Cabbage Plant Responses to Nitrogen Fertilization¹

Abstract

Nitrogen fertilization may affect the yield components and quality attributes of vegetables grown for processing. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of N fertilization systems on cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. Capitata group) grown for kraut. The concentrations and contents of nitrate‐N and total N in the plants were used to determine the availability of N and uptake of N from the soil and/or fertilizer N during the growing season. Urea broadcast at 15 g N/m2 and worked into the soil preplant was compared to ammonium nitrate applied at a rate of 15 g N/m2 split into three 5 g N/m2 applications (banded at planting time plus sidedressed early plus sidedressed midseason) as fertilization systems for cabbage grown under field conditions in 1978 and 1979. The soil was a Lima silt loam (Glossoboric Hapludalf, fine loamy, mixed mesic), a productive soil derived from calcareous glacial till. Plants were spaced 4/m2. Tops of four plants grown without fertilizer N contained 12 g N/m2 at harvest. Fertilizer N applied at 15 g N/m2 increased the total N in the plant tops to 22 g N/m2. This was an increase in plant N equivalent to two‐thirds of the rate of fertilizer N applied. Cabbage plants grown without fertilizer N yielded 4 kg fresh weight/m2. Fertilizer N at 15 g N/m2, either as urea or ammonium nitrate, yielded 8 kg of heads/m2. Fertilizer N at 30 g/m2 from urea plus ammonium nitrate yielded 10 kg heads/m2. Plants grown with fertilizer N had a lower percentage of dry weight in the heads, and had higher percentages of burst heads and heads with tipburn than heads of plants grown without fertilizer N. Thus, fertilizer N increased the yield but decreased the quality of cabbage heads grown for kraut.

Genotypic differences in nitrogen efficiency of white cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.)

“…Ontogenesis, in contrast, does not seem to be influenced by N rate (Peck 1981), which was also found for cauliflower (Everaarts and De Moel 1995). The number of leaves developed until heading and the harvest index (Hara et al 1982;von Brandis and Scharpf 1987) were not found to be affected by the N rate.…”

“…Total dry matter production and head yields as well as plant N contents are strongly influenced by the level of N supply (Peck 1981). Ontogenesis, in contrast, does not seem to be influenced by N rate (Peck 1981), which was also found for cauliflower (Everaarts and De Moel 1995).…”

Accumulation of Macronutrients in Cv. 'Astrus' Cabbage as Influenced by Nitrogen Dose and Plant Population

“…The largest amount of accumulated N (5.42 g plant -1 ) was observed in the plant population of 31,250 plants ha -1 that was fertilized with 300 kg ha -1 of N (D 1 N 3 ), which was not significantly different from the levels found for the N doses of 100 and 200 kg ha -1 in the same plant population (Table 1) (Table 1). The accumulated amounts of N at the combinations of doses of N and plant population were between 7.67 and 2.45 g plant -1 , as reported by Peck (1981) and Oliveira et al (2003), respectively. The plant population may be considered the most important factor that affects the amount of N in the plant.…”

Influence of nitrogen fertilization on cabbage yield, head nitrogen content and extractable soil inorganic nitrogen at harvest

“…Reports heads and on the quantity of extractable soil which do provide information on N uptake, inorganic N at harvest. for example Peck (1981) and Greenwood The experiment was conducted in 1987 and et al (1980) There are several indicators which suggest that, even at the highest rate of N application used in the study, the N application rate was not excessive in terms of crop growth. First, the calculated maximum economic yield occurred at a N rute 24% higher than the maximum N rate applied.…”