Site-Specific Macronutrient Management for Cauliflower (<em>Brassica oleracea</em> L.) in Batapola Sri Lanka

Abstract

A blanket fertilizer was recommended by the Department of Agriculture (DOA) for all species of cabbage. However, the fertilizer application is needed to be site-specific. Hence a field experiment was conducted at Ambalangoda during the Maha season in 2019 with the objective of evaluating the effect of Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg) and Boron (B) on the yield and the Quality of cauliflower. Batapola Ambalangoda soil was analyzed for available nutrients and identified the most deficit macronutrients as Ca, B and Mg. This was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with four replicates. One plot size was 1m × 2m and each plot had ten plants. Five treatments were taken as NPK (DOA recommendation) (T1), NPK + Ca + Mg (T2), NPK + Ca + Mg + B (T3), NPK + Ca (T4), NPK + Mg (T5). Incorporating magnesium, calcium and boron with the DOA recommendation resulted in larger cauliflower curds under field conditions, contributing to a 44.2 % increase in curd yield. The additional four days of shelf life were observed in the curds of T3.