Many farmers make the mistake of planting the wrong cabbage variety—only to realize too late that it doesn’t meet market demand or withstand pests and diseases. So, which cabbage should you grow for the best yields and profits? In this guide, we compare hybrid (F1) cabbages like Baraka F1, Gloria F1, and Pruktor F1 against open-pollinated types to help you make the right choice.
Cabbage is a popular vegetable of the Brassicaceae or Cruciferous family. It is the headed type among kales, broccoli, cauliflowers and radishes. The vegetable has many health and nutrition benefits. It contains Calcium, Iron, Vitamins A, C and E. others are Riboflavin, Nicotinamide and Ascorbic Acid. Minerals and high contents of Sulphur and chlorine contents.
There are three main types of cabbage seeds for sale available in Kenya and Uganda for commercial and home use. The green, Red and Savoy cabbage varieties. Green has a higher demand in the domestic markets. Farmers farming to export prefer the other two types.
Advantages of growing F1 cabbage varieties
- They have shorter maturity periods
- Hybrid cabbages have heavier weight on average per head
- F1 cabbages have higher yield potential per acre compared to open pollinated varieties.
Have you Read? How Profitable is cabbage farming in Kenya?
A list of hybrid Cabbage varieties in Kenya
| Variety | Maturity (days) | Head weight (kg) | Yield (t/Ha) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amigo F1 | 90-100 | 4-6 | 45-68 |
| Baraka F1 | 75 | 4-6 | 40-50 |
| Blue Dynasty F1 | 80-85 | 4-5 | 45- 68 |
| Copenhagen Market | 65-70 | 2-2.5 | 20-30 |
| Gloria F1 | 90 | 3 | 30-50 |
| Green Challenger F1 | 60 | 2.5- 3 | 40- 50 |
| Michelle F1 | 80 | 3-5 | 40-74 |
| Pruktor F1 | 80 | 5-6 | 50-60 |
| Queen F1 | 85 | 30 | |
| Riana F1 | 90-100 | 1.5-2.5 | 15-30 |
| Winner F1 | 75-80 | 40-75 |
Given its high demand, seed companies have many hybrid seed varieties or F1 seed choices in the market. In this post, we compare the best hybrid types using their maturity period, spacing in cm, plant population, the average weight per head and total yield potential per acre.
Gloria F1
Gloria F1 is the most grown cabbage variety in Kenya. You can grow around 11,111 cabbage plants in an acre considering a spacing of 60 cm by 60 cm.
The Gloria F1 cabbage has a maturity period of 3 months (90 days) from the day of transplanting. The yield potential of Gloria f1 cabbage is 30-50 tons per hectare. It is tolerant to black rot and fusarium yellows diseases. Besides, it can withstand splitting after maturity. Gloria F1 has a solid blue to green color heads that are covered by a thick waxy layer. The heads average 3 kg and is one of the best variety for storing.
Amigo F1
This cabbage variety matures in 90-100 days after transplanting. It can yield between 45-68 tons of cabbage. It has a recommended spacing of 60 cm by 60 cm giving you 11,111 plans in an acre. The variety is tolerant to the Black Rot and Diamondback Moth (DBM) diseases. Amigo F1 seeds does best in warm to cool areas. Its heads are Green and semi-round. It can weight between 4 and 6 kg.
| Variety | spacing (cm) | Seed rate/acre |
|---|---|---|
| Amigo F1 | 60 x 60 | 11,111 |
| Baraka F1 | 60 x 45 | 14,800 |
| Blue Dynasty F1 | 60 x 60 | 11,111 |
| Copenhagen Market | 60 x 45 | 14,800 |
| Gloria F1 | 60 x 60 | 11,111 |
| Green Challenger F1 | 30 x 30 or 60 x 60 | 44, 444 or 11,111 |
| Michelle F1 | 60 x 45 or 60 x 60 | 14,800 or 11,111 |
| Pruktor F1 | 60 x 60 | 11,111 |
| Queen F1 | 60 x 45 | 14,800 |
| Riana F1 | 60 x 60 | 11,111 |
| Winner F1 | 60 x 60 | 11,111 |
Blue Dynasty F1
The cabbage variety matures in 80-85 days from transplanting. Plant the Blue dynasty F1 cabbage at a spacing of 60 cm x 60 cm. It has round heads with a compact shape. Its average weight is 4-5 kg per head. You will plant 11,111 seeds in acre. This cabbage yield per acre is 45-68 tons per acre. It is best suited for warm areas and it is tolerant to black rot, ring spot, DBM and fusarium Yellows.
Baraka F1
Baraka F1 is the most popular cabbage variety among cabbage commercial farmers. It has bluish-greenheads that can weigh 4-6 kg when fully mature. It is a fast growing type taking 75 days to mature after transplanting. To plant Baraka F1, observe a spacing of 60 cm by 45 cm. You will get around 40 – 50 tons from the 14,800 heads in an acre. Baraka is tolerant to black rot, ring spot and cabbage yellows diseases.
Copenhagen Market
The Copenhagen market cabbage variety mature in 65-70 days. Its heads weigh 2-2.5 kilograms. The recommended spacing for this cabbage variety in Kenya is 60cm x 45 cm. An acre will hold 14,800 heads of the Copenhagen market cabbage variety. Its yield per acre is 20-30 tons of cabbage per acre.
Green Challenger F1
The Green challenger F1 is the only fast maturing cabbage variety in Kenya. It takes only 2 months or 60 days to mature after transplanting. It has round shape with compact size heads. They weight an average of 2.5-3 kilograms when fully mature. The heads are blue green while its internal color is creamy. It is resistant to DBM, Black rot and Fusarium Yellows. The variety’s yield potential is 40-50 tons of cabbage per acre. It has a recommended spacing of 30 cm by 30 cm or 60 cm by 60 cm depending on rainfall and soil features of your area.
Michelle F1
Michelle F1 matures in 80 days from transplanting. It will give you 40-74 tons of cabbage per acre given its yield potential. Each mature cabbage head weigh between 3 to 5 kg. The variety’s recommended spacing is 60 cm x 45-60 cm.
Pruktor F1
Pruktor F1 has a sweet flavor and its know for its tolerance against low night temperatures. It has a recommended spacing of 60 cm x 60 cm. Pruktor F1 has a yield potential of 50 -60 tons per acre. It will take around 80 days to mature from transplanting.
Queen F1
Queen F1 mature in 85 day after transplanting. Its yield potential is 30 tons of cabbage per acre. the seeds recommended spacing is 60 cm x 45 cm or 14,800 cabbage heads per acre.
Riana F1
The cabbage seed variety is tolerant to heat, cold. black rot and tip burns. The mature heads are round and compact with blue green heads. the internal color is clean white. Riana F1 is late maturing variety as it will mature in 90-100 days. Its recommended spacing is 60 cm x 60 cm. Its average weight is 1.5-2.5 kg per head and will give you low yields of 15-30 tons of cabbage per acre.
Winner F1
This cabbage variety matures in 75-80 days from transplanting date. An acre will give you 40 to 75 tons of cabbage if you observe good crop management. It has a recommended spacing of 60 cm x 60 cm
Read Next : How profitable is cabbage farming in Kenya?
The article compares 11 hybrid cabbage seed varieties you can grow in Kenya. It compares them on yield per acre, spacing in cm, tolerance to diseases and pests among other features like color and flavor.
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