What are the latest production regions of napa cabbage?
Napa cabbage is a leaf vegetable of the genus Brassica in the family Brassicaceae, native to China. It is also known as “heading cabbage”, “hearting cabbage”, “yellow bud white”, “jiao cabbage”, and in Cantonese it is called “shao cabbage”. It is cultivated throughout both northern and southern China. Let us take a look below at what the production regions of napa cabbage are!
Production regions of napa cabbage
Napa cabbage is commonly cultivated throughout China, with the North China region and the area south of the Yangtze River as the main production areas, where the planting area accounts for 40%-60% of the sown area of autumn, winter and spring vegetables.
Napa cabbage classified by time
According to morphological characteristics, biological characteristics and cultivation features, cabbage can be divided into autumn-winter cabbage, spring cabbage and summer cabbage, each including different types of varieties.
1. Autumn-winter cabbage: widely cultivated in southern China, with many varieties. The plant type is upright or waist-bunched, mainly cultivated in autumn and winter, and divided by leaf stalk color into white-stalk types and green-stalk types. Representative varieties of the white-stalk type include Nanjing Aijiao Huang, Changzhou Changbaigeng, Guangdong Aijiao Wuye, and Hefei Xiaoyecai. Representative varieties of the green-stalk type include Shanghai Aiji, Hangzhou Zaoyoudong, and Changzhou Qinggengcai.
2. Spring cabbage: the plants are mostly spreading, with a few upright or slightly waist-bunched. Strong winter habit, cold-resistant, high-yielding. According to the timing of bolting and the supply period, it is further divided into early spring cabbage and late spring cabbage. Representative varieties of early spring cabbage include the white-stalk Nanjing Liangbaiye, Wuxi Sanyuebai, and the green-stalk Hangzhou Wanyoudong and Shanghai Sanyueman. Representative varieties of late spring cabbage include the white-stalk Nanjing Siyuebai and Hangzhou Canbaicai, as well as the green-stalk Shanghai Siyueman and Wuyueman.
3. Summer cabbage: cultivated in the high-temperature season of summer and autumn, also called “fire cabbage” and “dog-day cabbage”. Representative varieties include Shanghai Huobaicai, Guangzhou Maerbaicai, and Nanjing Aiza Yihao.
Napa cabbage classified by morphology
Napa cabbage is divided into four varieties, of which the heading variety is further divided into three ecotypes.
1. Loose-leaf variety: the loose-leaf variety is the primitive type of heading cabbage, with leaves spreading out and not forming a head. It has strong stress resistance, more fiber, and poor quality; the edible part consists of the rosette leaves, and it has gradually been phased out. A representative variety is Shandong Laiwu Bo Baicai.
2. Semi-heading variety: the semi-heading variety has a loose head with an open top, in a semi-heading state. It has relatively strong cold resistance and is not strict about fertilizer and water requirements; both the rosette leaves and the head are used as the product. Representative varieties include Liaoning Xingcheng Dacuo Cai and Shanxi Yangcheng Damaobian.
3. Flower-heart variety: the head leaves of the flower-heart variety are folded and wrapped together in a pleated manner to form a firm head, but the top of the head is not closed, and the leaf tips curl outward, with the curled part being yellow, pale yellow or white. It has relatively strong heat resistance, a short growing period, and does not store well, and is mostly used for early-maturing cultivation in summer and autumn. Representative varieties include Beijing Fanxinbai and Shandong Jinan Xiaobaixin.
4. Heading variety: the heading variety is the advanced type in the evolution of napa cabbage; the head leaves wrap together to form a firm head, with the top bluntly pointed or round, closed or nearly closed. It is widely cultivated and requires relatively high fertilizer and water conditions and careful management; it has high yield, good quality and good storability, and is divided into three basic ecotypes:
① Oval type: also called the “maritime climate ecotype”. The head is oval, with a head shape index (the ratio of head height to cross-sectional diameter) of about 1.5. The head leaves are wrapped in a folded or clasping manner. The number of head leaves is relatively large, belonging to the “leaf-number type”. It requires a mild, humid environment with little fluctuation. The central cultivation area is the Shandong Peninsula in China; representative varieties include Shandong Fushan Baotou, Jiaoxian Baicai, and Liaoning Youdaxiaogen.
② Flat-top type: also called the “continental climate ecotype”. The head is an inverted cone, with a head shape index close to 1, a flat top, completely closed, and overlapping-wrapped. The head leaves are relatively large and fewer in number, belonging to the “leaf-weight type”. It requires a mild climate with large day-night temperature differences and plenty of sunlight, and has a certain adaptability to drastic temperature changes and dry air. The central cultivation areas are central Henan and western Shandong and southern Hebei. Representative varieties include Henan Luoyang Baotou, Shandong Guanxian Baotou, and Shanxi Taiyuan Baotou.
③ Cylindrical type: also called the “cross-over climate ecotype”. The head is slender and cylindrical, with a head shape index of about 4, a bluntly pointed top, nearly closed and twist-wrapped. The head leaves are long obovate. The central cultivation area is the area of eastern Hebei near Bohai Bay, which is basically a maritime climate, but because it is close to Inner Mongolia it is often affected by continental climate, giving this ecotype strong adaptability to climate. Representative varieties include Tianjin Qingmaye, Hebei Yutian Baojian, and Liaoning Hetou Baicai. These three ecotypes, among themselves and with other varieties, cross with each other and further give rise to secondary types, such as flat-top cylindrical, flat-top oval, cylindrical, flower-heart cylindrical, flower-heart round, etc. In China, in the mid-1960s, research began on utilizing heterosis in napa cabbage, and in the mid-1970s it was used in production. The first-generation hybrids with relatively large planting areas include Qingza Zhongfeng, Shandong No. 4, and Beijing 106.