Horticulture :: Vegetables:: Cauliflower

Horticulture :: Vegetables:: Cauliflower

Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis)
Brassicaceae

Varieties

Hills

Ooty 1, Pusa Dapoli, Cuba Giant, Snow ball, Second early, Early kunwar and Second early kunwar are the popular cultivars.

Ooty 1

Plains

Early Synthetic, Pawas, NS131, Tropi cross Marval, Patna mid season and Arka kanti are the popular cultivars.

Soil

It requires cool moist climate. The early varieties may tolerate higher temperature and long days. This can be grown in plains during September to February. Deep loamy soils with a pH range of 5.5 to 6.6 with higher organic matter content and good drainage are suited for cauliflower cultivation. 

Seed rate

375 g/ha seeds are required.

Nursery

100 sq. m nursery area is sufficient for raising one hectare. Apply FYM at 300 kg and 10 kg of No.5 mixture (9:9:9) along with 50 g of Sodium molybdate and 100 g of Borax. Sow the seeds at 10 cm between rows in raised seed beds after drenching it with Copper oxychloride (2.5 g/lit). Transplant 30 to 40 days old seedlings at a spacing of 45 cm.  Avoid land infected with ‘club root disease’.

Protected nursery

Raise the seedlings in shade net house. A nursery area of 5 cents with slanting slope of 2% is required for the production of seedlings for 1 ha. Cover the nursery area with 50 per cent shade net and the sides with 40/50 mesh insect proof nylon net. Form the raised beds of 1m width and convenient length inside the nursery and above the beds, place the protrays.

Protray

The Protrays of 98 cells are ideal for cauliflower seedling production. Around 600 protrays are required for of 28,333 seedlings required for one hectare at a spacing of 60 x 45 x 45 cm in three row planting

Growing medium

The sterilized cocopeat @ 720kg / ha is mixed with 10kg of neem cake and Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria each @ 1kg. About 1.25 kg of the cocopeat medium is required for each tray.

Seed treatment

250 g of hybrid cauliflower seed is required for the production of seedlings for 1 ha. Treat the seeds in hot water @ 500C for 30 minutes. 25g of Azospirillum is required for the seed treatment of 250g cauliflower seeds.

Sowing

Sow the seeds in protrays @ 1 seed per cell. Cover the seeds with cocopeat, keep the tray one over the other (8-10Nos) and cover with polythene sheat for 5 days or till germination starts. After 5 days when the seeds are germinated, arrange the protrays on the raised beds inside the shade net nursery. Water the tray by rose can everyday (twice / day) and drench with 19:19:19 + MN @ 0.5 % (5g/l) solution using rose can or spray micronutrient at 0.5 % 18 days after sowing. The cauliflower seedlings are ready for transplanting in 25 day

Preparation of field

Bring the soil to fine tilth and pits should be taken at a spacing of 45 cm either way in hills. Form ridges and furrows at 60 cm in plains.

Planting

Sow the seeds in raised beds and transplant 25 days (early varieties), 45 days old seedlings (late varieties) at 45 cm apart.

Irrigation

Hills

Irrigation is done once in a week during January and February.

Plains

Irrigation is done once in a week.

Drip irrigation

Install drip system with main and sub-main and the inline laterals placed at the interval of 1.5 m. Place the drippers at the interval of 60 cm for 4 LPH or 50 cm for 3.5 LPH, in the lateral system. Form the raised beds at 120 cm width at an interval of 30cm and place the laterals at the centre of each bed.

Application of fertilizers

Hills

Apply 30 t/ha of FYM and 90 kg N, 90 kg P and 90 kg K as basal dose and 45:45:45 kg NPK/ha after 45 days.

Plains

Apply 15 t of FYM/ha and 50 kg N, 100 kg P and 50 kg K as basal and 50 kg N after 45 days. Apply 2 kg of Departmental Vegetable micronutrient mixture without mixing with the chemical fertilizers.

Fertigation

Fertigation requirement for F1 hybrid: 200: 125: 125 kg of NPK / ha. Apply once in every three days throughout the cropping period.
Spacing: 60x 45x45cm in paired row system

Fertigation schedule

Recommended Dose: 200:125:125 kg/ha

Stage	Crop stage	Duration in days	Fertilizer grade	Total fertilizer (kg/ha)	Nutrient supplied			% requirement
					N	P	K	N	P	K
1	Transplanting to plant establishment	10	19:19:19 + MN 13-0-45 Urea (46% N)	62.66 7.33 15.33	11.906 0.953 7.866	11.906 - -	11.906 3.300 -	10.00	9.70	12.00
			Subtotal	85.333	19.913	11.906	15.206
2	Curd initiation stage	25	13-0-45 12-61-0 Urea (46% N)	111.333 31.333 204.00	14.473 3.760 93.84	- 19.113 -	50.100 - -	56.00	15.30	40.00
			Subtotal	346.666	112.073	19.113	50.100
3	Curd development stage	35	Urea (46 % N) 0-0-50	148.00 120.666	68.08 -	- -	- -	34.00	-	48.00
			Subtotal	268.666	68.080	-	60.333
	Total duration	70		Total	200.06	31.019	125.63	100	25	100

