Cauliflower Area Under Cultivation The major cauliflower producing states are Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Assam, Haryana and Maharashtra.
Botanical Name : Brassica oleracea var botrytis Family : Cruciferae Plant Discription : It is a low growing herbaceous plant, long stalked with loosely arranged leaves and bearing terminal heads or curds yellow to creamy white in colour which are the flower clusters or inflorescences. The stem is short and stout.
Centre of Origin : Mediterranean region Pollination system : Cross pollinated Chromosome No. : 2n=18,36,72 Nutritional Levels : Moisture (%)
Protein (%)
Fat (%)
Mineral matter (%)
Fibre (%)
Carbohydrate (%)
Calories (K Cal)
90.8
2.6
0.4
1
1.2
4
30
Phosphorus (mg/100g)
Potassium (mg/100g)
Calcium (mg/100g)
Magnesium (mg/100g)
Iron (mg/100g)
Sodium (mg/100g)
Copper (mg/100g)
57
138
33
18
1.23
53
0.13
Manganese (mg/100g)
Zinc (mg/100g)
Sulphur (mg/100g)
Chlorine (mg/100g)
Molybdium (mg/100g)
Cromium (mg/100g)
0.1
0.4
231
34
0
0.003
Carotene (mg/100g)
Thiamine (mg/100g)
Riboflavin (mg/100g)
Niacin (mg/100g)
Vitamin C (mg/100g)
Choline (mg/100g)
Folic acid-Free (mg/100g)
30
0.04
0.1
1
56
127
0
Minerals
Vitamins
Folic acid- Total (mg/100g) 0
Cauliflower Diseases Stalk Rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum): This fungus can cause serious losses in the field, in storage, and under transit and market conditions. Generally, damp weather favours the occurrence of the disease. Infections may occur on the stem at the ground level, on the leaves at their bases, or where the foliage comes in contact with the soil. The infections begin as water-soaked, circular areas, which soon become covered by white, cottony fungal growth. The affected tissue becomes soft and watery as the disease progresses. The fungus eventually colonizes the entire cabbage head and produces large, black, seedlike structures called sclerotia on the diseased tissue. Control: The disease can be managed most successfully by combining cultural practices that discourage disease development. Planting cabbage in fields that are surrounded by dense woods will restrict air circulation and subsequently delay drying. Rows should be planted in the direction of the prevailing winds to promote free flow of air movement within the plants. Fields with a history of white mold should be planted with non-susceptible crops such as grains (corn, rye, wheat, etc.). Cabbage and other susceptible crops (cauliflower, beans, peas, etc.) should not be planted in fields where white mold has become a problem because continuous cropping of susceptible crops will result in a buildup of the fungus in the soil and increased disease incidence. Mechanical injuries to cabbage heads during harvesting operations should be avoided.
Black Rot (Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris): This bacterial disease is common in areas having a warm and wet climate. Plants can be infected during any growth stage and the symptoms resemble nutritional deficiencies. Infected seedlings become yellow, drop lower leaves, and may die. Leaves may be affected on only one side of a seedling. Plants infected because of contaminated seed may not develop symptoms for many weeks. The classic symptom of black rot is caused by local infection that results when bacteria enter leaves through natural openings of leaf margins. The infected tissue turns pale green-yellow and then turns brown and dies. Affected areas are usually wedge- or V-shaped. These areas enlarge as the disease progresses, and severely affected leaves may drop off. The veins in infected leaves, stems, and roots sometimes become black. The heads of the infected plants remains small and its quality is reduced making it unfit for marketing. Control: An integrated approach is needed to manage black rot successfully. Use of black rot tolerant varieties is the best method to control the disease. Considerable reduction in disease has been observed when seeds are treated with Agrimycin-100 (100ppm) or Streptocycline (100 ppm). Planting should be done on raised beds to facilitate drainage. Cultivation in the fields where crucifers have been continuously grown during last 2 years should be avoided. Plants should be thoroughly inspected for black rot symptoms and the affected plants should be removed and destroyed.
