RED CABBAGE PRODUCTION

Introduction

Red cabbage, (Brassica oleracea or B. oleracea var. capitata F. rubra), is a variety of white cabbage and a descendent of three distinct cabbage types within the Brassica family.

Cabbage is an important vegetable crop, which originated from Mediterranean region.. Cabbage heads are valuable as sources of vitamins and minerals, as well as a source of cash for small-scale farmers in rural and peri-urban areas.

Open cut red acre cabbage variety

source https://sustainableseedco.com/products/red-acre-cabbage

Red cabbage contains substances called anthocyanin, which are responsible for the red-orange to blue-violet colors found in many fruits and vegetables.Population-based studies have linked a higher intake of anthocyanin’s and other so-called phytochemicals to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.All varieties of cabbage (red, green, or the paler Savoy cabbage) are high in vitamin C and low in calories..A half-cup contains about 45% of the daily-recommended amount of vitamin C, but just 14% of calories. Cabbage is also a good source of fiber and other vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin A and potassium.

Most often pickled, raw shredded red cabbage also makes a striking addition to traditional green salads.In Rwanda, cabbage is mainly produced for the local market.The Northern Province is by far the major cabbage producer, followed by Western Province, Southern Province, Eastern Province and lastly Kigali City.

Sample of red cabbge on the farm just before harvesting

https://plantinstructions.com/vegetables/growing-red-cabbage/

Varieties of Red Cabbage

Variety

Description

Red Dynasty

Source: https://bit.ly/39GNv4n

“Red Dynasty (4-5kg/ head, 45-56t/ acre)cabbage suitable for either fresh market or processing.The round heads are medium to large, have excellent internal color.The plant has a large frame and the heads hold well.

Mammoth Redrock

Source : https://bit.ly/2wZ7yh2

HeadBrassica oleracea) yields large heads 1.2-2.0kg/ with deep-red color, crisp texture and good flavor and yummy in slaws, salads or stir fried.Chock-full of nutrition, this heirloom is ready for harvest in 90 days.

Ruby Ball

Source https://www.harrisseeds.com/products/12317

It is an improved early maturing red cabbage with a dark red exterior color and a good internal red color.The 1.3-1.8 kg round heads are produced on upright plants and have a medium core. The compact plant allows for dense planting and produces heads of excellent quality that hold well at maturity.

Red Acre

source

https://www.amazon.com/300-RED-Acre-Cabbage-Seeds/dp/B07F7JK8DW

Red Acre

Matures early,produces reddish-purple headsEach cabbage head grows to 7 inches in diameter and weighs about 1.3 kg. Resistant to cabbage yellowing

Stores better than just about any other early cabbage variety.Great raw or for coleslaw use.

ariwe uko yagasaruwe cyangwa agakoreshwa muri salade.

Cabbage, Red Rose F1

Source http://www.condorseed.com/vegetables/cabbage/cabbage-red-rose-f1/

-A medium maturing red hybrid, Red Rose is a good yielder that produces firm semi-globe shaped heads well adapted for shipping and storage.

-Heads weight ranges from 1.2-1.4kg.

-Harvest begins from 70 to 75 days after transplanting. -Good resistance to early head bursting

Agro-ecological requirements

Soil: Red cabbages grow on a wide range of soil types ranging from light sand to heavier clays.Soils with high organic matter give the best yields.Apply lime early in soil preparation if the soil pH is less than 6.0.Do not over-lime, otherwise the essential element manganese may become unavailable to plants.Good drainage is important and in high-rainfall areas, crops are grown on raised beds to improve drainage and, for this reason, when working the soil, keep it in the raised position at all times.Red cabbage can be grown on a wide range of soils but it thrives on well-drained, moisture-retentive loamy soils well supplied with organic matterIt does not grow well on highly acidic soil. Ntabwo year neza mu butaka bushaririye cyane.The ideal soil pH ranges from 5.5 to 6.5 and it should not be allowed to fall below 4.5.In soils with pH above 6.5, the leaves become dark and leaf margins die back.Plants in saline soils are also highly susceptible to blackleg disease.
RainfallCool moist weather produces the best quality heads. Consequently, redcabbages can be grown under a wide range of conditions and are adaptable to most production areas in East Africa.Water requirements vary from 380 to 500 mm per crop, depending on climate and length of growing season. Crop water use increases during the growing period with a peak towards the end of the season.
TemperatureRed cabbage grows best in a relatively cool and humid climate. Leaves are more distinctly petiole and the quality of the head is impaired in drier atmospheres. The delicate flavor is also lost under these conditions.The optimum temperatures for growth and development are from 18 °C to 20 °C.It is resistant to frost and can survive temperatures as low as - 3 °C without damage.
AltitudeRed cabbage can be grown at an attitude of about 800-2000 m above sea level in East Africa region.Red cabbage is adapted to a wide variety of climatic conditions and can such be grown throughout the year in most regions.

