Cai Xin, also known as cabbage heart and cauliflower. Annual or biennial herb, 30-50 cm tall, entirely hairless; stems erect or ascending. Originating in southern China, it is derived from cabbage easy-bolting materials through long-term selection, cultivation and domestication, and has formed different types and varieties.

Contents

1. Morphological characteristics

2. Distribution range

3. Planting technology

4. Purchasing Tips

5. Nutritional Value

Morphological Characteristics

Root System Characteristics

Shallow root system, many fibrous roots, and strong regeneration ability.

Stem characteristics

Shortened before bolting, green. The raw flower sprouts are round, yellow-green or green.

Leaf Characteristics

Broad oval or elliptical, green or yellow-green, with wavy leaf edges, with or without lobes at the base, or with extended leaf wings and obvious veins. The petiole is narrow and long, with shallow grooves, half-moon shape in cross section, and light green. The leaves on the flower stem are smaller, oval or lanceolate, with short petioles on the lower part and no petioles on the upper part.

Flowers

Racemes, complete flowers, branched. Corolla yellow, cross-shaped. The stamens are four strong stamens and the pistils are connate pistils. Upper ovary, parietal placenta.

Fruit

Silique fruit, two-chambered, yellowish brown when mature. The seeds are nearly round, brown or dark brown, small, and weigh 1.3 to 1.7 grams per thousand seeds.

Distribution range

Mainly distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and other places.

Planting technology

1. Soil preparation and bordering:

The soil is plowed deeply and blanched, and sufficient base fertilizer is applied. The base fertilizer is generally 1000 to 1500 kilograms of decomposed organic fertilizer and 5 to 10 kilograms of potassium chloride per 667 square meters; or 750 kilograms of chicken manure and 20 kilograms of compound fertilizer. The border is generally 1.6 to 1.7 meters wide, 20 to 30 centimeters high, and has a turtle-back shape.

2. Timely sowing:

Early-maturing varieties are suitable for cultivation from April to August, mid-maturing varieties are suitable for cultivation from September to October, and late-maturing varieties are suitable for cultivation from November to March of the following year.

Early and medium-maturing varieties are mainly grown by direct seeding; late-maturing varieties are mainly grown by transplanting. Early and mid-maturing varieties should not be sown late, otherwise they will cause rapid budding and bolting, small hearts, low yields, or even failure. Late-maturing varieties should not be sown early, otherwise the sprouts will be late and the quality of the sprouts will be poor. Sowing should be done when the cold wave is about to end in winter or spring, and sowing in summer and autumn should be avoided in weather with continuous rain, storms and typhoons. The amount of seeds used per acre for direct seeding is about 150-180 grams. The amount of seed used per acre for nursery is about 400 to 500 grams.

Before sowing, spray copper amine solution (a ratio of 100 grams of copper sulfate, 550 grams of ammonium bicarbonate, and 200 grams of water), mix it with the topsoil and seal it for 24 hours for soil disinfection.

The suitable temperature for cabbage seed germination is 24°C to 26°C. At this temperature, all seedlings can emerge in 4 to 6 days; if the seeds encounter lower temperatures (3°C to 15°C) after germination, ℃) can pass the vernalization stage. Therefore, when sowing in winter and spring, late-maturing varieties should be selected, and cold protection work should be done to prevent early bolting. When sowing in early spring, it is advisable to choose a sunny, high-dry plot with lots of organic matter as a seedbed, and sow in sunny and warm weather or at the end of a cold wave; when sowing in summer and autumn when it is hot and rainy, it should be covered with a sunshade net or straw to provide shade and cooling, and to avoid heavy rain. Erosion, resulting in compaction of the seedbed.

3. Field management:

1) Thinning and setting of seedlings: For live-seeding cabbage, thinning begins when the cotyledons begin, and the seedlings are thinned out 1 to 2 times; for transplanted cabbage, seedlings are thinned and set when the seedlings have 3 leaves. The distance between rows of seedlings is generally 1013 cm for early-maturing varieties, 1720 cm for mid-maturing varieties, and 2023 cm for late-maturing varieties.

2) Reasonable fertilization: Frequent application, early application, and thin application should be applied. Fast-acting complete fertilizer should be used for top dressing. Top-dress the cabbage in time when the first true leaf unfolds. Apply 3 to 4 kilograms of diluted manure water or urea per 667 square meters. Top-dress the cabbage once when there are 3 true leaves combined with thinning. After that, 5 to 10 kilograms of urea and 10 to 20 kilograms of compound fertilizer can be applied to 667 square meters every 5 to 7 days. Apply heavy fertilizer when budding occurs, 15 to 25 kilograms of compound fertilizer per 667 square meters. If you continue to harvest side sprouts after harvesting the main sprouts, you should topdress with concentrated fertilizer when most of the plants are harvesting the main sprouts to promote the development of the vegetable sprouts.

3) Water management: Keep the soil moist throughout the growth period.

Pour water in the morning and evening on sunny days in summer; pay attention to drainage in rainy days to prevent water accumulation in the border; before winter and during drought, water should be irrigated to prevent freezing, and irrigation should be drained immediately without flooding.

4. Timely Harvesting:

The harvesting standard for cabbage is the "full mouth period". Most early-maturing varieties only harvest the main sprouts. For other varieties, you can generally continue to harvest the side sprouts after harvesting the main sprouts. To harvest side sprouts, cut the main moss at 2 to 3 leaves at the base of the plant, and use these two or three axillary buds to germinate side sprouts. If too many leaves are left, the side sprouts will be many but thin and of low quality. When the harvest period is reached, if the temperature is low, harvest can be delayed by 2 to 3 days. If the temperature is high, harvest should be in time.

Purchasing Tips

1. The most fearful thing is to buy old cabbage sums. When purchasing cabbage sums, it is better to choose tender ones.

2. The stalk should not be too thick or too long. If you are not sure, you can pinch it with your nails. It is easy to judge.

Nutritional value

Cai Xin is tender in quality, sweet and bitter in taste, and rich in nutrients. Each kilogram of edible part contains 13-16 grams of protein, 1-3 grams of fat, 22-42 grams of carbohydrates, 410-1350 mg of calcium, 270 mg of phosphorus, and 13 mg of iron. Carotene 1 to 13.6 mg, riboflavin 0.3 to 1 mg, niacin 3 to 8 mg, and vitamin C 790 mg.