Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
• root: size and shape; not fuzzy, woody, or spongy; no cavities; retains eating ripeness for a long time
• flavor: spicy or mild
• length and color of foliage
DISEASES AND PESTS Typical problems in the early stages of cultivation are flea beetles and cabbage
root flies; pollen beetles, cabbage seed weevils, and aphids are potential problems during flowering. If
any of these pests are problems during flowering, use insect netting to protect plants, as heavy infesta-
tions can prevent any seeds at all from forming. In rape- and canola-growing areas, radishes that
flower in your garden when rape is done flowering are quickly infested by cabbage seed weevils. The
fungal disease white rust ( Albugo candida ) can cause great damage to flower organs and seedpods.
Plant at wider planting distances (see earlier) to help avoid or reduce white rust. Remove afflicted
plants and wait at least three years to grow brassicas in the same bed.
Various shapes of summer radish
Various shapes of winter radish
CULTIVATION HISTORY Although they belong to the same species, summer and winter radish were pre-
sumably domesticated at different times and places. Overwhelming evidence points to the early use of
radish as a leaf vegetable, as its wild ancestor shows no swelling of the root. The plant first started to
change when grown in the irrigated agriculture of the Fertile Crescent; from there it made its way to
Egypt, where oilseed varieties were bred. The winter radish is one of the oldest crop plants, being
grown by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans; it was domesticated in either the eastern Medi-
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