This radish is rootless and is not planted as a vegetable. The oleaginous variety is a well-known green manure planted as a green manure. We will find out for what other purposes this culture is used, how to plant it, grow it, and remove it correctly.
Appearance and characteristics of the culture
The homeland of the annual oil radish is Asia. Now culture is widespread.
Appearance Description:
- Plant. The height of the plant in adulthood is 1.5-2 m.
- Root system. Core, deeply penetrating. It has a thickened upper part with powerful side branches. There is no root crop.
- Flowers. Appears in May. Loose inflorescences have many lemon or snow-white flowers.
- Fruit. When the flowers have faded, fruits are formed. The pod contains 3-5 seeds. The pods will not burst, which allows harvesting in wet weather.
- Seeds. Small, spherical, reddish or brownish in color. 1 thousand pieces weigh about 12 g.
Seeds contain up to 50% fat. They are used to obtain vegetable oil, which is a raw material for biofuel production.
Oil radish characteristics:
- suitable for growing in regions with difficult farming conditions;
- yield of green mass with several mows - 200-600 centners per hectare.
The best varieties
Breeders, developing new varieties of oil radish, are working to increase its honey content, enlarge the root system, and improve the green manure properties.
Tambovchanka
This is an old proven variety, bred about 40 years ago. Resistant to frost and drought. Can withstand temperatures as low as minus 5 ° C. The stem has a strong leafiness, so it is beneficial to use the variety as a forage.
Nika
Created by Belarusian breeders by crossing previously bred varieties. Productivity - 2.5 tons per hectare. The growing season is 90-120 days.
Brutus
German variety with a vegetation period of 90 days. Resistant to black leg. It is a medium-sized variety reaching a height of 1.2 m.
Sabina
High-yielding Belarusian variety. Produces a lot of seeds. Up to 3.5 tons are harvested from 1 hectare. They are used in complex plantings with peas and silage corn. Also added to silage.
Advantages and disadvantages
Oil radish is an important industrial crop with a lot of advantages and just a couple of disadvantages.
Pros:
- The ability to grow on heavy, clayey soils.
- Increases fertility. If the radish is not mowed before winter, it can trap snow and prevent the soil from freezing.
- All parts of the culture contain essential oils, the characteristic smell of which prevents the reproduction of pests in the soil - nematodes, wireworms.
- Increases the number of earthworms and beneficial microorganisms.
- Tolerates cold, drought and high humidity.
- Differs in stable productivity.
- The tight closing of crops interferes with the growth of weeds.
- Siderat, being cut, feeds the earth with humus.
- Continues vegetation at + 5 ... + 6 ° C.
- Not afraid of frosts down to minus 4 ° C. Fortified plants can withstand temperatures as low as minus 7 ° C.
Minuses:
- It grows poorly on acidic soils. Wood ash or slaked lime is added to the site before sowing the radish.
- It is difficult to prepare silage from the culture, since its leaves and stems contain a lot of essential oils, therefore preservatives are added to the silage.
When to sow radish?
The oil radish is sown in rows. You can sow radish from April to September, but the highest yield is typical for April crops.
Fall
When sowing winter crops, it is necessary to have time to remove green manure in time. There should be a small time interval between the mowing of the radish and the sowing of winter crops - so that the green mass has time to rot. Moreover, it is necessary to mow the grass before the seeds are formed.
In autumn, the seeding rate is doubled. Autumn norm - from 4 to 8 g of seeds per 1 sq. m. This planting allows you to increase the density of crops.
Spring
North starts in April or earlier. You need to focus on the temperature of the soil. If it warms up to + 10 ° C, you can start sowing. If the temperature is unstable - from time to time it drops below the specified minimum, then it is recommended to increase the seeding rate.
Summer
With the arrival of summer, sowing can be done at any time. Planting is watered during the sprouting period. You can sow the area immediately after harvesting vegetables.
When the time comes for sowing greens - salads, arugula, etc., the radish will already be cut, and the soil will be enriched with useful elements.
The oil radish is planted before:
- cucumbers;
- tomatoes;
- pepper;
- potatoes;
- raspberries;
- strawberries;
- grapes.
Site selection and preparation
The radish is unpretentious and undemanding to the composition of the soil. Nevertheless, in order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to bring the site intended for sowing in accordance with agrotechnical standards.
How to improve soil quality:
- a deoxidizer is introduced into soils with high acidity - slaked lime or dolomite flour;
- in soils with low fertility, it is recommended to add a mineral complex or organic matter.
The soil under the radish can be plowed or dug up - it depends on the scale of crops. A small area can also be loosened with a flat cutter.
Plowing is more necessary for heavy clay soils, for others, surface loosening is sufficient. Embedding depth - 4 cm.
To increase the yield, the soil can be fertilized with a preparation containing microorganisms - "Baikal EM-1" or "Shining - 1". Also, to increase fertility, organic matter can be added to the soil.
How to sow oil radish?
The seed rate for sowing depends on:
- Sowing time. In autumn and spring, the rate is increased by 1.5-2 times. Conditions at this time are not the most favorable, and germination may decrease.
- Sowing technology... There are two ways to plant radish seeds:
- Into the ranks... Sowing rate - 2-3 g per 1 sq. m.
- Scatter... 3-4 g per 1 sq. m.
Sowing 1 hectare requires 20 to 40 kg of oil radish seeds.