Cauliflower Disorders Browning : Browning is caused due to boron deficiency. Generally, the deficiency symptoms of boron are externally visible on plants after the curd formation. In early stage, the water soaked areas appear on the stem and curd surface. As the plant grows, the stem becomes hollow with water soaked tissue covering the internal walls of the cavity. In advanced stage of deficiency, brown or pink coloured areas are seen on curd surface and therefore, it is also called brown rot or red rot or browning of the curd. Sometimes the stem may become hollow even without brown areas on the curd. The affected curds are bitter in taste. The foliage colour first changes to dull green and then greenish yellow at the apical margin of the older leaves. When there is severe deficiency of boron, then leaves are under developed and smaller. The growing point may die in young stage of plant itself. Control: The deficiency of boron may be corrected by applying borax. The quantity of borax depends on soil type, soil pH and the extent of deficiency. In acid soil, 10- 15 kg borax/ha is sufficient while larger quantity may be required as natural and alkaline soils.
Whiptail : Whiptail disorder is caused due to deficiency of molybdenum. In young plants the deficiency symptoms are chlorosis of leaf margins and the whole leaves may turn white. The leaf blades do not develop properly. When the deficiency is severe, only the midribs develop. This condition is commonly known as 'Whiptail'. The growing point of the plant is also deformed which prevents the curd development. The deficiency of molybdenum generally occurs in acid soils when the soil pH is below 5.5. Control: Lime application in acidic soils is done to increase the availability of molybdenum. The quantity of lime is determined by initially measuring the pH of the soil. Alternately, soil application of Sodium Molybdate (10-15 kg/ha) effectively controls the deficiency symptoms.
Buttoning : The development of small premature curds or buttons while the plants are young is known as buttoning. The button heads are exposed and the plants showing this condition have usually small poorly developed leaves. Several factors like poor nitrogen supply, planting of over-age seedlings, unfavorable climatic conditions and improper time of planting are reported to cause buttoning. Control: Adequate supply of nitrogen and moisture for rapid vegetative growth of plant is considered important for preventing the occurrence of button plants.
Cauliflower Harvesting Cauliflower is ready for harvest at 90-120 days after planting. Depending upon the variety the curds should be harvested promptly when they are of full size but still compact, white and smooth. Delayed harvesting results in the curds turning loose, leafy and ricey. The curds are harvested by bending them and cutting off the stalk well below the curd with a sharp cutting knife, sickle or khurpi. The stalk thus left protects the curds during transport. The curd should not be removed by snapping or twisting it since this practice damages the curd and results in broken and inconsistent stalk length. Broken stalks are also more susceptible to decay. Several harvesting will be necessary in the field, as all the curd do not mature uniformly at the same time. Harvesting should be done with great care to prevent damage to the highly sensitive turgid curds. The curd portion of the head should not be used to handle cauliflower. Harvested produce should always be stored in shade before packing. Bruising is very common and leads to rapid browning and decay when careful harvest and handling practices are not followed.
Yield Yield of the cauliflower varies greatly depending upon variety, maturity group and season of cultivation. Average yield obtained from early varieties is 6-10 t/ha. Mid season varieties, yield 12-20 t/ha while the yield of late types is 20-30 t/ha.
Cauliflower Intercultural Operations Weed Control : Normally, the crop is kept free of weeds by 2-3 hand weedings and 1-2 hoeings. Hoeing should not be deep to avoid injury to the roots. Usually in medium heavy and clay soils, there is crust formation soon after transplanting. This crust must be broken otherwise water and air penetration in root system is hindered which will adversely affect plant growth. Pre-emergence application of Fluchloralin (1-2 litres a.i. in 600-700 litres of water) or Nitrofen (2kg a.i./ha) followed by a hand weeding 60 days after transplanting effectively checks the weed population.
Earthing up : Earthing up is done 30 days after transplanting. At the time of earthing up the plants are supported with soil to avoid toppling of the plant during head formation. During rainy season, the roots of plants in ridge planting get exposed. Adequate earthing up covers such exposed roots.