Seedling and nursery establishment

Red cabbage seedlings in nursery

https://www.gatewaygardener.com/vegetable-gardening/successfully-growing-brassicas

Red cabbage is propagated by seeds, which are sown in the nursery bed and later transplanted after 3-4 weeks. Direct seeding followed by thinning is not normally successful in the tropics.Seed Rate: 300-500g/ha depending on germination capacity.Before transplanting, water nursery bed thoroughly 3-4 hours in advance to minimize damage during lifting of seedlings.Preferable, remove seedlings separately, never pull as this may damage feeding roots. Seedlings are transplanted to rows of 60-75cm apart and 45-60cm within the rows.Wider spacing (75 x 60cm) is usually adopted for late maturing cultivars (up to 130 days) and closer spacing (60 x 45cm) for early maturing cultivars (up to 55 days).Head size can be regulated by plant density

Seed multiplication and certification requirement

Red cabbage requires two seasons to produce seeds.In the first season, the heads are produced and in the following season, seed production follows.Two methods are followed.

In situ method- for certified seed production(Seed to seed method)
Transplanting method - for nucleus seed production (Head to seed method)

Figure 1 Red cabbage seed https://www.banglabazaar.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/5-2.jpg

Integrated soil fertility management

Red cabbage is a heavy feeder and requires supplemental fertilization in the formof manure or compost, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.Fertilizer programmesshould be based on soil analyses and should be developed for eachfield. Cabbage requires 200 to 250 kg nitrogen per hectare. Nitrogen is suppliedin split applications, where 50 % to 66 % is broadcast and ploughed injust before planting.The first application is made together with phosphorusand potassium. The remainder is side-dressed two to three weeks after transplantingand again three weeks later or applied once off at about six weeks. If a fertilizer mixture is preferred, 1 500 kg of 2:3:2 (22) and 100 kg potassiumper hectare may be broadcasted before planting.A top dressing of 300 kgLAN should be applied approximately four weeks after transplanting andagain 4 weeks later if required.

Red Cabbage also needs micronutrients for proper growth and development. Thecrop has a high requirement of calcium and deficiencies of this nutrient mayoccur on acid soils, on soils with very high potassium or on very dry soils. Foliar sprays of calcium nitrate can be used to supply calcium.Magnesiummay also be deficient on acid soils, on very light soils or on soils that are veryhigh in potassium. Spraying the plants with 5 kg magnesium per hectare canrectify the problem.Cabbage is very susceptible to molybdenum deficiency. Plants should besprayed with 125 g of sodium- or ammonium molybdate in 500l of water perhectare as soon as signs of deficiency are noticed. The availability of molybdenummay be increased by providing enough lime prior to planting.Iron maybe applied with a foliar spray with 1 % iron sulphate or chelate.The deficiencyof iron is common on calcareous, alkaline soils. Manganese deficiencies areprevalent on soils with a pH of more than 5.5.A foliar spray of 5 kg per hectareof manganese sulphate or 2 to 3 kg/ha of manganese oxide is suggested assoon as symptoms of deficiency are observed.Cabbage may have borondeficiencies in areas with high rainfall.Three kilograms of Solubor are effective in controlling boron deficiency.

Regenerative agriculture

Regenerative agriculture is a system of farming principles and practices that seeks to rehabilitate and enhance the entire ecosystem of the farm by placing a heavy premium on soil health with attention also paid to water management, fertilizer use, and more.It is a method of farming that “improves the resources it uses, rather than destroying or depleting them. Red cabbage, like most leafy vegetables, is a heavyfeeder and does well in soils with high organicContent. Based on the results of the soil analysis,prepare adequate compost for application.During compost making, the organic matterneed to be covered to prevent leaching ofnutrients.The recommended rate of application rangesfrom 5 – 8 tons/acre. The mulching done on the normal cabbage crop can be replicated on red cabbage production farms.

Source https://www.almanac.com/plant/cabbage

Land preparation

The land should be clean cultivated eight weeks before planting and the ground must be ploughed deeply, immediately before planting, with a diskharrow or other suitable implement to a depth of 450 to 600 mm. The soil should be fumigated two weeks before planting time if necessary, to control nematodes.

Red cabbage seedlings : https://www.growveg.com/guides/growing-cabbages- from-sowing-to-harvest/

Fertilizer application

Top-dressing

The crop should be top dressed with CANfertilizer in 2 splits to avoid nutrient loss through leaching as well as excessive soil salinity. The first split is applied at a rate of 10g/plant (100 kg/acre) 2 – 3 weeks after transplanting. The second split is applied at a rate of 20 gm/plant (200 kg/acre) at the onset of head formation. Placement method is preferred over broadcasting as it is more effective and economical.

