Oil radish

Oil radish belongs to an annual crop, which is fodder and melliferous, which is worth paying attention to. This plant is part of the cruciferous family, it is used mainly as a green manure - this is the name of natural green fertilizers. Oil radish seeds can contain up to 50% vegetable oil, and it is for this reason that the radish got its name. The plant is also used in the culinary field, in the food industry, cosmetology and medicine. It should be noted that the same oil radish is also used to produce biofuel. As we can see, the vastness of its applications actually made it so popular that we cannot ignore this culture.

Oil radish: description and features

Oil radish: photo

Oil radish appears to us in the form of a plant, its height varies from one to one and a half meters. The leaves have a fuzzy, rather more rugged shape. The fruit of the olive oil radish is not at all a root vegetable. Of particular value is a pod up to eight centimeters long, which contains a certain amount of seeds. Unlike ordinary root radish, oil radish simply does not have such a root vegetable. The root of the oil radish is a thickened shaft, from which a number of branches emanate. At the same time, the root is quite strong and large, and can withstand even the most extreme temperature changes. In general, we note that the advantage of the oil radish lies in the fact that it can easily build up its own green mass even when the weather is very cold and unstable outside. For many crops, this weather can be devastating, but not for oil radish.

At the same time, the variety of oil radish is excellent for planting this radish at a rather late time. It is completely unpretentious in terms of climatic conditions, as well as the composition of the soil. As practice demonstrates, oil radish can be perfectly cultivated even on very heavy and clayey soils, while it perfectly tolerates excess moisture or periods of severe drought. She is calm in such conditions, gives an excellent harvest in the form of pods, which are used in a variety of, but at the same time vital areas.

In this article, we will consider in more detail the characteristics and features of oil radish, we will tell you how it is cultivated, and what exactly it is suitable for in a person's daily life and in his professional activity, if we are talking about certain areas. This radish really has many features and advantages that cannot be ignored, and we are just going to talk about them.

Oil radish: reviews

The use of oil radish as a green manure

Oil radish is a crop that has recently been used as a green manure. The implications of this use are rather of strategic importance. The thing is that the soils begin to massively become poorer, and for this reason they need additional fertilizing so that various plants feel much better in the soils. That is why we will devote a separate part of the article to how oil radish is used as a green manure.

As we already mentioned, the oil radish has a very strong and powerful root system. Since the root of the oil radish is of sufficient length, it can provide a very high rise of the lower layers of the soil to the surface.Together with the lower layers of the soil, many nutrients, minerals contained right there rise to the surface. When the green mass is mowed, it gradually decays. It turns out an excellent organic fertilizer, which is very rich in organic compounds and, of course, humus, which are so useful for a variety of crops.

Oil radish in general is a very efficient crop. It is used on an industrial scale in order to protect soils from depletion, erosion, especially in autumn and spring, when the soil needs it most. If the plant is not harvested for the winter, then it can retain precipitation and snow masses, and therefore moisture accumulates in the soil. Thanks to this process, the soil freezes less, it prepares faster for new crops to be planted in it in the spring.

It is also worth focusing on the fact that oil radish, as a green manure, has an excellent effect on the structure of the soil, on its compounds. The root system is powerful, capable of loosening the soil, making it lighter and more ventilated, saturated with oxygen. Also, thanks to the radish, natural drainage is ensured even at very deep distances and in the deepest layers of the soil. As a result, the soil is very light, fertile, moderately moist, and also perfectly breathable. Of course, all this makes the soil really incredibly valuable and useful. It should also be noted that for one hectare of soil from oilseed rare soil receives the following components and substances:

• more than eighty kilograms of nitrogen compound
• about a quarter of a centner of phosphorus
• one centner of potassium.

If we talk about the phytosanitary qualities of oil radish, then they are, of course, also quite obvious. Thanks to the radish, the soil is enriched and can resist pests, fungal diseases much stronger, and radish is also used to fight pests and bacteria. The root system of oil radish is effective against pests such as wireworm or scab, nematodes, which can take root well in the soil and cause very severe damage to it, which is then quite difficult to replace. At the same time, due to the fact that the oil radish has a very dense green part, and due to this, the soil around it also appears in the shade. As a result, weeds in the shade simply cannot fully germinate, and this, of course, becomes an undoubted advantage. Also, oil radish is in many ways the main crop that can fight against weeds, which are practically not removed. For example, rotten tops fights well against wheatgrass, which is practically not removed by anything else. In the tops, worms and beneficial microorganisms can also develop, which can have a positive effect on the soil, on its condition, the level of lightness, which, of course, will have an excellent effect on future plantings.

