tah tsai
Other Common Names Include:
Chinese Savoy, Broad-beaked Mustard, Tat Soi, Rosette Pak Choy, Wuta Cai, Spinach Mustard, Spoon Mustard
Latin Name: Brassica rapa subsp. narinosa var. rosularis
Plant Family: Brassicaceae
Close Relatives: Bok choy, Chinese Cabbage
Uses and Markets: Culinary (e.g. used in Asian cuisine for mixed salads and stir-fries).
Production Life Cycle in Ontario
Annual
Hardiness Zone
N/A
Special Notes
Brassica crops are cool-season vegetables. They perform best at moderate temperatures and can withstand mild frosts. Low temperatures early in the growing season may cause premature seedstalk development (bolting). Extreme changes in temperature, poor soil conditions or low nutrient levels also induce bolting. Tah Tsai is also sensitive to daylength and will bolt if exposed to long-day photoperiods.
Propagation method
Most commonly by direct seed, less commonly by transplants.
Greenhouse Seeding/Propagation Dates
March-April
Field Seeding Date:
April - September
Field Transplanting Dates
April - September
In-row spacing
20 cm
Between row spacing
45-60 cm
Optimal Soil temperature at planting
>5°C
Fertility
No current Ontario fertility recommendations exist. Research and recommendations from outside Ontario do not necessarily apply to Ontario growing conditions. Experience from Ontario field trials suggests that Shanghai Pak Choy, a close relative of Tah Tsai, requires 90-120 kg N/ha for each planting through the growing season and would be a starting point for determining nitrogen requirements when growing Tah Tsai. Click here for phosphorus and potassium application guidelines and for more information on specialty crop fertility.
Soil type
All soil types, growing best on sandy-loam and muck soils.
Soil pH
5.5-7.5
Special requirements for growth habit
None.
Optimal Temperature Range
15-24°C
Temperature sensitivity
Frost Tolerant
Irrigation requirements
Irrigation required under normal Ontario conditions.
Days to harvest
25-45
Specialized equipment
None
Harvest
Harvest Scheduling
Multiple harvests from the same planting; Successive plantings. Multi-cropping possible.
Hand harvest or machine harvest
Hand harvest
Quality parameters/grades
No established grades. Quality is determined by the market.
Additional Harvest Notes
Harvest during cooler parts of the day to reduce moisture loss and cooling costs. Remove field heat as soon as possible after harvest.
Post harvest
Special handling/curing
None
Storage Conditions
Relative humidity (RH): 95-100 %
Temperature: 0-1°C
Air Exchange: N/A
Duration: 10-14 days
Specific pests observed on this crop in Ontario (observations based on limited experience with this crop)
Insects and Invertebrates: Flea beetles
Diseases: Club root (Plasmidiophora brassicae)
Other: none
Other Potential Pests: The following pests have not been observed on this crop in Ontario. However, they are either significant concerns for closely related plants in Ontario, or are reported on this crop in other production areas. This is not a comprehensive list of all potential pests. Not all of these pests will necessarily survive Ontario’s climate, but could potentially survive in a protected environment (e.g. greenhouse, storage facility).
Insects and Invertebrates: Cabbage maggot (Delia radicum), swede midge (Contarinia nasturtii), diamondback moth larvae (Plutella xylostella), imported cabbage worm (Artogeia rapae), cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni), tarnished plant bug (Lygus lineolaris), cutworms, leafminers (Liriomyza spp.), aphids, seedcorn maggot (Delia platura), earwigs, slugs, thrips
Diseases: Downy mildew (Peronospora parasitica), Alternaria leaf spot, Pseudocercosporella leaf spot (Pseudocercosporella capsellae), turnip mosaic virus (TuMV), bacterial soft rots (Erwinia cartovera, Pseudomonas spp.), bacterial leaf spot (Pseudomonas syringae), black rot (Xanthomonas campestris), damping off (Pythium, Rhizoctonia spp.), Fusarium wilt (cabbage yellows)
Other: None
*Indicates pests commonly mentioned as causing significant damage or economic loss to this crop in other regions.
Comments
To date the following pests have been the most significant in Ontario: flea beetles. Flea beetles tend to prefer specialty crops (e.g. Chinese cabbage, bok choy, daikon) over traditional brassica crops. Club root damage will be less when grown during cooler times of the year (e.g. April and Aug/Sept. plantings). Many specialty Brassica crops are included in Crop Group 5: Brassica (Cole) Leafy Vegetables. A complete list of all crops included in Crop Group 5 can be found on Health Canada’s website . For more information on Crop Groups, refer to the Pest section. Always refer to product labels, and follow all directions specified on the label, before applying any pest control product. For more information, consult an OMAFRA specialist. For pest control products registered on Brassicas, refer to OMAFRA Publication 838, Vegetable Crop Protection Guide. For more information on pests of Brassica crops, refer to the Brassica module of Ontario CropIPM on the OMAFRA website.
Due to problems with various diseases and pests, a rotation period of 3 to 4 years without any Brassica crops is recommended.
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