HYBRID SEED PRODUCTION

OF CABBAGE
V DIVYADHARSHINI
2015006012
 CABBAGE
• Brassica oleracea subsp. capitata (2n = 2x = 18) is one of the
most important vegetables grown throughout the world.
• It has wide adaptability, high disease and stress resistance,
high yield potential and strong transporting tolerance.
• India grows cabbage in approximately 3.10 lakh hectares
with an average productivity of 221 q/ha.
• The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO) reported that world production of cabbage
and other brassicas for 2014 was 71.8 million metric tonnes
Seeding growth
• Today, the Indian seed industry is the fifth largest
seed market in the world, accounting for 4.4% of
global seed market.
• The hybrid seed market has grown at a stupendous
CAGR of 36.1 per cent over the period FY’2007-
FY’2013.
• Increased demand.
FLORAL BIOLOGY
• The inflorescence is an unbranched and indeterminate
terminal raceme .
• A cabbage flower has four sepals, four petals, six stamens in
tetradynamous condition (two short and four long stamens)
• Bicarpellary ovary which is superior and has a false septum.
• Ovules are attached on both the sides of septum. Two active
nectaries are located between the bases of short stamens
and ovary.
• The buds open under pressure of rapidly growing petals and
become fully expanded in about 12 hrs.
• cabbage is naturally cross-pollinated due to
sporophytic self-incompatibility.
• Pollination is brought about by bees and flies.
• Bud pollination is effective to achieve selfing.
• For cross-pollination flower buds expected to open
within 1-2 days are emasculated and are pollinated
immediately with desired pollen using a
brush/flower stamens.
• Pollen fertility is maximum on the day of anthesis.
Parental line development
• With self-incompatible plants, bud pollination gives
better results.
• In this system, the pollination is carried out in buds
before 2-4 days of opening, with emasculation or
without emasculation.
• The seed production plot of parental inbred lines is
covered with net to avoid contamination by bees or
other insects.
• The mixed pollen collected from the same line should
be used for pollination to avoid viability depression
from continuous selfing.
• Anthesis occurs 8.00 -10.00 hr.
• Stigma is receptive for about 5 days before and 4
days after anthesis.
• Fertilization - 5 days after pollination.
Bud pollination
F1
• When pollination cages are available, cross
between self incompatible type can be made by
insects.
• Set out cross compatible but self incompatible line
in alternate rows.
• Male : female = 1:1
Pollination cage
Cabbage hybrids could be of
following kinds:
• Single cross : a cross between two inbreds.
• Double cross : A cross between two single crosses
• Top cross : cross between a single self-incompatible
inbred line as female and a good open- pollinated
cultivar as pollen parent.
• Till, late eighties, most of the cabbage hybrids
produced in United States were top crosses.
Considerations...

• Isolation distance of at least 2000 m from

cauliflower, kohlrabi, broccoli, kale, Brussels
sprouts, etc.
• Provision of approximately 15 honey bee boxes/ha.
• Synchronized flowering of the parental inbreds.
• Planting ratio of 1: 1 for the parental inbreds
Problems in the Breeding of F1
Hybrids:

• Depression by inbreeding
• Reduction of incompatibility by environmental
conditions
• Restriction of pollination within parental lines by
bees instead of random movement of bees
Selection technique
• Head shape
• Head size
• Core width
• Plant height
• Core length
• Core solidity
• Head compactness
• Cabbage requires two seasons to produce seeds. In
the first season the heads are produced and in the
following season seed production follows.
• Two methods are followed:
• In situ method - for certified seed production (Seed
to seed method)
• Transplanting method - for nucleus seed production
(Head to seed method)
• In situ method
• In this method, the crop is allowed to over winter
and produce seeds in their original position, where
they are first planted.

• Transplanting method:
• Matured plants are uprooted and the outer whorls
removed. Then the plants are replanted in a well
prepared new field.
Methods for facilitating flowering:

3 methods :
• Stump method
• Stump with central core intact method
• Head intact method
Stump method
• Heads examined for trueness to type
• Heads are cut just below the base by means of sharp knife, keeping
the stem with outer whorl of leaves.
• Beheaded portion of plant is called stump.
• After dormancy is broken , buds sprout from axils of all leaves and
leaf scars.
• Advantages:
• Extra income
• Matures 12 - 15 days earlier.
• Seed yield is increased.
• Disadvantages:
• Flowering shoots are decumbent and requires heavy stacking.
HEAD

S
T
U
M
P
Bud sprouts
Stump with central core intact
method
• Heads are chopped on all sides with downward
perpendicular cuts in such a way that central core is
not damaged.
• Improvement over stump method.
• During last week of February and upto 15th March
when head starts bursting, 2 vertical cuts are
given.( Central growing part not injured)
• In absence of such cuts, heads burst out irregularly
and sometimes growing tip is broken.
• Advantages:
• Very heavy stacking is not necessary.
• Seed yield is increased.
• Disadvantages:
• Chopped heads cannot be marketed.
Stump + Head
Chopping the head
STUMP WITH CORE
CORE INTACT METHOD
Head intact method
• Head is kept intact and only a cross-cut is given to
facilitate the emergence of stalk.
• Advantages:
• Removal of heads or chopping of heads on all sides is
not required.
• Very heavy stacking is not required.
• Disadvantages:
• Seed yield is slightly lower as compared to stump, or
stump with central core intact method.
HEAD INTACT METHOD
Head intact method
Head intact method
Climatic requirements

• Cool, moist climate with moderate to heavy rainfall.

