Kern 860 F1 Cabbage

Kern 860 is an F1 hybrid cabbage with an extremely firm, uniform, oval-round head and a very tight internal texture. Harvest starts at 55–60 days.

Land and sowing window

• Season: autumn
• Soil: well-drained, friable loam rich in organic matter. Sandy loam suits the early crop; clay loam or silt loam gives heavier heads
• Haryana, Punjab, West UP: nursery sowing mid-August to October; transplanting September to mid-November. PAU calls September–October the ideal planting time in the plains; HAU gives September–November
• Rajasthan plains: the same window — sow the nursery once the worst of the heat has passed
• Rule of thumb: cabbage heads up best in cool, moist weather and loses quality in dry heat (PAU) — plan the transplanting so that heading falls in the cool months, not in the warm days of late February–March

How to sow

• Seed rate: about 100–150 g of hybrid seed per acre for the nursery — 10–15 packs of 10 g. Hybrid seed needs far less than the 200–250 g per acre that PAU gives for open-pollinated varieties
• Nursery: raised beds 1–1.5 m wide and 10–15 cm high, about 50 m² for an acre, with well-rotted FYM mixed in. Sow 1–2 cm deep in lines 5 cm apart and cover lightly
• Seed treatment: captan 3 g per kg of seed against damping-off (PAU), or a Trichoderma formulation 4 g per kg. Drench the beds if seedlings start collapsing
• Transplanting: at 4–5 weeks, when seedlings are 10–15 cm tall. Do not hold seedlings beyond 6 weeks — over-aged seedlings give small, poor heads. Transplant in the evening into a moist field and irrigate at once
• Spacing: 45 cm × 45 cm — about 20,000 plants per acre. Use 60 cm × 45 cm if you want slightly bigger heads or are planting late
• Pack size: 10 g

Manure and fertiliser (per acre)

• FYM / compost: 15–20 tonnes of well-rotted manure worked in 3–4 weeks before transplanting — cole crops respond strongly to organic matter
• Nitrogen (N): 50 kg (about 110 kg urea) — half before transplanting, half as top dressing 4 weeks after transplanting, with earthing up
• Phosphorus (P₂O₅): 20–25 kg, all before transplanting
• Potash (K₂O): 20–25 kg, all before transplanting

Water, weeds and pests

• Irrigation: first irrigation immediately after transplanting, then every 10–15 days (7–8 days while the weather is still warm) — 8–12 irrigations in all. Keep moisture even from head formation to maturity, and do not over-irrigate near harvest: a sudden flush of water splits firm heads
• Weeds: 2–3 shallow hoeings in the first 6 weeks; keep hoeing shallow because the roots are near the surface. Earth up at about 30 days with the nitrogen top dressing. A pre-emergence herbicide such as pendimethalin, 1.25 litre per acre right after transplanting (HAU), is an option
• Pests: diamondback moth is the one to watch, with cabbage caterpillar and tobacco caterpillar in the early crop and aphids in January–February. Pick off egg masses and clusters of young larvae; PAU prefers Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) sprays for the first rounds
• Pests and disease: scout regularly and spray only as per label and your state advisory. In the nursery, damping-off is the main risk — use treated seed and avoid over-watering

Harvest

• Harvest starts: 55–60 days
• Head: oval-round, about 1–1.2 kg, firm and uniform
• Stage: cut as soon as the head is firm and hard to press at marketable size. Waiting even a few days past this can split the heads and invites rot
• Cutting: cut the stalk flat below the head, keeping 2–4 wrapper leaves as a cushion, and hold the produce in shade before packing

Crop practices follow state agricultural university recommendations for North India; confirm doses for your district with your Kern dealer or KVK.

Please quote product code KERN-860 when ordering.

Agronomy helpline: 9107062062

किसानों की ज़ुबानी

कण 860 पत्तागोभी — किसान जिशान, मुरशदपुर, हापुड़