You can add fertilizer to the soil just before transplanting cabbage seedlings.Choose a well-balanced granular fertilizer and sprinkle it over the area where you intend to grow cabbage.Till the fertilizer into the soil. Rima winjiza ifumbiire mu butaka. 10-10-10 or 12-12-12 fertilizer works well These three numbers are located on the side of the fertilizer package and tell you how much nitrogen, potassium and phosphate are contained in that particular fertilizer. Most granular fertilizers are applied at a rate of 1 1/2 pounds per 100 square feet of garden space.Check the label on the fertilizer package and follow the manufacturer's directions for the rate of application.

Once the seedlings are about 6 inches tall, you can fertilize them again with a well-balanced water-soluble fertilizer.Just mix it with water according to the manufacturer's instructions and spray around your cabbage plants. At this stage, it's better to avoid granular fertilizers as they will burn the cabbage plants if they come in direct contact.When the cabbage plants begin to form heads, a second dose of water-soluble fertilizer can be added.This will give the plants the energy they need to produce large, nicely formed heads.

Planting

Cabbage is a heavy feeder; it quickly depletes the soil of required nutrients.Prepare the soil in advance by mixing in aged manure and/or compost.Soil should be well draining roots that stand in water cause heads to split or rot. Plant seedlings 12 to 24 inches apart in rows, depending on the size of head desired.

Crop management

a) Irrigation

Cabbage should be irrigated immediately after sowing or transplanting.Thereafter, irrigation should be applied at intervals of 10 to 12 days in heavy soils or eight days in light soils and the schedule should be followed until the heads are fully developed and firm.Young plants should receive enough water for vegetative growth before forming heads.Excess moisture when theheads have formed may cause them to crack.

b)Weed control

Weeds are controlled mechanically or by hand as well as chemically through the application of registered herbicides.Mechanical cultivation should be done during land preparation until the plants are about half-grown.The firstcultivationshould be done two to three weeks after transplanting.

Pest & Disease Management

Disease

Symptoms

Management

Black rot (Xanthomonas campestris pv. Campestris)

Black rot is one of the most serious cabbage diseases during high rainfall and heavy dew conditions and increased temperature.

Source

https://www. eorganic.org/

-Yellow, brown or black v-shaped patches at the edge of the leaves.

-In later stages, head turns black with an offensive foul smell.Bacterial ooze also will be visible on the surface of diseased tissue.

Disease-free transplants should be used.
Remove all infected plants and debris from the field and destroy by burning.
Spray the remaining healthy plants using a copper-based protective fungicide (e.g. Copper-oxychloride: 250g/250ml water/has) to suppress further damage.

Bacterial soft rot (Erwinia carotovora var. carotovora)

The disease may be found in the field, but is most severe during storage. While in the field, it begins with leaves touching the ground.

Source https://www.infonet-biovision.org/

Cabbage Aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae) Several species of aphids attack brassicas in East Africa cabbage. Aphids have a good camouflage.

Source

https://www.growveg.com/pests/us-and-canada/cabbage-aphid/

-An infected head is watery and often has a complete head rot.

-The affected area becomes soft and mushy and generally turns dark in color.

- Distorted leaves

- Curling of leaves

-Aphids cause gray-green whitish waxy coating.

Plant on ridges or raised beds to prevent waterlogging around the plants and respect crop rotation.

Prevent other diseases (e.g. black rot; damping-off) or damage that may provide opportunities for soft rot to develop.
Spray of fungicides including Copper Oxychloride (such as FUGURAN) at the early stage of head formation and after heavy rain is also recommended.

-Pull up and compost old plants.

- Intercrop with onion, garlic, spider plant, coriander to attract natural enemies.

-Avoid too much N.

- Plant in a well prepared fertile seedbed to promote crop vigor.

-Keep the fields free of weeds and alternative hosts.

-Manage the field to favor natural enemies such as ladybird beetles and hover flies.

-Use overhead irrigation to knock aphids off the leaves.

-For chemical control, spray insecticides like Cypermethrine, Roket, etc.

Cabbage maggot

SOURCE

https://www.growveg.com/pests/us-and-canada/cabbage-aphid/

-When eggs hatch, cabbage maggot larvae tunnel into roots.

- Maggots feed on roots of cabbage.

-Plants wilt and shrivel when feeding is heavy.

-Ground beetles are important natural predators.

-Mulching should be practiced around the base of the red cabbage.

-pull off damaged plants and shake them away from the farm.

Downy mildew (Peronospora parasitica)

Source

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/vegetable/watermelon/foliar-diseases/powdery-mildew/

-characteristic symptoms are appearance of purplish brown spots on under-surface of leaves.

- Upper surface of leaves has lesions in tan (yellowish brown) to yellow color.

-Infection exposes heads to soft rot.

-Destruction of diseased debris after harvest of the crop.

