Hortifresh Nov__December 2012.indd - Hortfresh Journal

(3) Be careful on spacingthat could vary as persegment and hybridcharacter, better toprefer to have closerspacing for (45-50 cm)for LxL (plant to plant)and larger spacing for RxR(60-75cm) so to keepoptimum plant populationaround 15-18000 plants/acre for best yield.(4) Timely irrigation andfertigation playsimportant role to get bestyield fertilizer dose tocabbage should be givenas follows: - Always bestto add 7-8 tons/acreof FYM then schedulechemical fertilizer/acreas follows: Basal Dose-DAP- 40kg + CAN- 40kg+ MgSO4- 10kg, 25days after transplanting– DAP – 20kg + CAN –20kg, 45-50days aftertransplanting- DAP- 20kg+ CAN – 20kg, You canalso use some foliarapplications of seaweedextracts like zyme etc toincrease curd weight.5) For highest yield cut thecabbages heads whenthey are solid and mature,sudden heavy rains maycause heads to cracks butto avoid such situationuse hybrids like BigGlobe, Green Globe andMalkia F1 of Elgon whosefield holding capacityis more than 15 days.6) Black rot is major diseaseand can be identified bylarge V shaped yellow tobrown areas in leaf andveins turn black. Timelysprays of Cupravit plusdeconil (kavach) willcontrol its spreading whilegrowing good tolerantvarieties like Big Globe,Green Globe and Malkiahybrids can be preferred.7) Major pest is DiamondBack moth (DBM) andtimely spray of coragenhelps in controllingthe pest well.Varietal selection plays majorrole in getting good harvestand Elgon Kenya presentsthree different hybridswith unique charactersto benefit the farmers.BIG GLOBE F1 – Compact,flat round large head plantup to 6kgs of Head wt.Leaves are bluish green andwaxy coated resulting inbetter tolerance to diseasesand pest. Harvestingstarts in 75 days and forbest head wt spacing of45*60 is recommended.GREEN GLOBE F1-Round head plant type; quickmaturing gaining weight upto 4kgs in 65 days aftertransplanting. Very uniquelong stem resulting in bettertolerance to high rains aswell as drought like situation.Best recommended toharvest during rainy seasonto fetch best profit andprice with very less damageto head. Best yield onsuitable spacing of 45x45.MALKIA F1- It’s a newupcoming hybrid showsexcellent performance intrials all over East Africa andsuitably competes amongthe large selling hybrids.Very compact head, 70days maturity attaininghead weight up to 6 kg.East Gate, Off MombasaRoad, P.O. Box 4682600100, Nairobi, Kenya.Tel: (020) 6534410Fax: (020) 6534807. E-mail:info@elgonkenya.comWebsite: www.elgonkenya.com32For leads in Horticulture