Effect of Spacing and Nitrogen Fertilizer on the Growth and Yield of Cabbage (Brassica oleracea Var. Capitata L.)

Introduction

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.)is a biannual and herbaceous vegetable crop belonging to the family Brassicaceae. It is one of the most important, high nutritive, palatable leafy popular winter vegetables widely cultivated in Bangladesh. It is one of the five best vegetables in the world [1]. The taste in cabbage is due to the “Sinigrin glucoside” and it is rich in minerals and vitamin A, B1, B2, and C [2]. It has some medicinal value as it prevents constipation, increases appetite, speeds up digestion and is very useful for diabetic patient. The average yield of cabbage in Bangladesh is very low (8.9t/ha) Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) [3] compared to other countries (Japan 40.03 t/ha, South Korea 59.07t/ha, and India 17.88t/ha) of the world [4]. This low yield may be attributed to a great extent on the method of low production management practices adopted by the farmers. Of the many factors of improved cultivation practices, use of proper spacing for transplantation and proper nutrient management are indeed to influence on the yield contributing characters and consequently on the yield. The use of proper spacing an important factor for securing higher yield of desirable heads of cabbage. There are reports that successful production of cabbage depends on maintenance of optimum plant density in the field [5, 6, 7, 8]. They opined that the yield of cabbage depends upon the number of plants per unit area and the size of the harvested portion of each plant.

Besides spacing, nitrogen fertilizer plays a great role for higher yield of cabbage. There is a wide scope of increasing cabbage production with the proper utilization of nitrogen fertilizer. Fertilizer enhances plant growth by providing amendments to the soil via various macro and micronutrients. The fertilizer application for cabbage should ensure adequate levels of all nutrients. Optimum nitrogen fertilization is required to produce top quality and high yields while a lack of essential fertilizers will stunt its growth, leading to undersized and poorly developed heads. Cabbage is well known to be an exhaustive crop and has the capacity to absorb higher amount of nutrient from soil. The supply of proper nutrient must be ensured during its cultivation, which is related to the judicious application of fertilizer. The nitrogen is essentially required nutrients for plant growth and head development and their recommendation for cabbage may differ with the soil type and availability of these essential nutrients in the soil [9]. The positive effect of N on the growth and yield of cabbage is well documented. A very few research have so far been done with combined application of spacing and nitrogen fertilizer in cabbage. Keeping in view, the present experiment was conducted to find out the suitable spacing and level of nitrogen fertilizer on the growth and yield of cabbage.

Materials and Methods

The experiment was carried out at the research field of Department of Crop Science and Technology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, during the period from November, 2021 to March, 2022 with cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.) variety “BARI Badha kopi-2 (Agradut)”. The study area is located at 24. 3700 N and 88.6370 E latitude and 200 cm from the sea level and was belonging to the Agro Ecological Zone (AEZ-11) “High Ganges River Floodplain”. The soil was sandy loam in texture with pH 5.47. The experimental area is under the sub-tropical climate that is characterized by less rainfall associated with moderately low temperature during rabi season, (October-March) and high temperature, high humidity and heavy rainfall with occasional gusty winds during kharif season (April-September). The two factors Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications was followed to carried out the study. The study consisted three spacing (factor A) i.e. S1=50cm X 30cm, S2=50cm X 40cm and S3=50cm X 50cm as well as three levels of nitrogen fertilizers (factor B) viz. N1:50kg/ha, N2:100kg/ ha and N3:150kg/ha. The unit plot size was 2.5m X 2.5m. The seed of cabbage was collected from the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Joydebpur, Gazipur. Seeds of variety BARI Badha kopi-2 (Agradut) were sown in the nursery beds at30thSeptember, 2021. Beds were immediately irrigated with the help of watering cane. After germination, when the seedlings were attained at a height of 3 cm then the seedlings were transplanted in the other nursery beds 10cm apart for proper growth and development of the seedlings. Thirty days old seedlings were transplanted in the evening time in the experimental plot according to the treatment. Healthy seedlings of uniform size were selected for planting. Before transplantation, the nursery beds were irrigated so that the seedlings could be easily uprooted from the beds without any damage of the root. After one week of transplantation, dead seedlings were replaced by planting fresh seedlings to obtain a uniform stand. Fertilizers were applied following the guidelines of Rashid MM [10]. Intercultural operations were done as and when necessary. Data were recorded for desired parameters from the sample plants at harvest. Ten (10) plants were randomly selected from each unit plot for the collection of data. The collected data were analyzed using computer package MSTAT and mean differences were adjudged by using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test following [11].

Conclusion

The study concluded that cabbage need to be cultivated at the spacing of 50cm X 50cmwith 150kg/ha nitrogen is to be provided for getting the targeted yield as well as desired return from cabbage cultivation in “High Ganges River Floodplain zones” of Bangladesh. The study may be continued further to find out the yield potentiality of cabbage under different spacing and levels of nitrogen.