EFFECT OF AGE OF SEEDLING AND PLANT SPACING ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF KHALRABI (Brassica olaracea var. gongylodes)

This study was conducted at the Horticulture Farm, Department of Horticulture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during October 2017 to February 2018 in order to study the impact of seedling age and plant spacing on growth and yield of Khalrabi. The factorial experiment comprised of four levels of seedling ages viz., A1:14, A2:21, A3: 28, A4: 35 days and three plant spacing viz., S1: 50 cm x 35 cm, S2: 50 cm x 40 cm and S3: 50 cm x 45 cm. The experiment was laid out following randomized complete block design with three replications. Results showed that among the four seedling ages the highest number of leaves per plant (13.80), plant height (43.11cm), knob diameter (5.71cm), knob thickness (5.73cm), knob fresh weight (105.11gm) and total yield (10.15 t/ha) were recorded from A4 (35 days old seedlings). Among the plant spacing, the maximum number of leaves (12.87), the highest plant height (41.93 cm), diameter of knob (5.33 cm), thickness of knob (5.71 cm) and the highest fresh weight of knob (108.19 gm) were found from the widest spacing S3 (50 cm × 45 cm) at harvest. On the other hand, the highest total yield (10.77 t/ha) was obtained from the closest spacing S1 (50 cm × 35 cm). In case of combined effect, the maximum number of leaves (15.22), plant height (45.88 cm), diameter of knob (6.27 cm), thickness of knob (5.81cm), and fresh weight of knob (124.58 gm) were recorded from the highest seedling age A4 (35 days) with the widest spacing S3 (50 cm × 45 cm) while the highest total yield (12.32 t/ha.) was found in closest spacing S1 (50 cm × 35 cm) with the highest age of seedlings (35 days).