How To Grow And Care For Cabbage

Botanical Name : Brassica oleracea L Var. capitata

Family : Cruciferae

Chromosome No. : 2n = 18

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea variety capitata) is another important vegetable in the cabbage family, also known as cauliflower. Vitamins A, B, and C are found in abundance in cabbage, and mineral salts are also found in it. Cabbage production is 4 percent of the total vegetable production. India ranks second after China in the production of cabbage. It is now grown almost throughout the year. Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Punjab are the major cabbage-producing states. Mainly white cabbage is grown in India, while red cabbage and savoy cabbage are not very popular in India; the heads of cabbage are flat and long oval. Varieties with solid, round tops are more preferred by consumers. Vegetables are also made from their soft leaves.

My Complete Guide To Growing Cabbage: From Seed To Harvest

History and Origin – The origin of cabbage is considered to be Western Europe and the northern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It has grown as an important vegetable since ancient times. In Plato's book"Republican", cabbage was considered essential in vegetarian food. From this fact, we can conclude that it was a favorite vegetable of the Romans. Egyptians used to worship it. It is said that it arrived in India with 'Vasco da Gama'. It was first cultivated on the Malabar coast and gradually spread throughout India. It is said that cabbage arrived in the kitchen gardens of European countries in the ninth century, and it entered America in the seventeenth century.

Utility - Cabbage is used in the form of salad, pickle, cooked vegetable, and curry. It is also used as a dried vegetable. Cabbage helps in digestion.

Nutritive value - The nutritional value of cabbage is shown in the table

(Nutrition Value of Cabbage per 100 gm)

Moisture	91.90 gm
Protein	1.80 gm
Fat	0.10 g
Minerals	0.60 g
Fiber	1.00 g
Other Carbohydrates	4.60 g
Calcium	39.00 mg
Magnesium	10.00 mg
Riboflavin	0.03 mg
Vitamin C	124.00 mg
Vitamin A	20.00 IU
Sodium	14.10 mg
Potassium	114.00 mg
Copper	0.08 mg
Phosphorus	4.400 mg
Iron	0.8 mg
Sulphur	67.0 mg
Oxalic Acid	3.0 mg
Thiamine	0.07 mg
Nicotinic Acid	0.4 mg
Calories	27.0

Climate - Since cabbage is a cool-season crop, it grows best in a relatively cool, humid climate. It can grow in extreme cold and frost conditions as compared to cauliflower. Its optimum germination is at 12.8-15.6 °C soil temperature. When the temperature rises above 25°C, most cabbage plants stop growing, although now the temperature barrier has been removed due to the development of hybrid varieties and tropical lines/hybrids to tolerate high temperatures.

Soil - Cabbage can be grown in a wide range of soils. High yield can be obtained from its late sown crop in clay loam or silt. It does not grow well in highly acidic soils. For its successful production, pH Values between 5.5 and 6.5 are considered best. If the soil is very acidic, it can be improved by adding lime, and cabbage can be cultivated in it.

How To Grow Cabbage: Planting, Care And Harvest Tips

Improved Varieties

A wide variety of cabbage is available, so only the improved varieties should be grown. Improved varieties of cabbage are mentioned below-

Copenhagen Market – This is an early variety which gets ready in 75-80 days; its heads are round, solid, with some outer leaves. Their core is small and large in size. Its stem is small, and the leaves are light green in colour.

Drum Head Savoy – The leaves of this variety are dark green and wrinkled. Its quality is excellent, but it is not grown on a commercial level in our country because consumers do not like it.

Golden Acre – This variety has been prepared from the selection of Copenhagen Market. Its heads are round and small. Each head weighs 1.0-1.5 kg and has some outer leaves. This variety gets ready in 60-65 days.

Pride of India – This is an early round top variety which gets ready in 70-75 days. Its heads are solid and medium-sized. Each head weighs 1.0-1.5 kg.

Pusa Drumhead – The heads of this variety are uniform, solid, with a small frame and a short stem. Each head weighs 1.5-2.0 kg and gives a yield of 495-540 quintals per hectare. This variety is resistant to black leg or dry rot. This variety is also good for growing in hilly areas.

Pusa Mukta – The heads of this variety are flat, round, medium-sized, and the outer leaves are light green in colour. This is a resistant variety to black rot disease.

Red Cabbage - The leaves of this variety are purple-red in colour; its yield is low. Generally, round varieties are early maturing, while angular varieties are maturing after round varieties. Drumhead varieties with flat top and varieties with savoy leaves are late maturing.

Hybrid Varieties

Nowadays, hybrid varieties of cabbage are grown in 30 percent of the area. Most of the hybrid varieties are imported and sold under different brand names. Some varieties have been identified for release, which are mentioned below

Shri Ganesh Gol (Mahico) - The heads of this variety are round, solid, and their storage capacity is good. It gives a 30-35-tonne yield per hectare.

Nath Lakshmi 401 - The heads of this variety are solid with equal size, and have good storage capacity. A 50-75-tonne yield is obtained per hectare.

Beejo Sheetal 32 - This is a variety that gives 70-80 tonnes yield per hectare

Green Express and Green Boe -Both these varieties are marketed by the Indian Seed Corporation.

