Link to Resource Guide for Organic Insect and Disease Management
Recommended Varieties
Listed in approximate order of maturity.

Turnips
Purple Top White Globe
Just Right

Radishes
Cherry Belle
Improved Red Prince
Sparkler
Scarlet Knight
Champion

Planting Methods

Turnips. The turnip is a cool-season, biennial, fresh-market vegetable that reaches the edible stage in 50 to 70 days. The tops are eaten as greens and the root as a fresh or boiled vegetable. Both white- and yellow-fleshed types are available, but white-fleshed varieties are more common. Best quality results when the crop reaches usable size under moderately cool temperatures.

Radishes. The common radish is a quick growing, annual, cool-season root vegetable. The seed germinates in three to four days at soil temperatures between 65° and 85°F and good moisture. Best quality and root shape are obtained when the crop grows and matures at moderate temperatures (50° to 65°F) in intermediate to short day lengths. Most varieties reach usable size in 23 to 28 days under favorable growing conditions, but in cold weather 40 to 50 days may be required.

Good quality radishes can be produced on either mineral or muck soil. Preferred planting dates are early spring and August, but suitable crops can be obtained from plantings made from April through August in certain sections of New York, particularly if soil moisture is adequate. Radishes remain in prime condition only a short time, especially in warm weather.

Fertility

Maintain a pH of 6.0 to 6.5. Add one to two pounds of boron per acre with broadcast fertilizer. See Table 28.2 for the recommended rates of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

Cornell cover crop decision tool

See Cornell article on nutrient deficiency symptoms

Go to Cornell Nutrient Analysis Lab website to find out how to get soil samples tested.

Cornell Soil Health website and manual

SARE Publication: "Building Soils for Better Crops"

SARE publication: "Managing Cover Crops Profitably"

Harvesting

Turnips

At maturity, turnips are usually two to three inches in diameter. Turnips are sold bunched or topped. They can be stored for several weeks at low temperatures (32° to 35°F) and high relative humidity (95 percent or above). With good air circulation, topped turnips can be stored four to five months.

Radishes

Radishes remain in prime condition for only a short time, especially in warm weather. Roots will become pithy if overmature. Most radishes are marketed with tops removed in plastic bags. Those sold with tops will lose moisture and quality more rapidly than those without tops. Radishes, like turnips, should be stored at 32° to 35°F and 95 to 100 percent relative humidity.

See UC Davis post harvest guide for radish

See Cornell Report: Food Safety Begins on the Farm

See Cornell "Smart Marketing" series.

See USDA grade standards for fresh turnips and rutabagas.

See USDA Marketing site

See current wholesale prices from US markets

SARE Publication: "Marketing Strategies for Farmers and Ranchers"

SARE Publication: "Direct Marketing Resource Guide"

Disease Management

Under normal conditions, diseases are not a problem.

Insect Management

| Cabbage root maggot | Flea beetles |

See pictures of CRM on cabbage/crucifers
See pictures of CRM life cycle

Organic management of CRM on brassica crops

Time for concern: April through July
Key characteristics: Small, white, legless worm with a blunt end, about 1/4 inch long. Look for brown tunnels in stems and roots.

Potato flea beetle life cycle

Potato flea beetle damage

Organic management of FB on brassica crops

Time for concern: Cotyledon, seedling, and mature plant
Key characteristics: Shiny, black beetle, about 1/16 inch long that jumps when disturbed and chews tiny holes in foliage.

Weed Management

Key characteristics: Weed fact sheets provide a good color reference for common weed identification. See Reference 17. Also see Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide.

Cornell Weed Ecology and Management Laboratory website

Ontario, Canada weed identification gallery

Penn State Weed Fact Sheets

SARE Publication: "A Whole-Farm Approach to Managing Pests"

Management Option	Recommendation
Scouting/thresholds	Weeds may be unevenly distrubuted over a field. Localized areas of severe weed infestations or atypical conditions, such as poorly drained areas, high spots, and field edges, may be recorded on a weed map. a weed mapshould be on file for each field. Make a rough sketch of the field, incuding landmarks, boundaries, crop row direction, compass directions, roads, planting date, map preparation date, and any other important details. the following information should be indicated on the map: species of weed, siaze of weed density of each species, and distribution of weeds. Scout fields two to three weeks after planting to evaluate the success of the current seasons program and at or near harvest to help predict weed control practices that will be necessary for the following year. Cornell Weed Assessment List (scouting form) Manitoba, Canada weed scouting guide
Site selection	Refer to weed maps to avoid problem weeds when choosing fields for trunips and radishes.
Cultivation	Cultivation is important in turnip weed control but of limited use with radishes. See Cornell fact sheet on mechanical weed control. SARE Publication: "Steel in the Field"
Cover Crops, Weed Seed Bank Assessment	See report on using buckwheat as a weed control cover crop See report on estimating weed seed banks SARE publication: "Managing Cover Crops Profitably" Cornell cover crop decision tool Cornell buckwheat cover crop handbook Cornell Forage Species Selection Tool

Compound(s)
Comparing Environmental Risks of Pesticides In the "Field Use EIQ" column is the range of EIQ (Environmental Impact Quotient) values for the rate range recommended for each pesticide (lower EIQ = lower environmental impact). Other pesticide risk models are useful for specific purposes. WIN-PST is required for some USDA NRCS conservation plans.
Common name Trade name	Rate/ Product	PHI (days)	REI (hours)	Field  Use EIQ	Comments
postemergence
clethodim (annual and perennial grasses)
*Select 2EC 2 lb/gal	6-8 fl oz	15 radish 30 turnip	24	2	For control of numerous annual and perennial grasses. DO NOT apply more than 0.5 lb ai/Acre/seaon and on Long Island do not apply more than 0.25 lb ai/Acre/season. Always use a crop oil concentrate (COC) at 1% V/V in the finished spray volume with Select EC and 0.25% non-ionic surfactant (NIS) with Select Max.
Select Max 0.97lb/gal	9-16 fl.oz.	15 radish 30 turnip	24	2
clopyralid (ragweed, hairy galinsoga, smartweed, wild buckwheat, dandelion, hairy nightshade, Canada thistle)
** *Stinger 3EC 3 lb/gal	0.5 pt	15 tops 30 roots	12	4	NOT FOR USE IN NASSAU AND SUFFOLK COUNTIES. Turnips only. Make 1 application per season.
* = Restricted use only. Check NYS PIMS (Product, Ingredient, and Manufacturer System) to see if the label is current for New York. SPECIAL NEW YORK RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY. (http://magritte.psur.cornell.edu/pims/)

References

Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide:
http://www.ppws.vt.edu/weedindex.htm

BIOLOGICAL CONTROL: A Guide to Natural Enemies in North America:
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/

IPM Vegetable Fact Sheets:
http://nysipm.cornell.edu/factsheets/vegetables/default.asp

Plant Disease Diagnosis Clinic:
http://PlantClinic.cornell.edu

Vegetable MD Online:
http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/Home.htm

Measuring Environmental Impact of Pesiticides:
http://nysipm.cornell.edu/publications/eiq/default.asp

Cornell Vegetable Team
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/extension/commercial/vegetables/vegeteam/index.html

The Northeastern Pest Management Center has links to information on IPM in the northeast and throughout the US

Cornell Soil Health website and manual

USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Publications (SARE)

Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA): http://www.attra.org/

Back to Home

Maintained by Curtis Petzoldt, New York State IPM Program. Address comments or questions to vegrec@nysaes.cornell.edu Last modified February 29, 2008.