Growth and yield of cabbage depending on nitrogen rates

The appropriate program of fertilization for the cabbage crop can be obtained through the synchronization of the plant demand of the plant with the supply of N during the cycle. We determined the influence of rates of nitrogen in the accumulation of dry weight and in the yield, in different phases of the development of cabbage hybrid Shutoku. The experiment was carried out in EPAMIG, Oratorios, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, from July 2(th) to October 10(th), 2008. Five rates of N were evaluated (0, 75, 150, 300 and 450 kg ha(-1)). Each treatment was set in randomized block design with four replications. At 50, 64 and 78 days after seeding, the characteristics of growth of the plants, length of the stem, number of leaves, fresh and dry weight of leaves, stems and roots and N content in the dry weight were measured. The harvest occurred at 103 days after seeding. The highest production of cabbage head fresh weight was of 1.13 kg obtained with the rate of 277.8 kg N ha(-1). With the optimal rate of N for the yield, the optimal estimated values for the content of N-NO(3) in leaves and of total nitrogen varied with the sampling time. The initial period of the highest accumulation of dry weight varied with the rates of nitrogen.