CAULIFLOWER.pptx

Cauliflower production

1. CAULIFLOWER

2. Taxonomy Botanical Name :  Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L. Family : Cruciferae Chromosome Number : 2n=18 Vernacular Name : Phool Gobhi Ancestor : B. o. var sylvestris

3. Origin The name originated from the Latin word “ Cauli ” - cabbage, “ floris ” - flower and ‘botrytis' - budding. Originated in the island of Cyprus Introduced in India in 1822 by Dr. Jemson .

4. Uses 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, for pakoras and for pickling.

5. Nutritive value Moisture (%)- 90.8 Protein (%)- 2.6 Fat (%)- 0.4 Mineral matter (%)- 1 Fibre (%)- 1.2 Minerals (mg/100g) Phosphorus- 57 Potassium- 138 Calcium- 33 Mg- 18 Iron- 1.23 Na-53 Cu- 0.13 Mn-0.1 Zn- 0.4 S- 231 Cl-34 Cr- 0.003 Vitamins (mg/100g) Carotene- 30 Thiamine- 0.04 Riboflavin- 0.1 Niacin- 1 Vit -C- 56

6. Distribution It is widely cultivated in countries like China, India, USA, Spain, Mexico, Italy, Turkey, Bangladesh, France, Algeria. Among these China ranks 1 st with 9.5 M MT production, India ranks 2 nd with 8.8 M MT production and USA ranks 3 rd . In India it is grown in an area of 458 thousand ha. West Bengal ranks 1 st , MP 2 nd, Bihar 3 rd in cauliflower production.

7. AREA AND PRODUCTION Production(000 Tonnes ) Sr No. State Production Share(%) 1 West Bengal 1,969.44 21.22 2 Madhya Pradesh 1,222.01 13.16 3 Bihar 1,031.47 11.11 4 Gujarat 713.87 7.69 5 Haryana 672.16 7.24 6 Orissa 642.94 6.93 7 Chattisgarh 482.48 5.20 8 Punjab 450.60 4.85 9 Uttar Pradesh 436.77 4.71 10 Assam 436.45 4.70

8. Botany Edible part- head of cauliflower which is called curd Morphologically the curd is madeup of numerous divided hypertrophic branches which terminate the main stem of plant. It is highly suppressed and extremely ramified hypertrophied flower stalk. Cross-pollinated The fruits are called siliqua Thermosensitive

9. Siliqua Cauliflower flower

10. 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 7. If pH is below 5.5, liming is required The deficiency symptoms of Mg may quickly appear in acidic soils while pH higher than 7 reduced the availability of boron causing browning

11. SOIL Can be grown in saline soil provided the C-index is within tolerance limits. For early cultivars- C 2 and C 4 Late cultivars- C 6 It is sensitive to B and Mo deficiency

12. CLIMATIC REQUIREMENTS It is a thermo sensitive crop therefore temperature plays an important role in transformation from vegetative to curd development and reproductive stages. For germination- 10-21 o C is good Transformation from vegetative to curding take place from 5 o C to nearly 28-30 o C 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 23 o C in initial stages while growth in later stages is more favorable at 17-20 o C. The tropical cultivars can grow even at 35 o C or more.

13. CLIMATIC REQUIREMENTS Plant will go on putting vegetative growth without forming any curd if temperature remains higher than optimum for curding. Late group cultivars require 15-20 o C 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.

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

15. Indian Type/ Asiatic Type European Type Tolerant to heat Not tolerant to heat annual biennial Curd formation at and above 20- 27 o C . Curd formation at 5-20 o C 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) Strongly self-incompatible . Less or no self incompatible. Small juvenile phase. Long juvenile phase. No need of vernalization but needs cold treatment at 10-13oC for 6 weeks Needs vernalization at 7 o C for 8-10 weeks.

16. European type of cauliflower

17. Types and varieties of Indian cauliflower Cauliflower varieties have been divided into four different maturity groups (I-IV) according to temperature requirement . Early September Maturity October Maturity Mid early Mid late Late

18. Maturity group Nursery sowing Transplanting Time Optimum temp. range for curding Varieties Extra Early: May maturity (May-June) End of February March 24 o C-30 o C Pusa Meghna , DC 23, Pusa Kartik Sankar Early I (A) Sept. maturity (mid Sept-mid Nov.) Mid May July beginning 20-27 o C Early Kunwari , Pusa Early Synthetic, Pant Gobhi-3,  Pusa Meghna , Pusa Kartik Sankar Early I (B) Oct. maturity (Mid Oct-mid Nov) May end to Mid June Mid July 20-25 o C Pusa Katki , Pusa Deepali , Pant Gobhi-2 Mid Early (II) Nov. maturity (Mid Nov-mid Dec) July end Sept beginning 16-20 o C 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 12-16 o C 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 10-16 o C Snowball 16, Pusa Snowball-I, Pusa Snowball K-1, Dania, Ooty-1,

