Varieties

NS 43, NS 160, NS 183 
September, Pusa Drum Head, Golden Acre, Kaveri, Ganga, Sri Ganesh and Pride of India.

Season (planting time)

The ideal time for planting cabbage is from October-November. Recommended seed rate is 600- 750g/ha.

Planting materials

Three to five weeks old (with 5-6 leaves) healthy seedlings are used for transplanting. 

Methods of planting

Recommended seed rate is 600- 750g/ha. Seeds are sown in nursery beds or in protrays and three to five weeks old (with 5-6 leaves) healthy seedlings transplanted to the main field.Trays should be filled with a mixture of well decomposed coirpit, perlite, and vermiculite (3: 1 by volume). Germinated seedling should be fertigated with 19:19:19 / 20:20:20 / 30:10:10 water soluble fertilizer @ 0.05- 0.2% depending as the stage of growth of seedlings. Seedlings will be ready for transplanting. Prepare the field by three or four ploughing and the seedlings are transplanted on ridges at a spacing of 45 x 45 cm preferably in the morning or late evening. Before transplanting, the roots of the seedlings are dipped in a solution of bavistin @ 2g/litre. Clipping two third of the leaves helps to reduce evapo-transpiration losses.

Irrigation

Irrigate immediately after transplanting of seedlings and subsequent irrigations are given at an interval of 10-15 days depending upon the season and soil conditions. Avoid water stress from formation to maturity of the head. Avoid excess irrigation at crop maturity to prevent splitting of heads.

Fertilizer

Harvesting

Cabbage is ready for harvest at 90-120 days after planting. Harvest the crop promptly when the heads are firm and mature, as delayed harvest can result in split heads and disease incidence. However, harvesting immature heads reduces yield, and they have shorter shelf life than mature heads, as they are too soft to resist handling damage. The heads are to be harvested by bending it to one side and cutting it with a knife. Do not snap or twist the heads to remove them as this practice damages the head and results in inconsistent stalk length. Broken stalks are also more susceptible to decay. The stalk should be cut flat and as close to the head as possible, yet long enough to retain two to four wrapper leaves. Extra leaves act as cushions during handling and may be desired in certain markets. Since the heads do not attain maturity uniformly, harvesting should be done in stages based on maturity. Average yield of cabbage for early varieties is 25-30 t/ha and that of late type is 40-60 t/ha. Place the cabbages on a rack made of wood or chicken wire, do not stack them on the ground.  Mature cabbages with a good firm heart, and in good condition, can be stored in a cool, airy frost proof condition for several weeks.

Value added product