Dr. (Mrs.) Anamika Sharma
ICAR Research Complex Jharnapani, Nagaland
Winter vegetables are a large group of vegetables which includes Cole crops (cauliflower, cabbage, knolkhol, lettuce, Brussels’s sprout etc.), root crops (radish, carrot, turnip), Pod vegetable (French bean, pea, dolichos beans), Solanaceous vegetables (tomato, potato, capsicum), bulbous vegetables (onion, garlic) and leafy vegetables (spinach, fenugreek) can be successfully cultivated from Oct to March in valley or plains of Nagaland.
Management of winter vegetables in general – Cole crops, Solanaeous crops, and Onion are sown in nursery bed, when nursery is 25-30 days old they are planted in main field. Healthy nursery is very important to raise good crop. Time of sowing depends upon cultivar and temperature requirement. Nursery requires special care because temperature is not very congenial at this time. Nursery should be thoroughly prepared by adding well-rotten FYM or compost @ of 10 kg/m 2.They should treated with 0.3 % solution of captan or thiram (5 liters/m 2). Seeds can be sown immediately after treatment. Before sowing, seeds should be treated with captan or thiram (3 gm/ kg ) or bavistin ( 2gm/ kg) to get rid of fungal diseases. However to control seed borne diseases hot water treatment at 500C for 30 minutes is the only remedy. About 500-700 gm of seed is sufficient to raise crop for a hectare .Seeds are sown in furrows 7-8 cm apart. Seeds are sown from September to October depending on varieties and climatic conditions. After sowing, cover the seeds with a mixture of fine soil and sieved FYM and cover the bed with dry grass or paddy straw. Grass should be removed as soon as seedling starts emerging. Drenching of nursery with captan or thiram (0.2 %) prevents post emergence of damping off. When seedlings are about one month old (3-4 leaf stage), they are transplanted in main field. Spacing will depend on crop and cultivar.
Other crops like French beans, pea, spinach, garlic etc. can be sown in field after land preparation and application of basal dose of manures and fertilizers. Spacing will depend on the crop and cultivars. Radish and carrot are sown in double rows at 10cm spacing, on the ridges of 40cm apart. Potato tubers are sown in ridges of 60cm spacing. Intercultural operation – when ever soil is dry or no moisture in the soil, irrigation should be given. Removal of weeds are must, otherwise there would be competition for nutrients with plants. Mulching with paddy straw or other grasses would help in conserving soil moisture. Plant protection measures should also be followed to control insects and diseases.
1.Management of tomato– tomato is a commercial crop so proper care has to be taken after transplanting of tomato, frequent watering has to be done till establishment of plants.
Training and pruning- training helps is better utilization of light and air. Fruit are trained under leaves to protect them from sun scald. For outdoor crop where there is limited area, stakes are used for training. Training, pruning, or pinching are required to produce quality fruits. In indeterminate tomatoes, training increases number of fruits and maintains uniform size of fruits, increasing total yield and quality of fruits. Training is done with the support of wire, string & stakes in glass house or green house. In field crop training is done with support of bamboo sticks wire and rope. If there is excessive growth, pinching or pruning of side shoots improves size and uniformity of fruits. Pinching of main shoot at the top improves the size of terminal fruits. This is done in indeterminate varieties when plants attain maximum height. To reduce the incidence of diseases, mature old leaves are removed.
Both macro and micronutrients are required judiciously for economic yields of tomato. Application of N, P, K and B is essential. However their quantity depends upon the availability of these nutrients in the soil. NPK 120:60:50 kg /ha should be used. However, for hybrids, higher quantity of N is applied. A high level of N at seedling stage and moderate level at flowering and fruiting stage is required. Foliar application of urea (0.4-0.6%) is very effective. A starter solution of 20 kg of 12:14:12 N,P and K in 10 litres of water should be applied with irrigation water with irrigation at transplanting.
