Abstract
High seed cost accompanied by poor germination and seedling performance renders cabbage nursery and field production enterprises unsustainable to many small-scale growers in tropical and sub-tropical countries. In most nurseries, adverse ecological conditions and pest damage are among the major factors responsible for poor seedling performance. The objective of this study was to test the potential use of eco-friendly net (EFN) covers as a low cost technology for sustainable cabbage seedling production. The study was a two-season experiment conducted using a randomized complete block design with five replications and two treatments. Treatments were: the standard open field transplant production (control) and transplant production under 0.4 mm mesh polyethylene net covering. EFN covering increased both temperature and relative humidity, enhanced seedling growth and reduced insect pest damage. Seed germination and seedling emergence were under the net covering earlier. Higher seed germination and seedling survival were recorded under the EFN treatment, indicating a potential for reducing the seed requirement per unit area of cabbage production. Seedlings grown under the nets had higher stomatal conductance and leaf chlorophyll content; furthermore, they grew taller, with more leaves within a shorter period of time compared to the control seedlings. The use of EFN in cabbage nurseries offers a sustainable technology for enhancing seedling performance by reducing pest infestation, thereby lowering production cost and improving the grower’s income.
Highlights
Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) is one of the most important vegetables grown in tropical and sub-tropical Africa
Cabbage seeds are small and have fewer reserves to sustain a developing seedling before forming a photosynthetic surface. Conditions that make it difficult for the cotyledons of developing seedlings to quickly reach the surface are, likely to have an adverse effect on the subsequent emergence and development of a seedling [6]
Temperature rises within the optimal range of any given seed will tend to trigger faster germination and emergence
Summary
Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) is one of the most important vegetables grown in tropical and sub-tropical Africa. The area under cabbage production was 14,783 hectares in 2009, 18,477 hectares in 2010 and declined to 12,832 hectares in 2011 [2]. Poor seed germination and seedling performance in the nursery are major constraints to many commercial nursery owners and cabbage growers in Kenya. These constraints substantially increase the production cost, rendering cabbage production non-profitable and, an unsustainable venture. Technologies for enhanced seedling performance exist in many developed countries, the cost of most of these technologies is prohibitive to the many small-scale growers of the tropics
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