In late autumn, when the fields are already empty and the grass on the pastures has noticeably withered, you can see plantations of succulent and fresh plants. This is fodder cabbage that is not afraid of frost. When switching to a winter diet, the plant allows livestock farmers to provide their charges with green feed for as long as possible. Cows, goats, rabbits and other animals in the barnyard love cabbage.
A little history
Europe paid attention to the large succulent plant a long time ago. The first mentions of it come across in ancient Greek and Roman literature. From the coastal European countries, the culture gradually spread throughout the world. This version of events is based on the fact that many types of wild cabbage are found only on the sea coasts of Europe; they are not found in Asia.
Feed cabbage came to Russia around the 18th century. However, not many people grew it. This culture did not take root in our country for a long time, because people simply did not understand that a small investment of money and labor would pay off many times over with high-quality animal feed. Today, the crop is grown not only in Russia, but also in the fields of Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Estonia and so on. Moreover, many varieties have moved overseas and grow well in America, Africa, New Zealand and Australia, adapting to local climatic conditions.
General description of culture
Kale, whose name speaks for itself, is not used in salads. Its leaves are too hard for this. This is a cruciferous plant from the cabbage family, the peculiarity of which is the complete absence of heads of cabbage. In scientific circles, the species is known as Brassica subspontanea Lizg.
A biennial crop with cross-pollination is characterized by a dense branched tap root with a thickening in the upper part. The plant has an erect, thick stalk (stem), its diameter can reach 5 cm. The stem can have a cylindrical or spindle-shaped shape. Its height is from 35 to 200 cm. Cabbage leaves are lyre-shaped or ovate-elongated. They are large and broadly lanceolate. There are two natural varieties that differ in the degree of curl and the color of the leaves:
- Scotch - has corrugated, curly leaves of a gray-green color.
- Siberian - less curly, with bluish-green foliage.
In both varieties, the leaf petioles at the bottom of the stem are long and short at the top.
General composition
A juicy vegetable consists of a large amount of water (60-70% watery). If the head of cabbage is well watered during growth, the amount of moisture in the head reaches 90%. Blue cabbage culture contains 2 times more fiber beneficial for the human body than white cabbage culture.
Head of cabbage composition:
- Vitamin complexes. The benefits of a vegetable are determined by the amount of vitamins it contains. Blue cabbage is rich in B vitamins: they help improve a person’s appearance and strengthen their immune system. Red cabbage contains vitamins PP and C. Vitamins A and E have a beneficial effect on the body of an adult or child and are contained in the head of cabbage.
- Microelements. The head of cabbage contains potassium. It promotes metabolic processes in the body and renews the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. The iron contained in red cabbage helps improve the functioning of the digestive system.
The unique composition of the vegetable allows it to be consumed every day: contraindications are individual, and allergic reactions to the components of the vegetable occur very rarely. Red cabbage got its name due to its color: the enzymes that the blue leaves contain help strengthen blood vessels.
The calorie content of the product is low: 0.31 kcal per 1 g of vegetable. The low calorie content of cabbage is valued by nutritionists who prescribe freshly prepared cabbage salads to people losing weight.
Benefits of vegetables
Thanks to the phytoncide contained in cabbage, its consumption is an effective prevention of tuberculosis. Cabbage juice helps against lung diseases.
Blue cabbage has medicinal properties
Other useful properties of the product:
- treats chronic bronchitis and acute respiratory infections;
- fights hypertension;
- lowers blood pressure due to the large amount of potassium;
- strengthens the cardiovascular system;
- strengthens the walls of blood vessels;
- used for quick sobering up;
- heals wounds;
- helps against jaundice and skin diseases;
- used to calm the stomach after severe intoxication.
Selenium saturates muscles with oxygen: such beneficial properties help the patient quickly recover from an illness. Vegetable juice with colds and viral diseases. Selenium strengthens the thyroid gland and adds strength and energy to an adult or child.
Contraindications
A large amount of fiber is difficult to digest, so you should not eat a lot of raw vegetables at once.
The vegetable is harmful for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, flatulence or ulcers. Before consumption, the fresh product must undergo heat treatment.
Flowering, fruits of fodder cabbage
Fodder cabbage blooms in the second year of life. The buds from which the flowering shoots will come are located in the axils of the stem fruit. Flowering shoots are tall (up to 160 cm), branched, with a small number of leaves. The inflorescence of fodder cabbage is a weak, loose raceme. Its length is about 80 cm.
After flowering, a smooth cylindrical pod appears. This is the fruit of kale. Inside are round, smooth seeds, the color of which varies from bluish-gray to black.