For raising a good crop, application of green manure, farm yard manure, neem cake and biofertilizer is beneficial. Boron & zinc is very important micronutrients required for tomato cultivation. Boron is applied in the form of borax @ 20-25 kg/ha as soil application. Spraying of 0.22-0.4% borex at fruit formation stage helps fruit development. Weeding, hoeing, earthing-up and mulching very important. About 2-3 hoeings are essential at the initial stage of plant growth. Soil should be kept loose for better growth of plants. Two earthing-up are sufficient for optimum growth. Manual weeding is generally followed. Weeds can be controlled with the application of mulches. Straw, saw dust and black polythene are used for controlling weeds. They may conserve moisture and reduce incidence of insect pests and diseases.
Frequent irrigation is essential for optimum plant growth, fruiting and yield. Crop should irrigated at 8-12 days interval. However, in summer, more frequent irrigation is required due to higher surface evaporation. Generally open furrow method of irrigation is followed.
Tomato is attacked by a no of diseases and insects. Most common are- Leaf curl - this disease is transmitted by white fly. Severe stunting of plants with downward rolling and crinkling of leaves are symptoms. Newly emerging leaves show light yellow or golden colour older leaves becomes brittle and thick. Apply carbofuran @ 1.5 kg /ha at the time of transplanting. Foliar application of dimethoate 3-4 times at 10 days interval.
Tomato wilt- wilting of plants without yellowing and collapse of entire plant. Vascular system shows browning. If segment of stem is cut and squeezed, bacterial ooze, is visible. It causes a sudden wilt and ultimately plants are died resulting a total loss. Use disease free seedling and healthy plant. follow 3 year crop rotation in infected fields by including cereals and crucifers. Application of antibiotics with Blitox -50 may help in reducing the infection.
2. Management of leafy vegetables Manuring and Fertilization - As palak is a leafy vegetable, It requires more of nitrogen for crown (leaves) growth. A basal dressing of 35-40 tones of farmyard manure should be added to the soil at the time of field preparation and a top dressing of 20 kg nitrogen per hectare ( 45 kg urea /ha) after every cutting for quick growth of tender succulent leaves. Irrigation- Irrigation of crop depends on soil condition and season.
For proper seed germination, if sufficient soil moisture in not available, a light irrigation is done after sowing. Frequency of irrigation more in light than in heavy soils. Spring summer crop needs frequent irrigation at 6-7 days intervals, whereas autumn winter crop requires irrigation at about 10-15 days intervals. However rainy season crop does not require much irrigation Interculture –To keep away the weeds from the field and to loosen the soil for proper aeration, 2-3 hoeings cum weedings are required. Some herbicides like Pyrazone @ 2.4 -2.8 kg/ ha can also be used to control weeds in the crop as pre-emergence application
3. Management of cabbage and cauliflower 1) Raising of nursery – Cauliflower and cabbage are propagated through seed. Healthy nursery is very important to raise good crop. Time of sowing depends upon cultivar and temperature requirement. Nursery of early varieties require special care because temperature is not very congenial at this time. Nursery should be thoroughly prepared by adding well-rotten FYM or compost @ of 10 kg/m 2.They should treated with 0.3 % solution of captan or thiram (5 liters/m 2). Seeds can be sown immediately after treatment. Before sowing, seeds should be treated with captan or thiram (3 gm/ kg) or bavistin (2gm/ kg) to get rid of fungal diseases. However to control seed borne diseases hot water treatment at 500C for 30 minutes is the only remedy. About 500-700 gm of seed is sufficient to raise crop for a hectare. Seeds are sown in furrows 7-8 cm apart. Seeds are sown from June to October depending on varieties and climatic conditions. After sowing cover the seeds with a mixture of fine soil and sieved FYM and cover the bed with dry grass or paddy straw. Grass should be removed as soon as seedling starts emerging. Drenching of nursery with captan or thiram (0.2%) prevents post emergence of damping off.
2) Transplanting : Seedlings are ready 3-6 weeks after sowing. In early maturity, 5-6 weeks old seedlings and in mid season and late type 3-4 weeks old seedling should be transplanted. Transplanting distance varies according to variety and time of planting. Transplanting of early maturing varieties is recommended on ridges at spacing of 60cm x 30cm. For mid and late season 60cm x 45cm is ideal.
Harvesting –Vegetables should be harvested in tender stage otherwise they become fibrous and are not fit for consumption.