September - This is a high-yielding early variety, which gets ready in 110 days. It is recommended to be grown in the Nilgiri hills. Its leaves are blue-green in colour.

Synthetic variety

Pusa Sambandh - This variety has been developed by the local centre of Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Katrine, Himachal Pradesh. It is an early variety and is an excellent variety for dense planting. Its tops are solid and round. This variety can be grown in different areas.

Preparation of land - Do the first plowing with a soil turning plow. After this, do 2-3 plowings with a cultivator or harrow, so that the hard layer below the soil breaks, or run the sub-soiler once or twice. After every plowing, do a leveling, so that the soil becomes friable.

Manure and fertilizers - Different recommendations of manure and fertilizers are made for the cabbage crop, which depend on the place, agro-climate, and varieties, which are mentioned below –

Place	Quantity of Fertilizers (kg/hectare)			Special Feature
Place	N	P	K	Special Feature
Jabalpur	150	80	50	To get maximum yield
Hisar	60	80	50
Faizabad	120	80	50
Faizabad	180	80	50
Sabour	180	80	50
Jorhat	180	80	50

In New Delhi, it is recommended to use 160 kg nitrogen, 90 kg phosphorus, along with 15 tons of cow dung manure to get maximum yield from the variety called Golden Acre, while in Caterina, 250 kg nitrogen, 120 kg phosphorus, and 100 kg potash are recommended for good seed production of the same variety.

Growing Cabbage: How To Grow Cabbage In Your Garden

Sowing - Cabbage is propagated by seeds. The seeds are first sown in the nursery. Since it is a cold-season crop, its seeds are sown in the nursery at different times, which are as follows-

Early crop - August

Main crop - September

Late crop - October

Cabbage seedlings are prepared in the same way as cauliflower. The plants become ready for transplanting in 4-6 weeks. 500-750 grams of seed is required for plants per hectare.

Transplantation - Early varieties are planted at a distance of 45 cm x 60-70 cm, while the main crop is planted at a distance of 45 cm x 45-60 cm.

Irrigation - First irrigation should be done after transplantation. For good top development, moisture should remain in the soil. But deep irrigation should not be done at the time of top formation.

Weed control - It is natural for weeds to grow with the cabbage crop because it is grown at a considerable distance, and manure and fertilizers are also given in abundance. Weeds take moisture and nutrients from the soil and also provide shelter to insects and diseases, so it is very important to control them. For which weeding and herbicides can be used. For weed control, any one of the following herbicides can be used before planting –

Trifluralin - 1 kg/ha

Fluchloralin - 1/2 kg/ha

Nitrofen - 2 kg/ha

Alachlor - 0.2 kg/ha

Butachlor - 2 kg/ha

Crop Protection

Insects -

Diamond Backmoth (Pilurella axilostella) - This is a dangerous insect, due to which the leaves fall, affecting the food production of leaves, and the development and growth of the plant are adversely affected.

Control- (I) Mustard should be grown as a trap crop along with the crop.

(ii) 4% extract of Neem Kernel should be sprayed.

Gram Caterpillar (Helicoverpa armogenra) - The larvae of this insect enter the tops by making holes, due to which they are not edible.

Control - (i) Spray 0.1% endosulfan to control small larvae.

(ii) Catch the big larvae by hand and destroy them.

Diseases -

Damping off - This disease is caused by Rhizoctonia solani, Phytophthora, and Pythium species. This disease spreads in the nursery. The disease spreads at the base of the stem or at the soil level. The plant tissues become waterlogged and fall off quickly. Sometimes the seeds have to be sown again in the nursery. The pathogens spread before or after germination.

Control-

- The nursery soil should be thoroughly moistened with formalin solution 20 days before sowing the seeds.

- Always treat the seeds with hot water before sowing.

- Before sowing the seeds, treat them with a solution of Carbendazim (0.2%).

- Before the outbreak of the disease, spray a solution of Mancozeb (0.25%).

- Make a nursery at a new place to prepare seedlings every year.

Downy Mildew - This disease is caused by a fungus called 'Pernospora parasitica'. Due to this disease, dark brown sunken spots are formed on the stem. Purple-brown spots are formed on the lower surface of the leaves.

Control-

- Seeds should be treated with hot water before sowing.

- Then treat the seeds with 0.3% thiram.

- Do not allow weeds to grow in the field.

- Follow proper crop rotation.

How To Grow And Care For Cabbage

Harvesting- Timely harvesting of cabbage is very important. Hence, they should be harvested when their heads are fully developed because later they burst or become loose. In the plains, cabbage is harvested from December to April. Early varieties are ready for harvesting after 60-80 days of planting, while late varieties are ready for harvesting after 100-120 days.

Yield - The yield of cabbage depends on many factors, the main ones being the fertility of the soil, the variety grown, the climate, and crop care. In northern India, early varieties yield 33-45 tonnes per hectare, which is 25% less than the yield of the southern regions. Because the climate there is mild, short-duration varieties are grown. Hybrid varieties yield 70-80 tons per hectare.