Cabbage Integrated Pest Management : An Ecological Guide.

Major Agronomic Practicesrows with tomato seedraised seedbedSeed is sown about 1.5 - 2 cm deep in rows at a spacing of about 2.5 cm between the plants and 30 cmbetween the rows. Seed is either broadcast in rows and thinned out later or placed individually every 2.5cm. If the seed is placed deeper, it will take more time to germinate, so it takes longer before seedlingsare ready for transplanting. When seed is sown less than about 1 cm deep, it will be more susceptible todrought, and will form weaker seedlings.Broadcasting the whole seedbed usually costs a lot of seed and results in irregular patches of seedlingswhich need to be thinned out to obtain strong seedlings.Precision sowing: inspiration from Jessore, Bangladesh:A farmer from Jessore sows his eggplant nursery with help of a wooden frame with small pins whichhe places on the soil of the nursery beds. The pins make small holes in the soil at equal intervals toindicate the positions of the seed. He then sows 2 to 3 seeds in each hole. With this method ofprecision sowing, this farmer was able to get a good nursery with a small amount of seed . Goodidea, especially for expensive hybrid seed! J(pers. comm. Farmer Yousuf, Jessore, Bangladesh, 1998)Sometimes, the nursery is covered with a layer of mulch, e.g. rice straw or rice husk, to protect the soilfrom becoming very hot and drying out (during a warm and dry period) and to prevent weeds fromgerminating. It also prevents birds from roaming around in the beds and eating the seed. Usually, themulch has to be removed once the seedlings have germinated or it can be moved aside to give enoughspace to seedlings but still covering the area next to the seedlings. When straw is used as mulch, atleast the long pieces of straw should be removed. After germination, it is recommended to thin the plantsto 2-3 cm apart to ensure that each plant will have sufficient space and nutrients to become strong.When necessary, shade and shelter for heavy rainfall can be provided by placing polythene or bamboomats over the nursery beds. Do not shadow the nursery beds for too long a period as this results inweaker and stretched seedlings.3.7.2.2 Sowing in potsIn areas with heavy soil-borne disease infestation, or with unsuitable soil for a nursery site, it is possibleto raise seedlings in pots. Pots made out of banana leaf can be used, polybags, jars or other materials.The pots are usually removed at transplanting. The pots are usually filled with clean soil and somecompost. Various soil mixes can be tried, for example sub-soil with compost (see section 3.7.1.3).One or two seeds are sown in each pot. The pots are watered regularly and protected from full sun or rainif necessary.Cabbage Ecological Guide - 200040