Organic Seed Grower : A Farmer's Guide to Vegetable Seed Production (9781603584524) by Navazio John

Author:Navazio, John
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Lightning Source Inc

Radish

Radish (Raphanus sativus) is one of the oldest vegetable domesticates and was originally cultivated in China. From there it spread to Japan and other parts of Asia; it also moved westward to Asia Minor and the Mediterranean basin, where it established a second center of diversity and spread to many cultures. The ancestral form of radish was probably closely related to the modern green- and red-fleshed winter radishes that are still grown extensively across Asia today. The great geneticist and ethnobotanist Edgar Anderson declared radishes to be “one of our most ancient cultivated plants.”

The fleshy edible part of the radish plant that we call the root is actually both the hypocotyl and the root. These “roots” vary widely in shape, size, and color, and many more types have come onto the seed market in current years thanks to the specialty market. Radishes also vary in the length of time the roots remain edible after harvest. The small, fast-maturing spring radishes (also called summer radishes) only remain edible for 10 days to 2 weeks under proper storage. The larger, slower-growing winter radishes are traditionally summer-planted, grown through late summer and fall, and used as a winter storage vegetable that can remain edible for 4 to 6 months in storage. As a storage crop, winter types with their firmer, denser flesh have been an important winter vegetable in Asia for thousands of years. Winter radishes include the round and tapered Chinese types of various colors, the daikon and large round white radishes of Japan, and the ‘Black Spanish’ and ‘Munchener Bier’ types from Europe.

Seed Production Parameters: Radish

Common names: radish, spring radish, winter radish, daikon

Crop species: Raphanus sativus L.

Life cycle: both “weak biennials” that perform as annuals and biennials

Mating system: cross-pollinated

Mode of pollination: insects

Favorable temperature range for pollination/seed formation: 60–77°F (16–25°C)

Seasonal reproductive cycle: spring and summer radishes: spring through late summer or fall (4–6 months); winter radishes and daikons (true biennials): midsummer of Year 1 to summer or late summer of Year 2 (12–14 months)

Within-row spacing: 18–36 in (46–91 cm), depending on crop type

Between-row spacing: 2–4 ft (0.6–1.2 m), depending on crop type

Species that will readily cross with crop: All radish types are fully compatible and will cross. There is also a wild radish (Raphanus spp.) that may cross with cultivated radish.

Isolation distance between seed crops: 0.5–2 mi (0.8–3.2 km), depending on crop type and barriers that may be present on the landscape

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