CAULIFLOWER

CAULIFLOWER


BOTANICAL NAME : Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.
COMMON NAME : Phool Gobhi
CHROMOSOME NUMBER : 2n=18
FAMILY : Cruciferae

NUTRITIVE VALUE (Per 100 g of edible portion)
Energy (kcal) 27
Vitamin A (IU) 60
Ca (mg) 25
Moisture (%) 91
Thiamin (mg) 0.11
P (mg) 56
Protein (g) 2.7
Riboflavin (mg)
0.1 Fe (mg)
1.1
Fat (g)
0.2
Niacin (mg) 0.7
Carbohydrates (g) 5.2
Ascorbic acid (mg) 78




ORIGIN:
  • The name cauliflower has originated from the Latin word “Cauli” meaning cabbage, “floris” meaning flower and ‘botrytis' meaning budding.
  • It is said that the cauliflower has originated around the Mediterranean Sea from the wild cliff cabbage, Brassica oleracea var. sylvestris a native of coastal region of Europe and Africa.
  • It was introduced in India during the Mughal period.
  • Cauliflower is one of the most important vegetable crops of India.
  • It is grown in winter season for its white tender curds formed by the pre floral fleshy apical meristem.
  • It is used as vegetable in curies, soups and for pickling.
  • The area under this crop in India was 369 thousand ha having a production 6745 thousand tonnes with a productivity of 18.93MT/ha (NHB, 2011).
AREA AND PRODUCTION
  • The area under this crop in India is 369 thousand ha having a production 6745 thousand tonnes with a productivity of 18.3MT/ha (NHB, 2011).
CLIMATIC REQUIREMENTS
  • Climatic factors play important role during transformation from vegetative to curding and curd development stages.
  • Temperature 10-21oC is good for germination.
  • It is thermo-sensitive i.e. temperature influences growth stages from vegetative to reproductive.
  • Transformation from vegetative to curding take place from 5oC to nearly 28-30oC, depending on the cultivar of a particular maturity group.
  • Certain amount of vegetative growth is necessary to pass over juvenile phase of plant.
  • Four weeks in mid-late group and 5-6weeks in late group would be sufficient for transformation from vegetative to curding phase.
  • Optimum temperature for growth of young plant is 23oC in initial stages while growth in later stages is more favourable at 17-20oC.
  • The tropical cultivars can grow even at 35oC or more.
  • Plant will go on putting vegetative growth without forming any curd if temperature remains higher than optimum for curding.
  • Late group cultivars require 15-20oC for optimum growth but the same temperature would cause curd formation in the early cultivars.
  • Therefore, when tropical cultivars are grown at lower temperature, they form button and show severe riceyness to typical green bud formation.
  • Temperature should not fluctuate too much during curd initiation phase, otherwise curd quality deteriorates.
  • Temperature higher or lower than optimum for curding results in physiological disorders like riceyness, leafyness, blindness, loose and yellow curd.
Varieties have been divided into four different maturity groups (I-IV) for north Indian plains

Maturity group

Nursery sowing

Transplanting time

Optimum temp. range for curding

Varieties

Extra Early: May maturity (May-June)

End of February

March

24oC-30oC

Pusa Meghna, DC 23, Pusa Kartik Sankar

Early I (A) Sept. maturity (mid Sept-mid Nov.)

Mid May

July beginning

20-25oC

Early Kunwari, Pusa Early Synthetic, Pant Gobhi-3, Pusa Meghna, Pusa Kartik Sankar

I (B) Oct. maturity (Mid Oct-mid Nov)

May end to Mid June

Mid July

20-25oC

Pusa Katki, Pusa Deepali, Pant Gobhi-2

Mid Early (II) Nov. maturity (Mid Nov-mid Dec)

July end

Sept beginning

16-20oC

Improved Japanese, 12-C, Pusa hybrid-2, Pusa Sharad, Pant Gobhi-4

Mid late (III) Dec maturity (mid Dec-mid Jan)

Aug end

Sept end

12-16oC

Pusa Synthetic, Pusa Subhra, Palam Uphar, KT-25, Pant Subhra, Pusa HimJyoti, Pb Giant 35, Pusa Paushja, Pusa Shukti

Late (IV) Snowball (Jan-March)

Sept end to mid Oct

Oct end-mid Nov

10-16oC

Snowball 16, Pusa Snowball-I, Pusa Snowball K-1, Dania, Ooty-1,


Cauliflower cultivars grown in India can be classified into two broad groups:
  1. Indian Cauliflower/tropical/hot weather/heat tolerant.
  2. European types/ early temperate types known as Snowball or late cauliflower

Indian Type

European Type

Tolerant to heat

Not tolerant to heat

Curd formation at and above 20oC.

Curd formation at 5-20oC

Yellow to creamish curds, loose with strong flavour.

Snow white curds with very mild or no flavour (better quality curds).

Plants are short having long stalk and loosely arranged leaves.

Steady plants and long leaves giving protective jacket to curd.

Early in maturity

Late in maturity

More variable (heterozygous)

Less variable (homozygous)

More self-incompatible.

