Cauliflower is a major popular winter vegetable in Bangladesh. Cauliflower is eaten by making curries or as light cooked vegetable. However, despite being a winter vegetable, cauliflower is now being produced in summer as well.
Health benefits of Cauliflower:
- It is rich in calcium and minerals.
- It boosts vitamin ‘K’ and calcium content.
- It is good for skin health.
- It lowers blood cholesterol levels.
- It detoxifies the body system.
- It promotes heart health.
- It fights against Cancer.
- It helps to loss body weight.
- It develop immune system.
Sowing time of Cauliflower:
Seeds are sown in Bhadra-Ashwin (mid-August to mid-October) and saplings are planted on the land from Kartik to Araharan (mid-November to December).
When harvesting: 60-75 days after planting
Information Source: Agricultural Technology Handbook, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, 6th Edition, September, 2017.
Climate, land and soil:
Cauliflower is a major popular winter vegetable in Bangladesh. To cultivate Cauliflower needs a cool and moist growing season. It does not grow too low or too high temperature. High temperatures creates leafy, fuzzy, looze and yellow colored ones. It needs well-drained soil. Cauliflower prefers sandy loam, for the late varieties, loam or clay loam is preferred. The preferable PH for this crop is 5.5 to 6.6.
Planting time of Cauliflower
After 10-12 days of germination, the grown seedlings should be transferred to the second seed bed. Seedlings are suitable for planting when they have 5-6 leaves. Usually 30-35 days old seedlings are planted. Distance from row to row should be 60 cm or 2 feet and distance from plant to plant in each row should be 45 cm or one and a half feet. Be careful not to twist or bend the roots while planting. This delays establishment of seedlings in the soil and reduces growth.
Fertilizer levels
Fertilizer per hectareUrea 250-300 kgTSP 150-200 kgMOP 200-250 kgBorax 7.0-10.0 kgDung 15-20 tons
The most harmful insect of cauliflower: 1. Head-Eating beetle. 2. The caterpillar or diamond back moth. 3. Jab beetles. 4. Crossodolmia leaf beetles5. Black and Yellow bee bugs6. Horse beetles
Disease
- Cauliflower leaf spot
- black rot
- damping off,
- club root
- mosaic, leaf burn etc.
- Boron deficiency causes brown spots
Irrigation of Cauliflower:
A crop after transplanting may need irrigation twice a week and later once a week. Adequate moisture supply during flowering and seed development are necessary to obtain high seed yield.
Intercultural Operation: Remove the weeds and loose the soil for better aeration to facilitate better root growth.
Diamond back moth
Control measures:
- Removal and destruction of all the remnants, stubbles debris etc. after the harvest of crop and plough the fields.
- Application of IPM approach in field (Picking of the egg masses and larvae of diamond back moth and prodenia caterpillar).
- Sequential release of Trichogramma @ 1g (25,000) and Bracon hebetor @ 1bunker (800-1200).
- Spray Cypermethrin @ 1.5 ml/l of water or Spinosad @ 0.5 ml/l of water at 15 days interval.
Photo : Diamond Back Moth Larvae
Butterfly
Control measures:
- Hand picking and mechanical destruction of caterpillars.
- In case of severe infestation spraying with Quinalphos (Kinalux, Debiquine 25EC @ 1.5 ml/l of water).
Common cutworm/ Prodenia caterpillar
Control measures:
- Practice IPM (Picking of the egg mass and Prodenia caterpillar) two times during total cropping period.
- Use of sex pheromone trap.
- Spray Cypermethrin @ 1.5 ml/lof water or Spinosad (Tracer 45 SC @ 0.5 ml/l of water at 15 days interval.
Aphids
Control measures:
- Hand picking at initial stage.
- Conservation of natural enemies like lady bird beetle and syrphid fly.
- Spray soap water @ 5 g/l of water 2-3 times at 7-10 days interval.
- Apply Neem oil + trix 2-3 times @ 5 ml/l of water at 7-10 days interval.
Major diseases and its control measures:
Alternaria leaf spot
Control measures:
- Seed treatment with Provax 200 @ 3g/kg of seed.
- Foliar spraying with Rovral (2 ml/1 litre of water).
Cercospora Leaf spot
Control measures:
- Seed treatment with Provax/Vitavex 200 @ 3 g/kg of seed.
- Foliar spray of Autostin or Knowin @ 2 kg/litre of water.
Harvesting and yielding
Cauliflower should be picked while still white in color and tender. If the head is loose and the color is yellow, the price will decrease. Yield 15-25 tons per acre, 35-60 tons per hectare.
