1. Radish Botanical Name: Raphanus sativus L. Family: Brassicaceae
Chromosome number 2n=18
Origin: Western Asia.

2. Radish is a popular vegetable in both tropical and temperate climate used both root cum leaf.
It has a characteristic pungent aroma and taste.
It is easy to grow and widespread vegetable that can usually be found in most home gardens.
Best suitable for sequential, inter- and relay cropping due to short duration and high productivity, enables maximum use of arable land.
In Himachal Pradesh, it is grown as summer crop in dry and wet temperate zones and both as a winter and summer crop in the sub-temperate region.

3. Uses
The leafy tops are very rich in vitamin A, B, C and minerals particularly Ca and Fe.
The roots and leaves are consumed both as salad and as cooked vegetable.
The roots are good appetizer, effective in curing liver, gall bladder and urinary disorders, piles and gastrodynia.
It is a good source of vitamin C containing 15-40mg per 100g of edible portion.
Pink skinned radishes are generally richer in vitamin C than white skinned ones.
The young tender pods are also used as vegetable.
A salt extracted from roots, dried and burnt to white ash is said to be used in stomach trouble.
The juice of fresh leaves is used as diuretic and laxative.
Seeds are said to be peptic, expectorant, diuretic and carminative

4. Spring radishes Winter radishes
Young tender pods of rat tail radish are used as vegetable – no edible root is formed in this radish.
The characteristic pungent flavour is due to the presence of volatile isothiocynates (4-methyl thio-3-butenyl isothiocyanate) – MTB-ITC.
The colour of the pink cultivars is due to the presence of anthocyanin pigments.
Spring radishes
Winter radishes
Very common, rapid growing and quick maturing (20-30 days)
Slow growing and late maturing (50-90 days)
Relatively small roots
Large roots
Root quality deteriorate quickly and mildly pungent
Stored better and have characteristic strong flavour.

5. Two groups of radish varieties
Asiatic/tropical/subtropical type
European/Temperate Type
Produce seeds in plains
Seed production is limited to high hills.
Palam Hriday, Pusa Desi,
Pusa Reshmi, Pusa Chetki,
Punjab Safed, Japanese White,
Punjab Pasand, Arka Nishant, Chinese Pink, Hisar Mooli No. 1,
Kalyanpur No. 1, Kalyani White,
CO-I, IIVR-I, IIVR-II, C-2,
Jaunpuri Mooli,
Early Mino White.
Pusa Himani,
White Icicle,
Rapid Red White Tipped,
Scarlet Globe,
Scarlet Long,
Silver Queen,
Kvarta (Short duration suitable for protected cultivation).
French breakfast

6. Varieties recommended for Himachal Pradesh
Asiatic or tropical type
European Type or Temperate Type Varieties
Japanese White
Palam Hriday
Chinese Pink
White Icicle
Pusa Chetki
Pusa Himani

7. French Breakfast

8. White Icicle Scarlet Globe Chinese Pink White Globe Japanese White
China white
White Globe

9. RADISHES

11. Schedule for growing radish throughout the year Variety Sowing time
Harvesting time
Pusa Chetki
Early April-Mid August
Early May- September
Pusa Desi
Mid August- Mid October
Last week of September-Early December
Pusa Reshmi
Mid September- Mid November
Last October- early January
Japanese White
Mid October- Mid December
Mid December- Early March
Pusa Himani
Mid October- Mid February
Mid February- Mid April
White Icicle
Last October-end February
Late November- Early March

12. Soils
Light, friable loam soils containing high amount of humus are good to obtain best results.
Usually the heavy soils produce rough ill shaped roots with number of small fibrous laterals.
The optimum soil pH is
Sandy or sandy loam soils are preferred for early crop.
A cool moist soil give best results in summer crop.