Oil radish: photo

Oil radish as a crop and additive

Oil radish is also valued as a forage crop. First of all, its advantage lies in the fact that the radish is distinguished by its early maturity, and can also consistently, regardless of external factors, give a high level of yield. As a rule, from one hectare you can collect from 300 to 400 centners of oil radish, and this, you see, is an incredibly high figure. Fertilizing can also achieve a yield of 700 quintals per hectare of land, but again, this means that the grower will need to apply some grooming practices to get such a good result.

From the moment the first shoots of oil radish seeds appear and until the moment when the radish itself is formed, it takes about 50 days, no more, and sometimes, if the radish is in the most favorable conditions, then this requires no more than 40 days.In one season, you can make about three mowings, while the green mass can be fed fresh to livestock. Also, from green mass, you can prepare silage and briquettes, which are perfectly stored and can be used in various fields. When the plant is formed, there are already somewhere 3-4 formed leaves on it, then the radish can also be used as an excellent additive to corn. At the same time, in general, the plant is considered an excellent fodder crop for many other plants, it does not do any harm at all, on the contrary, it gives the soil and plants more strength and nutrition.

Thanks to the cultivation of oil radish, there are more opportunities to walk the cattle in the pasture until the very late autumn. At the same time, plants retain their vegetative properties even at very low temperatures, and this is really very important. The oil radish contains a large amount of protein - about 26%, the culture is also very rich in phosphorus and potassium, calcium and magnesium, zinc. During the flowering period, there are about 30 grams of carotene per kilogram of tops, all these substances are very useful so that in the future the plants develop in accordance with the norms, are saturated with all the necessary substances.

Oil radish is also not only an excellent green manure, but also an excellent melliferous crop. Its main advantage is that the oil radish can bloom for a long time. Usually, this process can take about one month. At the same time, in cooler climates, nectar can be released, which is also a sign that the radish is an ideal honey plant. Honey harvesting is carried out around the beginning of the spring period, and in the future you can also do honey harvesting in the middle of summer, around July. The nectar contains a sufficient amount of sucrose, as well as fructose and glucose. At the same time, honey can differ in that it has a very bright, pronounced and strong aroma, as well as in that this honey also has special medicinal properties. Of course, this cannot but be attributed to the significant benefits of this plant. As for the bees, they move very actively to the fields around the morning. They can also take a fancy to the field with olive radish during the period of not prolonged rains, but in the morning the flowers can bloom very abundantly.

Oil radish culture: photo

Growing oil radish

Sowing oil radish, planting methods entirely depends on the purpose for which the gardener aims to grow this crop. So, the seeds of oil radish can be sown from April to mid-September, at this time they take root well, they can give a very bountiful harvest. As a rule, if the gardener wants to get the most bountiful harvest, then he needs to plant the radish around April. If the purpose of planting is to then obtain feed or green manure from the radish, then you can plant the radish a little later. This should be done at some distance between the rows. As a rule, fifteen centimeters will suffice. Sowing depth - no more than four centimeters.

In order to then carry out honey collection, ideally, it is worth planting the radish at a farther distance - there should be about forty centimeters between the rows. The first shoots appear in favorable conditions about four days after the oil radish seeds have been planted. But after 40-50 days, you can mow the radish for the first time in order to prepare top dressing, fertilizers, siderates from the tops. In order for the tops to rot, humus forms, it is extremely important that the soil is moist. Collect oil radish seeds around the late autumn period, it is better not to do this earlier, there is a high probability that the oil radish seeds will not reach, and then they will not make a decent and strong seed.The pods perfectly retain their shape, the seeds dry out in more natural conditions for themselves, so there is a high probability that the seedlings will occur quickly and abundantly. In our country, oil radish seeds are usually purchased in the following popular varieties - Sabina and Nika, Jumper, Brutus, Rainbow, Tambovchanka. These varieties of oil radish can adapt much more successfully and quickly to our conditions, and in principle they give a very bountiful harvest for a variety of purposes. In general, this plant is quite unpretentious, and therefore they take root well and give excellent results in various regions.