Roman (Romanesco)
According to the botanical classification, it belongs to the same group as the colored one. The name directly indicates that its homeland is the capital of Italy. The exact time of breeding is unknown, but it is believed to be the 16th century.
The Romanesque structure is a clear demonstration of the principle of self-similarity. The head consists of cone-shaped buds, each of which is formed from smaller buds. Form a logarithmic spiral.
Romanesco:
- not the largest, the heads gain mass of about 0.5 kg, inflorescences not exceeding 10 cm in diameter can be eaten;
- it has a very delicate taste and a pronounced nutty-creamy aftertaste without the slightest bitterness: in Italy there are recipes that require Romanesco, in other countries it is prepared in the same way as broccoli;
- extremely common in Italy, somewhat less so in the Mediterranean and Germany, and not particularly popular in the rest of the world.
According to some sources, Romanesco is a hybrid of broccoli and cauliflower. But most botanists do not share this point of view.
Why grow kale?
It’s worth paying attention to kale if only because it allows you to use green feed for animals even after autumn frosts. But these are not all the useful qualities of culture. Feed cabbage is unique in its nutritional properties. It contains a large amount of mineral salts and vitamins. If used as silage, the feed will contain almost 18% protein, more than 15% protein, 3.4% fat and more than 46% nitrogen-free extractive matter.
1 kg of leaf mass contains up to 100 mg of vitamin C and more than 42 mg of vitamin A. It also contains phosphorus, calcium and sulfur, which makes kale a dietary product for livestock. Animals and poultry eat silage from this crop well. It smells good, is easy to digest and, thanks to its high levels of protein and carotene, fills you up quickly.
It is noteworthy that fodder cabbage does not lose its properties even after freezing. Thawed foliage remains elastic and does not lose color or taste. Animals do not refuse thawed green food, which reduces the time of winter feeding. In some European countries, kale foliage is artificially dried and stored as a high-protein dry food.
Advantages and disadvantages
The list of advantages of “cabbage-turnip” is quite long:
- Kohlrabi is a dietary product, but at the same time it has a rich content of vitamins and minerals.
- This is an early ripening and cold-resistant vegetable, therefore, even in the northern regions, it is possible to obtain several harvests per season.
- Cabbage does not require special conditions and careful care when growing.
- It has a pleasant sweetish, juicy taste. Thanks to increased acidity, it improves appetite.
- Suitable for consumption raw, boiled, stewed. Pairs perfectly with a wide variety of dishes.
It is also worth noting the disadvantages of kohlrabi:
- Cabbage is very sensitive to over- and under-watering.
- Capable of accumulating nitrates, which are dangerous to the human body.
- With sharp fluctuations in ambient temperature, a young kohlrabi sprout develops into a “flower shoot”.
Basics of agricultural technology
The State Register of Russia (2006) includes the Vekha variety and several Dutch hybrids (Redbor and Reflex). The placement of the crop is included in the fodder or vegetable crop rotation. Fodder cabbage is planted after leguminous and grain crops. As a last resort, after herbs. Sometimes the predecessors are early vegetable crops, the main thing is that they are harvested no later than June. In this case, during the second half of summer the crop manages to form a good harvest. In one place, fodder cabbage is planted every 3-4 years.
Care
Feed cabbage does not require care. It is enough to adhere to the basic rules of planting and growing to get a high-quality variety and excellent yield.
Seed selection
The normal weight of 1000 seeds is 3-5 g. After purchase, they need to be checked for quality. To do this, the seeds are immersed in water heated to 50 °C. Wait 7-10 minutes, then look: if the seeds have sunk to the bottom of the container, they are suitable for planting. If they flare up, they should be thrown away, because... they are empty and will not yield a harvest.
Growing fodder cabbage
Plantations for growing crops are laid in three ways:
- A seedless method in which fodder cabbage (seeds) is planted directly into the ground.
- Seedling cultivation, when 30-40-day-old plants are transferred to the soil from nurseries. When planted, seedlings have 4-5 formed leaves.
- An ordinary method, which was developed in the Leningrad region. In this case, clean soils or highly effective herbicides are used. Sowing is carried out in an ordinary way, thinning is not performed. Thickened crops affect the formation of stem crops. The percentage of leaves in the above-ground phytomass increases.
Non-seedling method: features
Non-seedling cultivation begins in early spring. The soil for the seeds is prepared, leveled and rolled. Vegetable seeders are used to add planting material to the soil. Wide-row sowing is used. Row spacing is up to 70 cm. From 1.5 to 4 kg of seeds are sown per 1 ha. Seeding depth - up to 3 cm.