19. Seed Rate per ha Early  600-750g Mid-Early season  500g Mid-late 400 g Late  300g

20. Nursery Raising Seeds sown in well drained thoroughly prepared nursery bed When sowing done during rainy season, nursery beds should be drenched with fungicides (like Captan or Thiram at the rate of 2 g/l of water to prevent fungal diseases) or sterilized with formalin. Soil solarization combined with fumigation effectively controls several soil borne disease Seed treatment with hot water at 50 oC for 25-30 mins controls Black rot and black leg disease

21. Nursery Raising In nurseries of early cauliflower the beds should be kept cool by providing sufficient moisture and covering them with mulch. The nursery beds should be narrow and about 30 cm wide. Irrigate twice daily in morning and evening with rose can and through channels at every alternate day. For mid season crop the beds require protection from over moisture. In such cases raising nursery under poly-tunnel is ideal

22. Nursery Raising In case of mid-late and late cultivars the seeds are sown thinly (about 15-20 seeds per 30 cm) in rows and not more than 1.5-2 cm deep. The rows should be 7 cm apart The seeds are covered after sowing with 0.5-1 cm of soil. Mulching is done over the nursery beds to conserve moisture and hasten germination. It should be removed as soon as the germination starts.

23. Nursery Raising The seeds starts germinating in 3-4 days The seedlings should be hardened by withholding water for 3-4 days before transplanting Before uprooting the beds are thoroughly soaked with water for easy removal of seedling with minimum or no injury Seedlings are ready for transplanting in 4-6 weeks.

24. Transplanting and spacing Seedlings become ready for transplanting after  4 to 6 weeks . During planting, the distance between the two plants depends on the soil’s fertility, Cultivation season, and market demand. Generally, for the early season distance between plant to plant is  45 cm X 45 cm, for the main season 45x 60 cm and late-season crop, 60 cm X 60 cm is maintained.

25. Transplanting and spacing In the market, the demand for small and medium-size Cauliflower is generally high; therefore, more Cauliflower curds can be obtained by reducing planting distance. Yield can be increased by planting Cauliflower crop at the row to row 45 cm and plant to plant at 30 cm. Drip irrigation  method can be implemented for increasing yield If over moisture condition persist for longer time after transplanting it may result in buttoning. To avoid buttoning a spray of 0.5% urea should e given at early stage and 1% at later stages.

26. Nutritional Requirement Apply FYM @25-30 t/ha, Nitrogen @143-234kg/ha, Phosphorus @ 60-80kg/ha and Potassium @ 128-270kg/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 to six weeks after transplanting.

27. Nutritional Requirement The fertilizers should be placed 5-7 cm deep on both sides of the rows Foliar spray of 1-2% urea boost up the growth and minimize buttoning. Cauliflower often shows B and Mo deficiency symptoms when grown on alkaline or highly acidic soil. Therefore, 10-15 kg/ha borax may be applied or two sprays of 0.3% borax on seedlings can be done and liming along with application of 1-1.5 kg/ha sodium molybdate can be done.

28. 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 GA 3  @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

29. Cropping System Intercropping with spinach Crop rotation system: Cauliflower- Tomato- okra Eggplant- Cauliflower- bottle gourd With development of new and early maturing cultivars which are transplanted in raiy season and harvested by october - november , rabi vegetables can be grown easily

30. Intercultural Operation It is a shallow rooted crop, so shallow hoeing is done to remove weeds and to avoid any injury to the roots. Regular hoeing operations keep crop weed free and provide aeration to the root system. Crust formation in medium heavy and clay soils hinder water and air penetration in root system and should be broken otherwise adversely affect plant growth. Earthing up is important in rainy season as roots get exposed after every shower and should be done 4-5 weeks after transplanting.