Blanching : This problem generally occurs in early and mid season maturity group with spreading and open plant type. Blanching is an important operation to protect the curds from yellowing due to direct exposure to sun. The curd s may also loose some of their flavor because of this exposure. To avoid this, the tips of the leaves are drawn in and tied together or the curds are covered with leaves 4-5 days prior to harvest. In some varieties the curd remains naturally protected and surrounded by inner whorls of leaves. These are called self-blanching types.
Cauliflower Irrigation First irrigation is given just after transplanting of seedlings and subsequent irritations are given at an interval of 8-10 days depending upon the season and soil conditions. For early and mid-season crop usually lesser number of irrigation are needed because of rains Moisture during both growth and curding phase should be adequate to maintain an even growth and proper development of curd.
Cauliflower Manuring & Fertilization The fertilizer dose depends upon the fertility of soil and amount of organic manure applied to the crop. For a good yield, 15-20 tonnes of well-decomposed FYM is incorporated into the soil about 4 weeks before transplanting. Generally, application of 80-120 kg N, 60-100kg P2O5 and 60-120 kg K2O is recommended for optimum yield. Half the dose of N and entire amount of P and K is given at the time of transplanting. The balance N is given six weeks after transplanting or at the time of earthing up. Top dressing should be applied in bands and after each application earthing up of plants is necessary.
Cauliflower Pests Diamondback Moth (DBM) (Plutella xylostella): It is one of the most serious pests of cabbage grown under comparatively high temperature conditions. The DBM derives its name from the white markings along the back of the forewings which when folded form a diamond shaped pattern. The caterpillars are green or brownish green in colour. The adult female lays eggs on the leaves either singly or in groups. Small slender green caterpillars on emergence feed on the leaf epidermis and later make holes in the leaves. Severely affected leaves are completely skletonised. Pupation takes place in a loose mesh of silken cocoon spun by the caterpillar. Control: Spraying the crop with Malathion (0.1%) or Profenofos (0.25-0.5 kg a.i./ha) gives excellent control of the larvae. Intercropping mustard in the cabbage crop 15 days prior to sowing and 25 days after planting cabbage was effective. As the pest preferred mustard, major pest population is attracted towards it, which can be destroyed by spraying the crop with Dichlorvos (1 ml/ litre of water).
Cauliflower Planting Land Preparation The field is ploughed to fine tilth by giving four to five ploughing with a sufficient interval between two ploughing. Planking should be done for proper levelling. The transplanting is done on the flat land, ridges or in furrows depending on climate and soil conditions. For early planting, ridge method is suitable especially in areas where the rains occur at the time of planting. In saline soils, planting in furrows and in dry areas transplanting on flat beds is recommended.
Spacing The planting distance may vary according to variety, planting season and soil conditions. The following distances are generally recommended on the basis of maturity of varieties:
Maturity
Recommended spacing (cm)
Early
45 x 45 or 60 x 40
Main & Late
60 x 60 or 60 x 45
Method of Planting Irrigation is withheld 3-4 days before transplanting. However, before transplanting the beds are thoroughly irrigated to facilitate the removal of seedlings from the seed bed with out much injury to the roots. Transplanting should be done preferably in the morning or late evening. Before transplanting, the roots of the seedlings are dipped in a solution of Bavistin (2g/litre of water). Irrigation should be given immediately after transplanting. In some parts of the country, beds are first irrigated and then the seedlings are transplanted
Cauliflower Propagation Nursery Bed Preparation The seeds are generally sown in a seed bed and 4-6 week old seedlings are transplanting to the field. Cabbage seeds are sown on nursery beds to raise seedlings for transplanting in the field. Raised beds of size 3 x 0.6 m and 10-15 cm in height are prepared. About 70 cm distance is kept between two beds to carry out intercultural operations such as watering, weeding, etc. The surface of beds should be 2 smooth and well levelled. Well-decomposed FYM @ 8-10 kg/m is added at the time of bed preparation. Raised beds are necessary to avoid problem of water logging in heavy soils. To avoid mortality of seedlings due to damping off, drenching of the beds three weeks before sowing with Bavistin (15-20g/10 litres of water) is recommended.
Season of Planting The optimum time of seed sowing in the nursery varies greatly depending upon climate, varieties and their temperature requirement for curd formation. Normally early varieties of cauliflower are sown during May-June, mid season varieties in July, mid late season varieties in August and late varieties in September-October.