A few days after sowing, harrowing or breaking up the soil crust with hoes is required. When seedlings appear, the row spacing is loosened. The latter are processed up to 4 times during the entire growing season. At the same time, nitrogen fertilizing is carried out. For harvesting, you can use forage harvesters without a chopping apparatus. The harvest is harvested from August to December (depending on the sowing time).
My flower garden!
Entry from 03/16/2014 Author Irina
Kale comes from the Eastern Mediterranean. Widely distributed in European countries, as well as in America, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
In Russia, it can be cultivated from the Arctic to the subtropics, including in the Central Black Earth Region, since it is represented by a wide variety of morphological and biological types. This is one of the most valuable forage crops, readily eaten fresh by livestock and ensiled well.
In terms of nutritional value, it surpasses all fodder root crops. 100 kg of green mass contains 16 units; 1.8 kg of digestible protein and 8 g of carotene; There are also vitamins A, B, C, etc. For 1 unit. there are 110-115 g of digestible protein. With good soil moisture and fertility, fodder cabbage can produce a yield of up to 500-800 c/ha of green mass containing 12-14% dry matter.
Feed cabbage in the field
Morphobiological features.
Kale (Brassica subspontanea Lizg.) is a biennial cross-pollinated plant of the cabbage family - Brassicaceae.
The root is taproot, thickened in the upper part, branched.
The stem (stem fruit) is erect, thick (3-5 cm in diameter), rough, cylindrical or fusiform, with a height of 30 to 200 cm.
The leaves are large, lyre-shaped, ovate-elongated, broadly lanceolate, flat or curly; their color can be green, bluish-green or violet-green; The petioles are long at the bottom and short at the top.
Kale
In the second year of life, branched and weakly leafy flowering shoots grow from the buds located in the axils of the stem fruit, up to 120-160 cm in height.
The inflorescence is a loose, branched raceme 50-80 cm long. The flowers are yellow or whitish.
The fruit is a smooth, cylindrical pod up to 8-10 cm long. The seeds are round, smooth, shiny, somewhat larger than those of rutabaga or turnip, their color can be bluish, dark gray, black. Weight 1000 pieces 3-6 g.
The subspecies of flat-leaved cabbage (B. subspotaea ssp. planifolia Lizq) is common in culture; the subspecies B. ssp. crispifolia lizq. Plants of the first subspecies are tall, while the plants of the second are short or medium-sized. Fodder cabbage differs from cabbage by having an elongated (up to 1.5-2.0 m) stem and large leaves that do not curl into a head. The duration of the growing season in the first year of life is 140-160 days, in the second - 80-90 days.
Kale is very cold-resistant. Seeds germinate at a temperature of 3-5°C, young plants can withstand frosts up to 3-6°C, and can vegetate at a temperature of 3-5°C. The best growth of green mass occurs at 17-20°C. It tolerates the summer heat well, but its growth is delayed. With the onset of cool weather, it grows vigorously again, giving an increase in green mass of up to 15-20 c/ha or more per day.
Adult plants do not die even in frosts of 10-15°C. This allows farms to extend feeding animals with green vitamin feed for 1.5-2 months.
Feed cabbage is highly demanding on soil fertility. It prefers soils of average mechanical composition and rich in organic matter with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction of the soil solution. Grows well in floodplain areas, drained and cultivated peatlands. For 100 centners of green mass, fodder cabbage consumes 28.6 kg of nitrogen, 10 kg of phosphorus, 46 kg of potassium and 28 kg of calcium.
Cabbage is moisture-loving, but does not tolerate excessive moisture. With a lack of moisture, its growth is significantly delayed, but due to its well-developed root system it can tolerate short-term drought. Its period of intensive growth occurs in autumn and coincides with rainy weather, so it usually provides good productivity. In warm and fairly humid years, fodder cabbage produces very high yields. In very hot and dry years, the formation of above-ground phytomass is delayed and the yield is low.
Varieties of fodder cabbage.
Currently, 6 varieties of fodder cabbage are cultivated in Russia: Mozgovaya green Vologda , Mozgovaya green Siverskaya , Tysyachegolovaya , Podmoskovnaya , Polyarnaya , Vekha .
Agricultural technology.
Fodder cabbage is placed in fodder or vegetable crop rotations, after row crops, grain and leguminous crops, perennial and annual grasses. During mowing and stubble crops, its predecessors can be winter crops for green fodder, early vegetables or other annual crops harvested in June. In order for fodder cabbage to form a good harvest in the second half of summer and autumn, after harvesting winter or early spring catch crops there should still be 85-90 days with an average daily air temperature above 5°C. It cannot be returned to the previous field earlier than after 3-4 years, and placed after cabbage crops.