• Can withstand frost during head stage.
• Requires a dormant period of cool Temperature to
bolt and initiate seed stalks and flowers.
• Seed stalks are formed at mean temperature of 5 °
C for 6-8 weeks.
Land requirements
• Free of volunteer plants.
• Deep, fertile soil with well supplied organic matter.
• pH - 5.5
• Well drained
Isolation requirements
• Cross pollination - by bees
• Separated from fields of other varieties and of
same variety not confirming to varietal purity
requirements of certification.
• Foundation class -1600 m
• Certified seed class - 1000 m
 Spacing
Spacing
• Late varieties - 60*60cm
• Medium varieties - 60*45cm
• Early varieties - 45*45cm.
Method of sowing in nursery
• 5cm apart in rows of raised bed
• 25 nursery beds of 2-2.5m long and 1-1.25m wide -
for one ha.
• Ammonium sulfate or CAN spray at 10-15 days
after germination.
• Thin sowing.
Source of seed

• Seed rate:
• Main season and late varieties - 375to 400g/ha
• Early varieties - 600-750g / ha
Seed treatment
• Hot water treatment to seeds at 50°C for 30
minutes is done to prevent seed-borne pathogens.
• Immediately after the treatment, the seeds should
be used for sowing within 24 hr.
• Land preparation:
• Prepared to fine tilth by deep ploughing
• 3-4 harrowings followed by levelling.
• Fertilisation:
• 25t of FYM
• 200-300kg of super phosphate, 100kg of potassium
sulphate before transplanting.
• Top dressing: 2 doses of ammonium sulfate or CAN
• 75-100kg -2-3weeks after transplanting.
• 200-250 kg at time of stalk emergence during
March.
• Spraying of 150ppm ethrel at time of emergence of
flowering stalks increase seed yield.
• Irrigation :
• Requires continuous supply of moisture.
• Sudden heavy irrigation after a dry spell may cause
bursting of heads.

• Hoeing and weeding:

• 3 weeding and hoeings till the end of October.one
weeding and earthing up in November and December .
• Second during March when seed stalks have emerged.
• Stacking:
• After flower stalks are sufficiently developed- to
keep plants in upright position.

• Handling:
• After flower heads are formed, handling by
anybody the 3 methods.
Field standards
Factors Foundation seed Certified seed

Off types 1.00 0.50

Other crop plants - -

Objectionable weeds - -

Diseased plants 0.10 0.50

Insect pest and disease
• Pests:
• Diamond back moth - Plutella xylostella
• Cabbage butterfly - Pieris brassicae
• Cabbage borer - Hellula undalis
• Cabbage aphid- Brevicoryne brassicae
• Mustard sawfly- Athelia lugens proxima
• Cut worms- Agrotis segetum , Agrotis ipsilon
• Mustard aphid- -Lipaphis erysimi
Diseases
• Damping off - Pythium aphanidermatum
• Club root of cabbage - Plasmodiophora brassicae
• Black leg of cabbage - Phoma lingum
• Cabbage yellows - Fusarium oxysporum sp.
conglutians
• Pre bloom spray of 0.025 percent methyl Demeton plus
0.1 percent DDT applied just before flowering takes
good care of sucking pests and chewing pests.
• Bloom stage application of insecticides is necessitated
on seed cauliflower, Neem oil should be mixed with
spray to keep away honey bees and other pollinators.
• For Damping off, drench nursery with 150g of Captan in
100L of water to cover 2000m2 area before sowing.
 Rogueing

• The first roguing is done at the time of handling the mature

heads.
• All off type plants, diseased or undesirable types are removed at
this stage.
• Second roguing is done before the heads start bursting, the loose
leaves poorly heading plants and those having a long stem and
heavy frame, most by rogued out at this stage, subsequent
roguing for off types, diseased plants affected by phyllody, black
leg, black rot, soft rot or leaf spot should be done from time to
time as required.
• Subsequent roguing for off-types, diseased plants should be
removed from time to time.
Harvesting and threshing
• Seed stalk elongation from 10-20 the March when mean temp.
Is 10-13°C.
• Flowering and pod formation starts during 1st week of April at
mean temp. of 13-18.5°C.
• From 15th April to 15th may - full flesh of flowering and
fruiting.
• 15-20th June - ripening of pods
• 2nd week of July - harvesting
• Mean temp. below 20°C during June and July, maturity of crop
is delayed by a fortnight and harvesting extends upto July end.
•
Harvester
• To avoid shattering of seeds, whole crop is
harvested in 2/3 lots with sickles.
• When pod colour in about 60-70 percent of rest of
the crop changes to yellowish brown , it is
harvested completely and piled up for curing.
• After4-5 days , it is turned upside down and
allowed to cure for another 4-5 days.
• Then threshed with sticks and sifted with hand
sifters.
• After thoroughly drying, cleaned and stored.
Seed yield
• Five hundred to six hundred and fifty kg per ha.
• 1000 seed weight -3.3 g.
• Seed multiplication ratio – 100
Seed standards
Factor Foundation seed Certified seed

Pure seed (min.) 98% 98%

Inert matter(max.) 2% 2%

Other crop seed(max.) In 5/kg 10/kg

Nos.
Total weed seed (max. In 5/kg 10/kg
Nos.)
Germination( Min.) 70% 70%

MC ( Max.) 7% 7%

VP container ((Max.) 5% 5%
References
• Babasaheb B. Desai,Seeds handbook: processing and storage,2004,
CRC Press.
• Rattan Lal Agarwal,1996, Seed technology, Oxford & IBH publishing
Pvt.Ltd.
• Agriculture today, May 2015
• www.youtube.com
• http://www.biologydiscussion.com/vegetable-breeding/cabbage-
origin-production-and-breeding-methods-india/68499
• https://www.researchgate.net/figure/fig1_311594050
• http://ecoursesonline.iasri.res.in/mod/page/view.php?id=17662
• http://eagri.org/eagri50/HORT281/lec12.html