-Spray the plants using Mancozeb or a copper-based protective fungicide at 15days interval soon after appearance of the disease.

Whitefly(Aleyrodes proletella)

Source https://www.infonet-biovision.org/PlantHealth/Crops/CabbageKale-Brassicas

Diamond back moth (DBM) (Plutella xylostella) Urunyo rufite umugongo wa Diyama (DBM) (plutella xylostella)

this is a major pest for all brassica species.

SOURCE

https://www.infonet-biovision.org/PlantHealth/Crops/CabbageKale-Brassicas

Whiteflies feed on cabbage and brassica family of crop.Adult whiteflies are about 1 mm long.

-Natural enemies such as ladybird beetles, predatory mites and lacewings.

-Proper fertilizer application because application of high doses of nitrogen fertilizer favors development of the pest.

-Use mineral oils, neem products or spray with soapy water solutions.

-To control DBM in small size farms, cover seedlings with row covers (fine nylon mesh) to prevent moths from laying eggs on the leaves and or next to the plant.

-Intercropping Brassicas with repellent plants such as tomato reportedly reduces DBM infestation in cabbage.When intercropping with tomato, the cabbage crop is planted 30 days after tomato.

-Biological control of DBM using parasitoid wasp Diadegma semiclausum has proven very effective.

-Botanicals such as neem-based pesticides are very effective for control of DBM.

-Chemical control: Cypermethrine based chemicals like DUDU-CYPER and ROKET (at 1ml/1L of water) may be effective.

-Use mineral oils, neem products or spray with soapy water solutions.

A full-grown diamondback caterpillar is about 1cm long.Young larvae feed on leaves, leaving intact parchment like epidermis.Growth of younger seedlings is inhibited and produces holes in leaves.

Harvest and Post-Harvest Management of Red cabbage

a)Harvesting maturity

Red cabbage is ready for harvest once they are big enough and have that deep, purple color.The crop is harvested when the heads attain their full size and become firmand hard but tender.The color of the head is sometimes used as a maturityindex. A fully developed head has a lighter shade of green.The crop for picklingshould be harvested when the cover leaves curl back and the whiteleaves beneath are exposed. If harvesting is delayed, the heads may split androts may occur while the heads harvested early may be soft.This will encourage the plant to grow new heads.Pinch them off until only 3 or 4 smaller heads remain. After harvesting, be sure to remove entire root system to prevent soil borne diseases.

b)Harvesting methods

The crop for the fresh market is harvested by hand with a knife, sickle, orsimply pull from the ground gently.Cabbagefor storage and/or processing is harvested at once mechanically.Theheads should be cut off in such a way that a few of the large, open wrapperleaves are left for protection around the heads.It will take about 70 days from planting to harvest.To get two crops, cut the cabbage head off the plant, leave the outer leaves, and root in the soil.Harvesting should be suchthat bruising of the heads is avoided as this makes them unattractive.

c)Post-harvest handling

Harvested produce should always be removed from direct sunlight and transportedto the packing shed as soon as possible.Cabbage and leafy greensare particularly susceptible to wilting and other damage from high temperatures.When there is a delay of more than an hour or two between harvest andpacking, a water drench or spray arrangement can help prevent dehydrationand overheating.

i)Sorting and grading: All the injured leaves should be removed when harvesting the red cabbage to ensure the quality is maintained.

ii)Packing: Red cabbage is packed in mesh pockets or gunny bases and at times sold loose in pieces upon arrival in markets.

iii)StorageThe optimum storage temperature for allcabbage is 0 °C and relative humidity of90 % to 95 %.Cabbage to be store should be mature and disease-free andshould not have been exposed to prolonged frost or cold.. Further trimmingmay be necessary, mainly to remove the discolored butt upon removal fromstorage.

iv)TransportCare must be taken that trucks are not overloaded and the bottom layers ofproduce are crushed. Generally, the produce should be covered with a sheetto prevent frosting or desiccation, but on warmer days, when sweating andheating might occur, the sheet should be left off.

Marketing

In Rwanda, cabbage is mainly produced for the local market.The major cabbage production areas are across the country in the north, south and western regions. Red cabbages can be marketed as seedlings as well as cabbage heads for local consumption and export. Rwanda cabbages are packed in waxed boxes or crates with a capacity of 20.4 kilos. 20.4. Larger boxes have a weight measure of 22.6 kilosThe boxes come with the sizes of 1 ¾ bushel or at most one 7/8th bushels.Other alternative for packing Rwanda cabbages is the bulk bin.All carrying media including cardboard boxes and crates come bound in tough wire to secure the cargo during palletized transportation.Each head is carefully wrapped in a polyethylene bag before insertion into the bin or crate.The cabbages can be stored in a cold room environment at 0 degrees Celsius.The delivery of the cargo to the airport is done in refrigerated vehicles that maintain the controlled temperatures of the cold room for export market.