Less self incompatible.

Small juvenile phase.

Long juvenile phase.

No need of vernalization but needs cold treatment at 10-13oC.

Needs vernalization at 7oC for 8-10 weeks.

The varieties can be grouped as early, mid early, mid late and late season varieties on the basis of maturity groups.

Early Varieties:
• Early Kunwari
• Pusa Early Synthetic
• Pant Gobhi 3
• Pusa Deepali
• Pant Gobhi 2.

Mid Early Varieties:
• Improved Japanese
• Pusa Hybrid- 2
• Pusa Sharad
• Pant Gobhi- 4

Mid Late Varieties:
• Pusa Synthetic
• Pant Shubhra
• Pusa Shubhra
• Pusa Himjyoti
• Punjab Giant 35
Late Varieties:
• Pusa snowball-1
• Pusa snowball K-1
• Ooty-1
Description

Dania:
  • It is developed from IARI, Regional Station, Kalimpong for eastern hilly area.
  • Plants are strong having medium sized curds.
  • This variety is tolerant to stress conditions.
Early Kunwari:
  • It is an early variety suitable for growing in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi.
  • It is released by Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.
  • The leaves are bluish green.
  • Curds are semi-spherical with even surface and ready for harvesting from mid September to mid October.
Pant Gobhi-2:
  • It is a composite variety released by GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar.
  • Curds become ready for harvesting from October onwards.
Pusa Deepali:
  • This has been developed at IARI, New Delhi.
  • Plants are medium tall.
  • Curds are compact, self blanching, white and medium in size.
  • Riceyness is almost absent.
  • Curds are ready in late October when the average temperature is around 20-25oC.
     
4.1


Pusa Himjyoti:
  • It is released from IARI, Regional Research Station, Katrain (HP).
  • Plants are straight.
  • Curd is quietly white, solid and round.
  • It is early in maturity, having curds of 500-600g in weight.
  • Yield of this variety is 160-180q/ha.
  • The only variety which can be grown from April - July in the hills.
Pusa Hybrid-2:
  • First public sector hybrid of cauliflower developed by crossing a self-incompatible line and selection 1-3-18-19.
  • It is recommended from IARI, New Delhi.
  • Plants are erect and medium tall with bluish green upright leaves.
  • Curd is creamy-white and highly compact.
  • The yield potential of this variety is 230-250q/ha.
  • It is resistant to downy mildew.
Pusa Snowball:
  • It is derivative of the cross between EC-12013 x EC-12012 and released from IARI, Regional Station, Katrain (Kullu Valley).
  • It is a late variety and suitable for cool season.
  • Curds are very compact, medium in size and snow white in colour.
Pusa Snowball K-1:
  • This is also developed at IARI, Regional Station, Katrain (Kullu Valley) and is tolerant to black rot.
  • Amongst the snowball types, it has the best quality of snow white curds.
Swarna:
  • It can be grown from September-December.
  • Curds are white, compact and ready for harvesting within 80-85 days after transplanting.
  • On an average, it yields 1.0-2.5kg curd weight.
SOIL
  • The mid season and late crop will grow very well in medium, medium heavy and heavy soils.
  • For early crop, a light to light medium soil should be preferred so that the drainage is easier in the rainy season.
  • The water stagnation checks the growth, which leads to disappointment to the growers.
  • It prefers a soil reaction ranging from pH 6 to 6.5.
  • The deficiency symptoms of Mg may quickly appear in acidic soils while pH higher than 7 reduced the availability of boron causing browning
SOWING TIME

Maturity Group

Sowing time

Transplanting Time

Extra Early

End of February

March

Early I (A)

Mid May

July beginning

Early I (B)

May end-June end

Mid July

Mid early

July end

Sept. beginning

Mid late

Aug. end

Sept. end

Late

Sept. end – mid Oct.

Oct. end –mid Nov.

SEED RATE

Early varieties
600-750g
Mid-Early season varieties
500g
Mid-late varieties
400 g
Late varieties
300g

SPACING
• Early crop : 45 x 30 cm
• Mid and Late crop : 60 x 45 cm

NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENT
  • Apply FYM @250-300q/ha, Nitrogen @100-150kg/ha, Phosphorus @ 60-80kg/ha and Potassium @ 80kg/ha.
  • Half quantity of N and entire quantity of P and K are applied to the soil at the time of field preparation.
  • The remaining half quantity of N is top dressed four weeks after transplanting.
USE OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS

PGR

Method of application

Attributes affected

IBA@ 10ppm

Seedling treatment

Increase in yield

GA@ 100ppm +NAA@ 120ppm+Mo@ 2%

Foliar spray

Increase in yield

GA@ 50ppm +Urea @1%

Foliar spray

Increase in yield

GA3 @50ppm

Foliar spray

Increase in yield

NAA 10ppm

Seedlings treatment

Plant stand in the field and vegetative growth.

GA4 + GA7 @ 80 mg/l

Foliar spray

Shortens the period from transplanting to the harvest


Last modified: Thursday, 21 June 2012, 4:27 AM