Soil:

Gardena loam and Embden loam; pH=6.9; 2.8% organic matter; soil-P and soil-K were very high; soil-S was low.

Previous crops:

2004 - field corn; 2003 - sweet corn; 2002 - pumpkin.

Seedbed

preparation:

Chisel plow on April 14. Disk on April 19. Multiweeded (field cultivated) twice on April 21 to incorporate fertilizer and herbicide.

Planting:

Direct seeded Chinese cabbage and a barley cover crop (0.45 bu/acre) on April 22 with a Monosem precision planter. Cabbage seeds were placed about 1/2 to 3/4 inches deep into a flat, fine seedbed and were spaced 7 1/16 inches apart in 21-inch rows. Plants were later thinned to 14 inches apart (about 25,000 plants/acre). A row of barley was planted between and parallel to the cabbage rows. Transplants were started in the greenhouse on April 6 and transplanted to the field on May 25 in 21-inch rows with a 12-inch in-row spacing.

Plots:

Plots were 17 ft long by one row (21 inches) wide. The study had 4 reps.

Fertilizer:

On April 15, broadcast 26 lbs N/acre and 30 lbs S/acre as 21-0-0-24. Fertigate 40 lbs N/acre on June 18 and 50 lbs N/acre on July 7 as 28-0-0.

Irrigation:

Overhead sprinkler irrigation as needed

Pest

Control:

Weeds were controlled using Treflan (1 pt/acre applied preplant incorporated on April 21), Fusilade + NIS (12 oz/acre + 0.5% v/v on June 8, which also killed the barley cover crop), and by hand weeding. Sprayed Sevin XLR (1 qt/acre on June 8 and June 16) to control flea beetle. Asana (8 oz/acre on July 1), DiPel (1 lb/acre on July 6, July 14, July 20, July 27 and August 10) and Warrior (2.5 oz/acre on August 3) controlled cabbage looper and cabbage worm.

Harvest:

Cabbage was hand harvested when heads were of marketable size. Cabbage head characteristics were measured on representative cabbage heads selected at each harvest from each plot