Effect of Planting Date and Spacing on Growth, Yield and Quality of Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2025 at the Agronomy Research Farm, School of Agriculture, Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, to evaluate the effect of different planting dates and spacing on growth, yield and quality of cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.). The experiment was laid out in a Factorial Randomised Block Design with 12 treatment combinations and three replications. The treatments comprised three planting dates, viz., 15 September, 30 September and 15 October, and four spacing levels, viz., 45 × 30, 45 × 45, 60 × 45 and 60 × 60 cm. The results revealed that planting on 30 September in combination with wider spacing generally produced superior growth and head characteristics. The treatment combination P₂S₄ (30 September planting + 60 × 60 cm) recorded the maximum plant height (39.12 cm), head width (26.44 cm), head weight (1.50 kg) and head yield per plot (149.67 kg), along with the minimum number of non-wrapper leaves (11.20). However, the maximum head yield (75.56 t ha⁻¹) was recorded under P₂S₁ (30 September planting + 45 × 30 cm), indicating the advantage of optimum plant population for maximising yield per unit area. The earliest head initiation (41.60 days) and fewest days to harvest (76.33 days) were recorded under P₃S₄ (15 October planting + 60 × 60 cm). Quality parameters were also significantly influenced by planting date and spacing. The highest ascorbic acid content (40.80 mg 100 g⁻¹), total sugar content (4.33%) and TSS (7.40 °Brix) were recorded with 30 September planting, whereas 60 × 60 cm spacing recorded the highest ascorbic acid content (38.85 mg 100 g⁻¹), total sugar (4.09%) and TSS (6.93 °Brix). Economically, P₂S2 proved superior, recording the highest net return of ₹7,40,866 ha⁻¹ and benefit ratio of 4.47.