Sowing features:
purpose | Spacing between rows, cm |
Feed | 15 |
Siderat | 15 |
Honey | 25-20 |
Seeds | 20 |
Care
Seeds sown in the ground begin to germinate on the 4-5th day. And after 30-40 days, the plant forms a rosette, which blooms 60 days after sowing.
During the growing season, the culture practically does not need care. The only thing that may be needed is organic fertilizing if the soil is infertile.
With the industrial cultivation of crops, the following activities are carried out:
- after sowing, the soil is rolled up;
- if necessary - harrowing until germination;
- weed control.
The biggest enemy of the oil radish is the cruciferous flea. They fight against it with insecticidal preparations. Also among crop pests are cabbage moth and cabbage fly. And the most common diseases are powdery mildew and peronosporosis.
Should you dig up oil radish in autumn?
Before winter, the radish is dug up or left for the winter. If the sowing was carried out late, then it is recommended not to dig up the radish.
Radish left before winter:
- traps snow on the field, allowing the soil to accumulate more moisture;
- the accumulation of moisture prevents the soil from freezing.
In spring, as soon as the snow melts, the aboveground part of the plants begins to rot, enriching the soil with useful elements.
If you dig up a radish, then it should be done 45 days after sowing. It is important to dig up the crop before flowering. If time is lost, the mown stalks are not left on the field, but composted to remove the seeds from the field.
To make it more convenient to dig up the soil, the radish must first be mowed. If the work is carried out manually, the plant stems are crushed with a shovel and dug up, embedded in the ground.
Digging the oil radish should be completed two weeks before the start of the frost.
Mowing
The radish is mowed one month after germination. If the culture is planted as a green manure, mow is carried out 30 days before planting vegetable crops.
Harvesting crops for feed begins at the budding stage, and ends before the formation of pods. Mow the stems, leaving a cut 6-7 cm high so that they grow back faster.
Harvesting for seeds begins after the pods are fully ripe. Finished seeds are light brown or reddish brown in color, depending on the variety. The seed is stored by folding it in paper or cloth bags.
What else should be considered when cleaning:
- If you mow a crop when it reaches a height of 20-30 cm, then during the season you can get green mass three times.
- If the culture is planted before sowing winter crops, then the mowing should be done 20-25 days before sowing the seeds.
- To get humus from the plant mass, it must be moistened.
- If the culture is used as a preparation for spring sowing, then it is harvested after the first frost.
Main areas of application
Due to its properties and qualities, oil radish can be used for various purposes. Not requiring special care, hardy and unpretentious, this culture is a generous honey plant, fodder and green manure.
Fields of application of oilseed radish:
- Siderat. Soil enrichment occurs in two ways. Thanks to powerful roots that pull up nutrients from the deep layers of the soil. The greens are converted into fertilizers containing humus and organic matter. The culture protects the soil from erosion. It also improves the looseness of soils, their air and water permeability.
- Phytosanitar. Essential oils protect not only the plant itself from insects and fungi, but also the soil in which it grows. The culture helps to eliminate potato scab, nematodes and wireworms. By shading the soil, it suppresses the growth of weeds.
Oilseed radish is actively used in weed control. - Forage culture. On average, 30-70 tons of green mass are harvested from 1 hectare. From sowing to the readiness of the crop for mowing, no more than 50 days pass. You can cut the radish three times in one season.
The green mass is fed to livestock fresh, as well as in the form of silage. Also, haylage is made from oil radish. It is found in various herbal mixtures. - Honey plant. Oil radish secretes nectar even on cold days. Plants are ready for honey harvest in early spring and summer.
The nectar of the culture contains sucrose, fructose and glucose - in an amount of 20%. Radish honey is very aromatic.
Where else is radish used?
In addition to agronomy, oil radish is in demand in:
- Cooking. At first glance, inedible product can be used for vitamin dishes. Water-soaked radish leaves are an excellent base for salads. Duration of soaking - 1 hour.
Green shoots can be added to cabbage soup. They contain ascorbic acid, which saturates dishes with vitamin C. - Food industry. The radish contains unique essential oils, which makes it possible to obtain enriched vegetable oil from the culture. True, this process is laborious and gives very little oil.
Protein is used for the production of sports food. It is impossible to abuse radish leaves, they contain glucosides that can cause poisoning. - Pharmacology. Essences obtained from radish serve as the basis for the production of medicines. They are mainly used to make vitamins. Herbal preparations with a calming effect are prepared from the green mass. Rare leaf drinks relieve stress and relieve headaches.
- Cosmetology. Essential blends derived from oil radish are incorporated into massage oils. Products with rare emulsions have a relaxing and light warming effect.
- Production. Diesel fuel oil is obtained, which is used in combines and other technical machines. It is also used as an emulsion against corrosion.
Reviews
Leonid B., 67 years old, pensioner, Kursk region Thanks to the oil radish, I was able to revive a completely depleted area. It took three years to restore fertility.
Anton D., 58 years old, amateur gardener, Murom. I grow oil radish for strawberries. Before planting the berries, I sowed green manure for two years before winter. On the soil fertilized with radish, the berries ripen very tasty. I also use the crop for feeding fruit trees.
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Using oil radish as green manure, you can save on mineral fertilizers. Thanks to this hardy, practically maintenance-free crop, it is possible not only to noticeably improve the quality characteristics of the site, but also to obtain vitamin feed for livestock.
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Russia. City Novosibirsk
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