75% of RD of P applied as superphosphate = 586 kg/ha

1. 19: 19: 19+MN = 63 kg
   
2. 13: 0: 45 = 119 kg
   
3. Urea = 368 kg
   
4. 0-0-50 = 121 kg
   
5. 12:61:0 = 32 kg

After cultivation

Gap filling is done after 20 days of planting to maintain the population and uniform growth. Hoeing and weeding can be done on 30th and 45th day of planting. Avoid deep hoeing as it is a shallow rooted crop.

Plant protection

Pests

Cut Worms

Set up light trap in summer months. Spray Chlorpyriphos 2 ml/lit in the collar region during evening hours.

Aphids

Install yellow sticky trap @ 12 no/ha to monitor Macropterous adults (winged adult).
Apply phorate 10 % G @ 20 kg /ha or spray neem oil 3 % with 0.5ml teepol/lit or spray any one of the following insecticide

Insecticide	Dose
Azadirachtin 5% Neem Extract Concentrate	5.0 ml/10 lit
Dimethoate 30 % EC	7.0ml/10 lit

Diamond backmoth

1. Grow mustard as intercrop at 20:1 ratio.
   
2. Install pheromone traps @ 12 No/ha.
   
3. Release larval parasite Diadegma semiclausum @ 50,000/ ha, 60 days after planting
   
4. Spray NSKE 5 % or cartap hydrochloride @ 1 g/lit or Bacillus thuringiensis @ 1g/lit at primordial stage (ETL 2 larvae/plant) or any of the following insecticides

Insecticide	Dose
Azadirachtin 5% Neem Extract Concentrate	5.0 ml/10 lit
Lufenuron 5.4 % EC	1.2 ml/lit.
Spinosad 2.5 % SC	1.2 ml/lit.
Trichlorofon 50 % EC	1.0 ml/lit.

Diseases

Club root

Biological control

Seed treatment with Pseudomonas fluorescens at 10 g/ kg of seeds, followed by seedling dip @ 5g/ l and soil application @ 2.5 kg/ha along with 50 kg FYM before planting

Chemical control

Dip the seedlings in Carbendazim solution 2 g/l for 20 minutes. Drench the soil around the seedlings in the main field with Carbendazim @ 1 g/l of water. Follow crop rotation. Crucifers should be avoided for three years.

Leaf Spot

Leaf spot can be controlled by spraying Mancozeb at 2 g/lit or Carbendazim 1 g/lit.

Leaf Blight

Leaf blight can be controlled by spraying Mancozeb @ 2.5 g/ litre. 

Blanching

Blanching refers to covering of curds. A perfect curd of flower is pure white. It is necessary to exclude sunlight to obtain this. The common practice is to bring the outer leaves up over the curd and tie them with a twine or rubber band. By using a different coloured twine each day. It is easy at the time of harvest to select those tied earlier.

Physiological disorders

Browning or brown rot

This is caused by Boron deficiency.  It appears as water soaked areas and later changes into rusty brown.  Spray one kg of Borax in 500 lit of water 30 days after planting.

Whip tail

This results from the deficiency of Molybdenum. It is more pronounced in acidic soil. The leaf blades do not develop properly. In severe cases only the midrib develops and it can be corrected by spraying 100 g of Sodium molybdate in 500 lit of water 30 days after planting.

Buttoning

The term buttoning is applied to the development of small curds or buttons. The plants do not develop normally and leaves remain small and do not cover the developing curds. Deficiency of Nitrogen and planting the early varieties late may cause these symptoms. Avoid transplanting aged seedlings.

Blindness

Blind-cauliflower plants are those without terminal buds. The leaves are large, thick, leathery and dark green. It is due to the prevalence of low temperature when the plants are young or due to damage to the terminal bud during handling the plants or due to injury by pests.

Yield

Hills    : 20 – 30 t/ha

Plains : 15 – 20 t/ha

Market Information

Crop Growing districts	:	Dindigul, Theni, Coimbatore, Tiruppur
Major markets in Tamil Nadu	:	Mettupalayam, Coimbatore, Ottanchathiram, Koyambedu
Grade Specification	:	Size and colour