Broccoli is an exotic vegetable. This vegetable farming is a rich source of income because only a few farmers know how to grow broccoli and its marketing knowledge. It is tasty and crispy to eat, and you can use this vegetable in a salad. The plant size of broccoli is the same as a cauliflower.
The vegetable has become popular in India, and consumption has increased in large five-star hotels and making edible salads at home. Broccoli is the best food because it is a rich source of vitamins and minerals. It contains the most protein and vitamin A, compared to coal crops such as cabbage and cauliflower. It also contains anti-cancer compounds and antioxidants.
Broccoli farming requires the most important equipment, which plays a major role in agro-processing. Equipment, harvesters, and tractors are the main in cultivating Broccoli; Hence, we recommend the Sonalika tractor.
Process of the Broccoli Farming
Here we are describing some essential sections for broccoli cultivation in India.
1. Climate requirement in Broccoli Farming
You require the cold weather for broccoli crops. Farmers can cultivate this crop all over India during the winter season and in areas. However, they need a place where less rainfall is suitable for broccoli farming. The ideal temperature is 25 ℃ to 26 ℃ during the day and 16° C to 17 ° C at night for broccoli production. Broccoli is grown in greenhouses for a year.
2. Land Requirement
Farmers grow broccoli vegetables in a wide variety of soil types. For a better yield from this farming, sandy and silt loam soil are preferable. You should keep the pH of soil between 5.5 pH – 6.5 pH. The land is plough 3 to 4 times before planting broccoli. After that, add manure or well rotten FYM 25- 30 tons/ha and mix thoroughly at land preparation.
3. Preparation Of Seedlings
Most farmers grow broccoli seedlings on their farms because most nurseries do not make broccoli plants due to the low demand for broccoli farming. So you can buy broccoli seeds and prepare your broccoli seedlings.
There are mainly two methods available for preparing seedlings of the broccoli plant.
1. Soilless media – with the aid of coco peat in plastic nursery trays
2. Soil Media- Raised soil bed.
Broccoli Plant Seedlings With Soil Media Procedure
- Prepare earthen beds of 1 m wide and 3 m long, and 30 cm wide.
- Add about 10 kg of good FYM or composted manure to the soil of each bed. Similarly, add 50 grams of forest and 100 grams of Bavistin powder every spring and mix it in the soil.
- Then obtain 5 cm parallel to the 2 cm deep line’s width on the bed and sow the broccoli seed. After that, cover the seeds with the best compost material.
- Give light water with the help of a sprinkler.
- Broccoli for one hectare requires about 312 grams to cultivate hybrid seeds.
- Seed germination begins after 5 to 6 days, and seedlings are ready for transplanting within 35 days.
- At this time, the broccoli plant must have 4-5 leaves at transplanting.
- The best time for sowing seeds is the second week of September.
- The temperature during plant growth should be from 20°C to 22°C.
- Ideal night and day temperatures range from 20°C to 23°C’ for better plant growth.
- When watering the nursery, the amount of calcium nitrate and potassium nitrate should be given to the plants by mixing 1.5 litres of water in one litre of water.
- Similarly, every 10-12 days, prevention of malathion or disease caused by diseases and diseases that do not affect the plants should be done. Spraying should be done by mixing Bavistin 1 gm or Copper oxychloride 1.5 gm per litre of water.
Transplantation Of Plants
Farmers grow the Broccoli plants in rows on a raised bed, maintaining a distance of 30 cm from raw to raw and 30 – 45 cm from plant to plant. About 66660 plants are required for a one-hectare area. The plantation was usually done in the afternoon after the plantation. Before planting, the seedlings should be immersed in a solution of 12 ml fungicide in 10 litres of water.
Water Management
Drip irrigation is very useful for the broccoli crop. It improves crop quality and yields. Farmers should light and frequent irrigation after 10 to 15 days, depending on maintaining soil moisture and weather conditions around the root zone.
Fertilizer Management
Farmers should do a soil analysis and then decide the amount of fertilizer before planting the broccoli crop. 100 kg of phosphorus, 150 kg of nitrogen, and 170 kg of potassium are required per hectare for broccoli crops. Apply 120 kg nitrogen, 80 kg phosphorus and 60 kg potash at transplanting.
Farmers should use the remaining half quantity of nitrogen after 30 and 45 days of transplanting by dividing it into two parts. Then, give micronutrients as per the requirement of the crop. For example, broccoli plants show a congenital deficiency, so they spot it in the field and fertilize it with a foliar spray or water. And rake the soil on the bed, which assists increase the oxygen level to the root zone.
Need the Equipment in the Broccoli Farming
When you want to learn about broccoli farming, you must also know the equipment that will help increase the yield. Rotavator, cultivator, tiller and tractor are important in every farming. However, the tractor is the most pivotal among all the equipment. Hence we recommend the Swaraj tractor for broccoli farming in India.
For more information about broccoli farming and any other farming, stay tuned with us.
