CauliflowerIntroductionCauliflower is a plant of cruciferea family, and it requires soil pH between 6 to 6.8 and it requires
basically a cool climate, the ideal temperature required is 17 C to 30 C. and generally it clay loam soil is suitable for its cultivation. The common diseases of
cauliflower are whiptail, black rot and leaf spot. And it is prone to pests such as aphids, cabbage white butterfly and cabbage moth etc. there are various kind of varieties of cauliflower are available nowadays. we develop a plant nutrition program so that we could achieve the appropriate condition for the plant’s growth and by assuring the proper implementation we can get optimum yield.Field Testing Activities:Land PreparationAs cauliflower needs soil pH between 6 to 7 I had to make sure that my soil meets the required level of pH. For the measurement of soil pH I used pH meter which is the easiest way to measure the pH level of your soil pH. As in general soil my soil pH is also between 6 to 7. otherwise I needed to apply Lime or Gypsum accordingly to meet the required level of soil pH. And this should be applied by using the broadcasting method. But as my soil was complying with the prescribed crop pH I moved on and done ripping and deep ploughing for the reducement of compaction or hardpan which could have developed due to intensive cultivation of last two to three years. After the ripping procedure I applied needed herbicide for the removal of remaining weeds. Once this is done successfully paddock was ready for the seedling.Soil SamplingThe main objective of soil sampling is to find that what nutrients are available and what not. By knowing the availability of nutrients we can determine the crop as well as what fertilizers are need for the better yield. The procedure of sampling starts by randomly selectin the soil from the paddock either by zigzag way or by other method. The main aim should be that we get best
representative sample of the soil and one should keep in mind that he can retrace his steps when retracing is needed. In my case I was going to plant cauliflower objective was simply to know the nutrient availability in the soil. Otherwise if one has the specific problem in the field, he can sample two different parts of the field accordingly so that a proper comparision can reveal the true problem. The total number of sample collected from the paddock would be 20 to 30. normally the instrument which is used for sampling is called ‘Augr’. And the approximate sampling depth required for cauliflower is 10 to 15 cm, which is normal for most of the vegetative plants. For fruit plants the approximate depth required is 10 to 25 cm. and the weight of the sample collected is around 10 kg.. one vital thing that should be kept into consideration is that one has to avoid the fenceline and places where stocks are piled and other uncultivated area of the field because these areas are not going to be used for crop cultivation and besides that it contains chemical residue, plant pathogen, more nutrient content and weeds etc. at the same time dung and urine patches should also be avoided. And one should also use stainless steel sampler to avoid any contamination. To get an ideal representative sample of soil one should mix all the samples properly and should be mixed on a clear surface. After mixing the sample properly I got a representative sample of 500 gm from the mixture and than packed it in a clean polythene bag. And I made sure that the sample reaches the laboratory well within 12 hours of its generation to avoid and moisture or nutrient loss. Once I get the soil test result( of which a copy is attached herewith) I made analyisis for my plant cauliflower which requires below mentioned major nutrients. Elaboration of its implementation is provided on page no.__.Task Responsibility.Ripping and deep ploughing should be done to reduce the bulk density of soil and for the smoother root development and growth. And proper herbicide should also beapplied for removal of weeds. A representative soil sample should be taken for the soil test. For the representative soil sample, a fix amount of soil sample should be collected from the farm either by zig-zag way or other way and the collected soil samples should be mixed on a cleaner surface and thus a representative soil sample of 500 gm to 1 kg should be obtained from the mixture. While collecting the random soil samples one should avoid the stock yard and unused land. Than after obtaining the representative soil sample it should be packed and labelled properly. One has to make sure that it reaches laboratory within 12 hours of its inception. If the soil pH is more than 7, lime should be applied 3 months before seedling. while applying lime one has to make sure that it is applied in desired proportion other wise it can cause Mo deficiency and Ca toxicity.