Immediately after harvesting the previous crop, the stubble is peeled, then plowed to the full depth of the arable layer (from 22 to 30 cm). In the spring, the soil is harrowed, cultivated, leveled or leveled, and rolled on the day of sowing.
In humid conditions, soils floating in spring are milled to a depth of 16-18 cm or loosened with plows without moldboards. It has been established that fodder cabbage responds well to deep pre-sowing milling of the soil and subsequent rolling. On a milled field, seedlings appear earlier, field germination and yield are higher than on a plowed field.
Fertilizers are applied taking into account the overall fertility of the soil and their application to the previous crop. The approximate norms of organic fertilizers when applied in the fall under fallow land are 30-40 t/ha. Mineral fertilizers are usually applied in the following doses: N6O-9O, P45-6o, K45-6O. Boron and molybdenum have a positive effect on the yields of fodder cabbage. Seeds are treated with microelements before sowing, simultaneously with treatment with pesticides.
There are two ways to establish fodder cabbage plantations - seedless (with seeds) and seedlings. In the first method, cabbage is sown in early spring with vegetable seeders (simultaneously with early spring crops) on well-prepared, leveled and rolled soil. The sowing method is wide-row with row spacing of 60-70 cm, the seed sowing rate is from 1.5 to 4 kg/ha, the sowing depth is 2-3 cm. For 1 kg of seeds, 10 kg of fine sifted granular superphosphate is added as ballast. Density is formed in the phase of 3-4 leaves according to the following schemes: 70×20 (70 thousand plants/ha), 70×30 (50 thousand plants/ha), 60×40 (40 thousand plants/ha) and etc.
When using the seedling method, 35-40-day-old seedlings with 4-5 leaves are used. To grow a hectare norm of seedlings, 75-100 m of seedlings and 0.6-0.7 kg of seeds are required. Seedlings are planted in the field using transplanting machines according to the scheme: 70×25-30 cm. In this case, the growing season increases slightly, about 60% of seeds are saved, it is easier to fight weeds and pests, but the yield of green mass is not always higher than when sowing with seeds . The seedling method also requires a lot of manual labor and increases the cost of feed.
The North-Western Research Institute of Agriculture (Lenigrad Region) has developed a third method of growing fodder cabbage. On clean soils or in the presence of highly effective herbicides, it can be sown in the usual row method without the use of subsequent thinning. In such dense crops, plants also form stem fruits with a large proportion of leaves in the above-ground phytomass.
Caring for fodder cabbage sown with seeds in a wide-row manner begins with harrowing with light mesh harrows 2-3 days after sowing. When a soil crust forms, it is destroyed with rotary hoes. It is advisable to harrow the seedlings if they are very thickened.
After the emergence of seedlings and after planting the seedlings, loosening of the row spacing begins. During the growing season, 2-4 inter-row treatments are carried out to control weeds and create a loose layer of soil. At the same time, fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers is also done. In addition to inter-row treatments, herbicides are used if necessary, depending on the degree of infestation. To combat pests (cruciferous flea beetles, cabbage moth, rapeseed flower beetle, cabbage white fly, cabbage fly) and diseases (clownroot, black leg, gray rot, leaf and pod spotting), primarily agrotechnical and, if necessary, chemical measures are used.
You can start mowing cabbage for green food in August, but most often it is left until later, when all other crops have already been harvested (October, November, December). Whole plants can be harvested using forage harvesters with the chopping apparatus removed. Unchopped fresh cabbage is better eaten by animals than chopped cabbage. It does not lose its nutritional qualities and is well eaten even after freezing and thawing.
When ensiling whole plants, dry matter losses are reduced, but more often the crushed mass is ensiled in a mixture with drier feed. If necessary, fodder cabbage can be grazed while standing in late autumn.
Seed production of fodder cabbage is no different from cabbage. Seeds are planted in well-fertilized areas. After clarification, the queen cells are planted in the mid-early period according to the 70×70 or 70×60 cm pattern. 20-30 thousand stem crops per 1 hectare are planted under a cultivator, plow, or manually. When planting, they are tilted to one side along the row spacing.
Care measures.
Loosening row spacing, tying to stakes, pest and disease control, fertilizing and irrigation. As they ripen, the testes are removed in 2-3 steps. With the right agricultural technology, seed yield reaches 10-12 c/ha.
