25 t/ha.
Cauliflower: Heads are harvested before attaining full-size, ideally just before they show any sign of loosening, as this gives good-sized heads of good quality. Yields of curds, excluding the protective leaves, average yield 10 to 15 t/ha for early maturing varieties and 15 to 20 t/ha for late varieties.
Broccoli: Broccoli is a much more perishable product than the other cole crops. Crop should be harvested every two or three days interval. Yields generally range from 6 to 9 t/ha.
Knol khol: Knobs are harvested by cutting the stem just below it by a sharp knife or sickle before they are fully grown. A smaller knob of about 5-8 cm diameters is of more demand. Yield may vary from 12-30t/ha.
PLANT PROTECTION MEASURES
Cabbage butterfly/caterpillar (Pieris brassicae)
Damage symptom: First instars larvae scrap the leaf surface, where as the subsequent instars eat up leaves from the margin inward, leaving intact only the main veins. Entire plants are often eaten up.
Management: Hand picking and destruction of egg mass and young larvae, apply 4% neem seed kernel extract (NSKE), spray 0.05 % Malathion or quinalphos in heavy infestation.
Cabbage Aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae)
Damage symptom: Both nymphs and adults suck the sap from the tender part of plants. Crinkling and cupping of leaves occurs. Aphids enter the inner leaves of the head and in cauliflower, all the inner space of the head is filled with aphids, thus making the vegetable unmarketable. They also excrete honey dew on which sooty mould develop.
Management: Set up yellow sticky trap @ 5 nos./acre, spray Neem oil @ 2-3 ml/lit. of water before pests infestation or at the time of pest incidence. Apply Dimethoate 400 - 500 ml/ Monocrotophos @ 450 lit. of water/acre in severe infestation.
ALTERNARIA LEAF SPOT (Alternaria brassicae)
Symptoms: Disease can be identified by purplish brown spots on the upper surface of the leaves with characteristic concentric rings. Lesions may enlarge and leaves may get dried. Early stage of infection of siliqua ultimately results in curling and shrivelling. Seeds harvested from such siliqua are frequently contaminated.
Management: Clean cultivation and destruction of diseased crop debris; foliar application of copper hydroxide (0.2%) or copper oxychloride (0.25%) or mancozeb (0.25%) or chlorothalonil (0.25%)
BLACK ROT (Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris)
Symptoms: Symptom first appears as V-shaped yellow spots at the margins of the leaves. These spots progress towards the midrib of the leaf while some of the veins on the affected area turn black. Eventually, the leaf turns brown and dies, and the pathogen spreads to the rest of the plant. Therefore, chlorotic area may appear anywhere on the leaves, which eventually fall off.
Management: Hot-water treatment of seeds at 50°C for 30 minutes; drenching the nursery with formalin (5%) before sowing, followed by two sprays of Streptocycline (300 ppm) + copper oxychloride (0.3%) at 15 day intervals; two to three sprays of Kocide (0.2%) at 15 day intervals.
K. Lily Rangnamei and E. Lireni Kikon KVK Longleng 1. SMS (Horticulture) 2. SMS (Plant Protection)