Crop guide

Cabbage

Cabbage Crop Program – Pakistan 1. Soil Preparation • Deep ploughing 2–3 times for a fine, well-prepared seedbed. • Farm Yard Manure (FYM): 3–4 tons per acre before final ploughing.

Rabi Sowing Aug–Sep Harvest May–May 120–200 maund per acre

Soil Preparation

Deep ploughing 2–3 times for a fine, well-prepared seedbed.
Farm Yard Manure (FYM): 3–4 tons per acre before final ploughing.
Soil should be fertile, well-drained, and slightly acidic to neutral (pH 6–7).

Sowing Time

Season Nursery Sowing Transplanting
Winter crop August – September October – November
Spring crop December – January February – March
Seedlings are ready for transplanting after 30–40 days.

Seed Treatment

Treat seed with Thiophanate Methyl (Portible) @ 2 g/kg seed to prevent damping-off disease.

Transplanting

Row-to-row distance: 2–2.5 ft (60–75 cm)
Plant-to-plant distance: 1.5–2 ft (45–60 cm)
Transplant healthy 4–5 leaf seedlings in the evening to reduce transplanting shock.

Fertilizer Recommendation (per acre)

Fertilizer Quantity Application Time
DAP (18:46:0) 1–1.5 bags (50–75 kg) At transplanting
Urea (46% N) 1 bag (50 kg) Half at transplanting, half 30 days later
SOP (Potash) 1 bag (50 kg) At head formation stage
Nitrogen improves growth, and Potash enhances head size and quality.

Irrigation

First irrigation immediately after transplanting.
Then every 7–10 days, depending on weather.
Critical stages:
Early vegetative growth
Head formation
Avoid over-irrigation to prevent root rot.

Weed Control

Weed Damage Control Product
Bathu (Lambsquarters) Germinates with the crop in the cold weeks and takes the nitrogen meant for heading, so the heads stay loose and light. Pendimethalin 33%EC
Fumitory (Shahtra) Comes up thick soon after transplanting and takes the light and moisture from the small plants, so the crop starts slow and heads late. Pendimethalin 33%EC
Sweet Clover (Senji) Germinates in a thick flush with the winter irrigations and takes the water and nitrogen meant for heading, so the heads come small. Pendimethalin 33%EC
Canary Grass (Dumbi Sitti) Germinates thick with the winter irrigations and keeps taking water and nitrogen right through head filling, so the heads weigh light at cutting. Pendimethalin 33%EC
Dock (Jangli Palak, Rumex dentatus) Its broad leaves shade the young plants and it takes the nitrogen through the season, so the crop heads late and the heads come small. Hand weeding with the hoeing 20–25 days after transplanting

First hoeing 20–25 days after transplanting.
Chemical control:
Apply Pendimethalin 33%EC (1 litre per acre) after transplanting but before the weeds come up. It only catches weeds as they germinate.
That layer is spent about 6–8 weeks after transplanting. The flush of dumbi sitti and other weeds that comes up after it is gone has to be taken out by hand, with a second hoeing — a second Pendimethalin 33%EC pass over weeds already standing does nothing and the money is lost.

Major Insect Pests & Control

Pest Damage Recommended Insecticide
Cabbage butterfly Feeds on leaves, reduces quality Veento™ 1.9% EC (Emamectin Benzoate)
Aphids Suck sap, stunted growth D-Pest™ 25% WP (Imidacloprid) or Coupraze™ 25% WG (Thiamethoxam)
Cutworm Cuts seedlings near soil Zizir 10% EC (Bifenthrin) soil application or spray
Diamondback moth Makes holes in leaves Veento™ 1.9% EC (Emamectin Benzoate)

Major Diseases & Control

Disease Symptoms Control
Damping-off Seedlings wilt and collapse Seed treatment with Carbendazim
Leaf curl virus Leaves become thick and twisted Remove infected plants + control whitefly
Alternaria Leaf Spot / Head Rot Dark ringed spots on the outer leaves and on the head Espot 50% SC (Azoxystrobin + Tebuconazole)
Powdery mildew White powdery layer on leaves Vesant 80% (Sulphur 80%)
Black Rot V-shaped yellow patches in from the leaf edge, veins turning black Sow treated seed, rogue out infected plants and rotate away from cabbage and its relatives. It is a bacterium, so no fungicide will stop it