Interaction effect of plant spacing and varieties on growth and yield traits of cauliflower Brassica Oleracea var. botrysis

Abstract

This research was carried out at the Regional Research Station of PAU, Gurdaspur, Punjab and biochemistry laboratory,
Department of Vegetable Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana in the rabi season 2022-23. The experiment
involved four spacings (45 × 45, 60 × 30, 67.5 × 30, and 75 × 50 cm) and three varieties (PGAC–25–17, Pusa Sharad and
Private-Aghani) arranged in a factorial design. The results showed that leaf length (15.75 cm), leaf width (13.31 cm), leaf
number (21.95), days to curd initiation curd polar diameter, gross curd weight (1.68 kg), marketable curd weight (0.46 kg)
and marketable yield (22.65 q/ha) were found to be maximum in variety PGAC – 25 – 17 and at spacing 67.5 x 30 cm. The
curd equatorial diameter, net curd weight was found to be highest in variety PGAC– 25– 17 and spacing 67.5 x 30 cm.
Gross curd weight and marketable yield per plot were the only two parameters that were significantly affected by the
sowing date. Narrow spacing (45 × 45 cm) restricted vegetative growth and curd development, whereas excessively wide
spacing (75 × 50 cm) reduced per-unit area yield due to lower plant density. This study provides practical recommendations
for cauliflower growers to optimize spacing and varietal selection, thereby improving productivity and resource-use
efficiency under similar agro-climatic conditions