RESPONSE OF CABBAGE TO DIFFERENT LEVELS OF FERTILIZER APPLICATION IN SALNA SILTY CLAY LOAM SOIL

A field experiments was conducted at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur during October 2006 to May 2007 to study the response of cabbage to fertilizer application in Salna silty clay loam soil. The experiment was carried out to study the response of cabbage variety Autumn Queen to added N, P, K and S nutrients in respect of growth, dry matter production and yield, nutrient contents in loose and heading leaves of the crop. Treatment receiving 240 kg N, 45 kg P, 180 kg K and 45 kg S/ha performed best in recording plant height, root length, number of loose and heading leaves, leaf length and breadth, thickness and diameter of head and yield. However, the optimum doses of N, P, K and S for maximum number of heading leaves (85.41/plant) and yield (87.09 t/ha) were 232.50, 35.85, 165.80 and 35.35 kg/ha, 202.30, 36.16, 169.17 and 34.18 kg/ha, respectively. Treatment receiving 320 kg N, 45 kg P, 180 kg K and 30 kg S/ha performed best in recording nitrogen content both in loose (7.36%) and heading (5.80%) leaves. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur contents in loose leaves were the highest in treatments receiving 240 kg N, 60 kg P, 180 kg K, 30 kg S; 240 kg N, 45 kg P, 240 kg K, 30 kg S and 240 kg N, 45 kg P, 180 kg K, 60 kg S/ha, respectively.