Raising of Seedlings About 300-500 g of seed are sufficient for raising nursery required to plant one hectare. Prior to sowing seeds are treated with fungal culture of Trichoderma viride (4 g/ kg of seed) or Thiram (3g/ kg of seed) to avoid damage from damping-off disease. Sowing should be done thinly in lines spaced at 5-7 cm distance. Seeds are sown at a depth of 1-2 cm and covered with a fine layer of soil followed by light watering by water can. The beds should then be covered with dry straw or grass or sugarcane leaves to maintain required temperature and moisture. The watering should be done by water can as per the need till germination is completed. The cover of dry straw or grass is removed immediately after emergence of seed sprout. If there is over crowding of seedling due to thick sowing, the extra seedlings should be thinned out Normally the seedlings should be transplanted within 4-6 weeks of sowing. In case of early crop 56 weeks old seedlings have better establishment and less mortality in the field while in mid-season and late varieties 3-4 weeks old seedlings may be transplanted.
Cauliflower Soil & Climate Soil : Cultivation of cauliflower is done mainly on sandy to heavy soils rich in organic matter. Early crops prefer light soil while late crops thrive better on heavier soils due to retention of moisture. On heavy soils, plants grow more slowly and the keeping quality is improved. A pH range of 5.5-6.5 is considered as optimum for growing cauliflower. Plants growing in saline soils are prone to diseases.
Climate : In India, cauliflower is grown in large areas having a cool and moist climate. The cauliflower varieties are very sensitive to temperature. For good seed germination, a temperature of 10-21 OC O is required. A temperature range of 15-21 C is considered as optimum for growth and curd O formation of the crop. Temperature below 10 C during growth delays maturity and undersized small unmarketable buttons are formed. High temperature during maturity will result in yellowish leafy curds. It is therefore essential to choose proper variety to be sown at proper time
Cauliflower Varieties Name of the variety
Characteristics Pusa Deepali Developed at IARI, New Delhi. Recommended for Northern India particularly Delhi and Punjab. Early maturing variety, curds compact, self-blanching, white, medium sized and almost free from riceyness. Curds ready for harvest in late October. Average yield is 12 t/ha. Early Kunwari Recommended for Haryana, Punjab, and Delhi. Very early variety. Curds hemispherical with even surface, ready for harvesting from mid September to mid October. Average yield is 8 t/ha. Punjab Giant-26 Main season variety. Curds solid, white, medium-sized. Ready for harvesting from mid November to December. Average yield is 17 t/ha. Punjab Giant-35 Main season variety. Curds white, compact medium sized. Ready for harvesting from mid November to December. Average yield is 17 t/ha. Pant Shubhra Recommended for cultivation in Northern India. Early growing variety. Curds are compact, slightly conical and creamish white. Ready for harvest in November. Average yield is 20 t/ha. Pusa Snowball-1 Late maturing variety. Curds very compact, medium in size and snow white in colour. Ready for harvesting from January to April. Average yield is 25-30 t/ha. Susceptible to black rot. Sonwball-16 Ideal for cooler climates of North Indian states. Late maturing variety. Curds medium sized, solid, having attractive white colour. Ready for harvesting from January to March. Average yield is 25-30 t/ha. Pusa Early Synthetic Main season variety. Curds somewhat creamy white to white and compact. Ready for harvest from mid December to mid January. Average yield is 11 t/ha. Pant Gobhi-2 Early maturing variety. Curds compact, composite and creamy white. Curds ready for harvesting from November to December. Average yield is 12 t/ha. Pant Gobhi-3 Early maturing variety. Curds medium sized and solid white. Curds ready for harvest from October. Average yield is 10 t/ha. Dania Kalimpong Commonly grown in eastern parts of India. Late season variety. Curds are medium-large, compact, attractive and white. Less sensitive to fluctuations of environment. Ready for harvesting from January to April. Average yield is 25-30 t/ha.
Exotic varieties: USA Table Purpose Candid charm, Concert, Cumberland, Fremont, Mariposa, Pathfinder, Ravella, Violet Queen.