13. Climate
It is predominantly a cool season crop and best adapted to cool or moderate climate.
Indian types with greater temperature adaptation can resist heat more than the European types.
The optimum temperature for best flavour, texture, root growth and development is 10-15oC.
Different varieties respond to varied range of temperature.
This is the fact that radishes are available throughout the year by growing different varieties in different months.
The Asiatic types are tolerant to high temperature than European types.
During the hot weather, the roots become tough, pithy and pungent before reaching the edible type.
Long days coupled with high temperature leads to premature bolting without adequate root formation.

14. Sowing Time Seed Rate Himachal Pradesh 9-12 kg/ha Asiatic type – 10 kg
Northern plains
European type
Any time between September-March
Asiatic type
August-January
Mild Climate Areas
Through out the year
Himachal Pradesh
Low Hills
August-September
Mid Hills
July – October
High Hills
March- August
Seed Rate
9-12 kg/ha
Asiatic type – 10 kg
European type – kg
(1 g seed contains seeds)

15. Spacing
European type - 30cm X 5-10cm
Asiatic types – 45 cm X 6-8 cm
Sowing depth
1.5- 3cm deep on the ridges for semi-long type
1-1.25cm for round cultivars.
After germination maintain the distance between the plants with in row by following thinning of plants.

16. Soil preparation
The soil should be thoroughly pulverized so as to obtain fine tilth for getting the best crop, otherwise it results in deformed roots.

17. Manures and Fertilizers
Open pollinated varieties
Farmyard manure (q/ha) N
P2O5
K2 O
(Kg/ha)
100 90 50 40
Full dose of farmyard manure, P, K and half N should be applied at the time of transplanting.
Remaining part of N should be top dressed in two equal installments at an interval of one month each.

18. Interculture and weed control
Weeding and hoeing are necessary at days after sowing in mid maturity group of Asiatic type,
Temperate and early Asiatic types require weeding at days after sowing.
Earthing up is necessary as the growing roots tend to push out of the soil,
This results in well developed, quality and elongated roots.
Pre-emergence application of following herbicides is very useful for effective weed control
Pendimethalin 1.2 kg a.i./ha or
Alachlor 1.5 kg a.i./ha or
Fluchloralin 0.9 kg a.i./ha or
Isoproturan 1.0 kg a.i./ha or
1.0 kg a.i./ha.

19. Irrigation
A pre-sowing irrigation is to be given to help the seeds absorb moisture and germinate properly.
Irrigation frequency and water quantities are depend on the planting season and available soil moisture.
The soil should have sufficient moisture to obtain tender and attractive roots.
Frequent irrigation is necessary during summer, otherwise the growth will be checked and root will be pungent making them unfit for market.

20. Harvesting Yield European type 50-80q/ha in 25-30 days Asiatic type
The roots are harvested when they are of usable size and relatively young.
The roots are washed and graded according to size and are tied into bunches alongwith tops for marketing.
European types reach harvest maturity in days.
Asiatic types require longer period i.e. Chetki type days and mid maturity group days.
Yield
European type
50-80q/ha in days
Asiatic type
q/ha in days.

21. Post Harvest Handling
Cooled quickly to 40oF or below. Hydrocooling is effective in this regard.
At 32oF & % RH
topped radishes can be stored for 3-4 weeks
bunched roots will generally keep no longer than 1-2 weeks.
At 0oC and 90-95% RH, roots can be stored for 2 months

22. PHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDERS

23. 1. Pore extent or pithiness
It does much damage to the quality of the radish destroying the commercial value.
Pores are formed by the collapse of parenchymatous cells in root tissues caused by excessive root growth in comparison with the corresponding assimilation ability of leaf tissue.
Pore development is a sign of senescence and its degree differ among cultivars.
Possible Reasons
Harvesting should be done at appropriate time as delayed harvesting leads to this disorder

24. 2. Elongated root or Forking
Elongated root is brought about by secondary elongating growth in the root.
Possible Reasons
Excess moisture during the root development.
It occurs on heavy soils due to soil compactness.
Use of undecomposed organic manure.

25. Pest management Problem Management Damping off Seed treatment
Alternaria blight
White Rust
Arka Nishant is reported to be resistant
Aphids
Spray malathion(0.05%) or oxy demeton methyl(0.025%)