Effect of Plant Spacing and Nutrient Levels on Growth and Yield of Red Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. rubra)

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of plant spacing and nutrient levels on the growth and yield of red cabbage. This experiment involved three distinct spacing configurations (45cmx30cm, 45cmx45cm, and 45cmx60cm) and nutrient levels (75% NPK, 100% NPK, and 125% NPK). The experiment was designed as a Factorial Randomized Block Design (FRCBD) and carried out at the Department of Horticulture, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru, during the 2021-22 period. This study infers that spacing and nutrients promote the vegetative growth of plants. The spacing configuration of 45cm X 60cm with 125% NPK resulted in the most significant outcomes, including the highest number of leaves (28.93), maximum plant height (36.71 cm), maximum fresh weight of the head (1421.80 g) and highest head volume (1360.19 cc) which could be because of wider spacing and higher nutrient doses. Conversely, the spacing configuration of 45cm X 30cm with 75% NPK demonstrated the early head initiation (45.60 days) and the most compact head formation (0.38). The highest yield per hectare (74.43 t) was achieved with the spacing configuration of 45cmx30cm using 125% NPK which improved greater availability of nutrients and, as a result, boosted the vegetative development.