West Java highland is the main production area for temperate vegetables in Indonesia. Observation of transportation and storage conditions of vegetables from production sites to markets, and quality evaluation of several vegetables revealed the frequent occurrence of soft rot in cabbage plants. The high air temperatures during storage and poor means of transportation have caused the easy spread of this disease. To address the problem, simple and low-cost methods for controlling the occurrence of softrot of cabbage heads after harvest were examined. As a result, it was found that dryness of cut end of cabbage heads is an important factor in the control of soft rot. Application of cement to the cut end, which is presently a common practice in Indonesia, was an effective way of suppressing it, suggesting that dryness of the cut end contributes to the effectiveness of this method. Furthermore, keeping them inside the room for more than one day after harvest was a simpler and easier way to prevent theoccurrence of soft rot.
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