In modern economic conditions, fodder cabbage can play an important role in the Central Black Sea Region as a high-yielding valuable crop with a high reproduction rate and low seed consumption. This especially applies to peasant farms and the private sector.
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Seedling method: features
The seedling method of growing fodder cabbage allows you to increase the yield of green mass. Planting seedlings in the ground is carried out at the same time as sowing the seeds. This method prolongs the growth period of plants, which leads to increased fodder yield.
Seedlings are grown in a cold way (in unheated nurseries). The belt and row sowing methods are used. When 1-2 leaves have formed, the young plants are thinned out. At the stage of 2-3 leaves, fertilizing is performed. Seedlings enter the field with 4-5 formed leaves.
Seedlings are planted after the end of the spring sowing of grain crops. They use the wide-row method with row spacing of 70 cm. The distance in the row between plants is up to 40 cm. If the soils are heavy, then the seedlings are planted on ridges.
A week after planting, the lunge spots in the rows are filled. During the growing season, the crop requires 3-4 inter-row treatments. The first is loosening to a depth of 8 cm, the subsequent ones to a depth of 12-15 cm.
Harvesting begins after the plant stops growing. It is carried out as needed, in some areas it is extended until December.
Kohlrabi
A rather unusual type of cabbage that forms heads reminiscent of a root vegetable. By similarity they can be compared with turnips and radishes. They grow above the ground in the shape of a ball. Essentially, it is a stem fruit. About 30 leaves grow from the head on long stalks. They reach 1 m in height. The outside color of the fruit is purple, white or greenish. However, the inside of the cabbage is always white. During the season you can grow 2 crops of kohlrabi. Seeds are sown directly into the ground without growing seedlings.
Moravia
Kohlrabi bears fruit consistently even in cold weather. The early variety needs 55-70 days to fully ripen the crop. Stem fruits with green skin grow weighing up to 2.2 kg. They reach 10 cm in diameter. The harvest cannot be stored for long periods of time.
Vienna white
The early ripening vegetable is resistant to return frosts and autumn cold snaps. Harvest ripening is smooth. The heads with light green skin weigh about 300 g. The yield from a plot of 1 m2 is 2.4 kg.
Madonna
The mid-season crop is popular among lovers of Dutch vegetables. The harvest ripens in 110 days. The foliage is green with a bluish bloom. The spherical fruit has a slight elongation. The peel is purple, the flesh is snow-white. The average weight of the stem fruit is 0.7 kg. Sometimes specimens grow up to 1.3 kg.
Cartago F1
Originally a hybrid from the Czech Republic. In terms of ripening time, the crop is mid-season, but climatic conditions have a great influence on this. The leaves are green with a gray tint and have a waxy coating. The spherical fruit is flattened, weighs up to 300 g. The skin is greenish, the flesh is white. The yield is 3.5 kg/1 m2 of area.
Hummingbird F1
Full ripening of the crop occurs after 140 days. The late-ripening hybrid produces a purple fruit in the shape of a flattened ball. The flesh inside is white. The yield per 1 m2 reaches 4 kg. The weight of one stem fruit is from 0.7 to 0.9 kg.
The most popular varieties of fodder cabbage
The following varieties of fodder cabbage are grown on an industrial scale in Russia: Mozgovaya green Vologda, Mozgovaya green Siverskaya, Tysyachegolovaya, Podmoskovnaya, Polyarnaya, Vekha.
In summer cottages, kale is grown not only for food, but also for decorative purposes. Summer residents often choose the leafy curly hybrid Redbor F1. The plant has a palm-shaped shape and beautiful burgundy leaf color.
The hybrid Reflex F1 also takes root well in the plots. It can be used not only to decorate the site, but also in salads. The plant has beautiful curly leaves of a soft green color.
For small farms, Vekha fodder cabbage remains the main option. It allows you to obtain maximum yields of green mass without the use of expensive agricultural techniques. If the crop is provided with normal care, then a high yield is guaranteed.
Brussels
As you might guess, it was bred in Belgium on the basis of wild kale. It is a thick, powerful stem, covered with fairly large leaves and literally “covered” with miniature heads of cabbage that form in their axils.
The “norm” for one plant is 20-40 heads, but in some varieties and hybrids their number can approach a hundred. From a distance it looks like a cone or cylinder. The degree of density, shape, and color of heads of cabbage vary widely.
Brussels:
- approximately comparable in size to a walnut, weight reaches 10-15 g;
- It has an island-bitter taste, is consumed fresh, is in demand for preparing main courses and side dishes, and canned relatively rarely;
- cultivated mainly in Western and Northern Europe, USA and Canada.
It survives drought better than others.
