What are the latest causes of premature bolting in cabbage?
Cabbage is a herbaceous plant of the Brassicaceae family, and it is fairly widely distributed across both northern and southern China. In cultivation, cabbage often encounters the phenomenon of premature bolting, mainly because organs form too early, leading to flower bud differentiation. This has a very large impact on cabbage yield, and growers' planting returns will decline as a result. So what causes premature bolting in cabbage? Let's take a look below!
1. Seedling size
The cause of premature bolting in cabbage cannot be separated from the seedling factor. Seedling size has two types: calendar seedling age and physiological seedling age. When growing the same variety, if the calendar seedling age is the same, then the fast-growing ones, that is, those with a larger physiological seedling age, are more likely to be affected by low temperature and undergo vernalization. Under normal circumstances, the vernalization standard for seedlings is generally around 6 leaves. When the leaf area is 7 cm and the stem is about 0.5 cm thick, the bolting rate of the seedlings is relatively high, so we should pay attention to controlling seedling size to reduce the phenomenon of premature bolting.
2. Temperature during the seedling stage
Temperature also has a direct effect on seedling growth. If the temperature is relatively high during the seedling stage, although seedling growth speeds up somewhat, large seedlings are also very easily formed. If the seedlings are too large, it will increase the probability of vernalization, and therefore also raise the bolting rate. So when growing cabbage, we should reasonably adjust the sowing date according to the seedling-raising method to ensure the temperature is within the suitable growth range for cabbage. By controlling temperature to control seedling size, keeping the temperature at around 15 degrees during cabbage seedling raising can effectively reduce the bolting rate.
3. Planting time
Planting time is also one of the main causes of premature bolting in cabbage. If planting is too early, seedlings are prone to late spring cold, which delays seedling recovery and increases the bolting rate. But planting too late is also not acceptable. If planting is too late, it will prolong the growth period of cabbage. It cannot form a large head in a suitable environment and ultimately becomes a semi-mature plant. So we should reasonably control planting time according to the growing region. For example, when growing in the north, planting should be appropriately delayed; on the contrary, in the south it should be appropriately early. This can effectively avoid or reduce premature bolting in cabbage.
4. Climatic causes
The final cause of premature bolting in cabbage is an unsuitable climate environment. If it is an early-maturing cabbage variety, when grown in winter, high temperatures will speed up seedling growth, and after entering spring there may again be late spring cold. Therefore, premature bolting in cabbage is very easily caused. When growing cabbage for overwintering in the south, because autumn has excess conditions and winter arrives quickly, cabbage growth will be inhibited. It is very easy for it to overwinter before forming a head, and then when it enters the long-day climate of spring, premature bolting is likely to occur. Especially in winters that are warm and springs that are cold, the bolting probability is relatively high.
The above is a brief introduction to premature bolting in cabbage. There are many causes of premature bolting in cabbage, and we mainly rely on prevention, strengthening management from all aspects. Only then can the bolting phenomenon be effectively reduced. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and we hope it can help everyone!