31. Intercultural Operation Critical period for crop- weed competition is between 30-50days after transplanting. Use herbicides in initial stages followed by hand weeding in later stages of plant growth along with fertilizer top dressings. Basalin (3.3 l/ha) is the most commonly used herbicide in cabbage Application of Alachlor (Lasso) @2kg a.i . /ha before transplanting is beneficial for controlling annual and broad leaved weeds. Pendimethalin (Stomp) @1.2kg a.i . /ha or Oxyflurofen (Goal) @ 600ml/ha can also be used before transplanting if there is problem of annual weeds only

32. Irrigation First irrigation should be given immediately after transplanting. Being shallow rooted crop, it requires frequent and light irrigation. Early season crop require irrigation at an interval of 5-7 days while mid and late sown crop require irrigation at an interval of 8-12 days . Curd development is the critical stage. Heavy irrigation is avoided at the time of maturity of curds. Optimum moisture level at the time of curd formation is very essential

33. BLANCHING An important operation to protect the curds from yellowing due to direct exposure to sun. The curds may also loose some of their flavour because of this exposure. This problem generally occurs in varieties of early and mid maturity group, which have spreading and open plant type. In Snowball group and some of hybrids of early and mid maturity groups, curds remain naturally protected and surrounded by inner whorls of leaves. Pusa Deepali , Pusa Himjyoti and Hisar-1 are self blanching variety This may be done by drawing and tying of leaves when curds are fully developed. Sometimes, a leaf of cauliflower is kept over the curd 4-5 days prior to harvesting.

34. Blanching

35. HARVESTING The harvesting of curds is to be done as soon as the curds attain prime maturity and compactness. It is better to harvest little early than late if there is any doubt about the maturity. Delayed harvesting leads to the elongation of flower stalk and loose, over matured curds, deterioration of quality and turns into loose, leafy, ricey and fuzzy. Such curds should be eliminated from the consignment to be sending to the markets as they wilt rapidly and spoil the appearance of the consignment. The curd should be cut-off with stalk along with sufficient number of jacket leaves to protect the curd. Severe trimming of leaves is to be done after unloading or before marketing. Cellophane and transparent films are also used to pack cauliflower which are hydrocooled to remove field heat

36. YIELD (q/ha) Early : 100-150 q/ha Mid and late : 150-225 q/ha Snowball group :up to 500 q/ha.

37. PRE AND POST HARVEST HANDLING Harvesting should be done preferably in the late evening or early morning so that the product remains turgid and fresh. The freshly harvested plants should be put in the truck or cart in such a way that the bruising of the curd is minimum. These bruised portions of the curd become blackish and unattractive for the fresh market

38. STORAGE Most of cauliflower grown in India is harvested and used for fresh consumption. In general, it is not stored in the cold storage because of lack of capital to erect and run the cold storage by farmers. Snowball cauliflower can be stored for 7days at 0 o C-1.7 o C and RH between 85-95%. cauliflower with intact leaves and head size 25-30cm diameter are the most suitable for long-term storage. They can be stored for 30 daysat oC with 85-90% RH

39. PACKING AND PACKAGING MATERIAL Generally packaging material is not used for transportation or storage of cauliflower in India. Freshly harvested plants with most of the leaves intact are loaded in cart/truck keeping the curd downward so that they are not exposed to the sun and the leaves protect the curd from bruising and impact damage. This practice is for the market situated nearby. They are sent in gunny bag packings or in crates to distant markets. Cling wraps may be used for packing in which only the curd portion is kept.

40. Value Added Products In India, cauliflower is mainly dried or processed into mixed vegetable pickles. In the glut season,  cauliflower  can also be preserved in chemical solution containing 3%salt + 0.3%potassium metabisulphate + 0.8% glacial acetic acid in glass jars for 6-8months for culinary purpose and for pickling. Frozen  cauliflower : The curds are washed, cut into pieces, blanched, packed in poly bags of the desired size and then marketed in the lean period.

41. Value Added Products Dehydrated  cauliflower : curd is cut into small pieces. blanched for 4-5 minutes in boiling water, steeped in 0.5% SO 2  solution 1 hr, then drained and washed. dried at 60 oC for about 10-12 hours. The dry matter content is 7 and 8-10% in snowball and tropical  cauliflower, respectively. Canning : done on limited scale in India. Compact curds cut into small pieces. then blanched for 5-6minutes in boiling solution of 0.1%citric acid or titaric acid and subsequently cooled in 2%brine to prevent discolouration . Blanched material is filled in plain cans containing 2%brine, then they are sealed and sterilized. Pink colouration in the canned product is a problem.

42. Physiological Disorder Disorder Symptoms Reason Riceyness Premature initiation of floral buds on upper surface of curds Excess N2, fluctuation in temp. and high humidity Fuzziness Velvety appearance of pedicels Cultivation in abnormal time Blindness Without terminal bud and fail to form curd Low temperature (frost) or injury by insect Leafiness small green leaves in the curd High temperature Buttoning Development of very small curd Low N2, high temp. anfd planting early var. Hollow stem Empty inner stem Excess N2 Whip tail Only mid rib development Mo deficiency, common in acid soil Browning/ Red rot/Brown rot B deficiency