Content
Bitter radish is a vegetable crop widespread throughout Russia. Radish is cultivated to obtain a root vegetable rich in trace elements and vitamins. The plant is resistant to weather extremes, tolerates a drop in temperature, therefore it is suitable for growing in the northern part of the Russian Federation. In the southern regions, two crops can be obtained per season.
Biological description of the root crop
The historical homeland is the Mediterranean, radish was brought to Russia in the XII century. Belongs to the genus Cruciferous of the Cabbage family (Raphanus sativus), the main varieties are mostly biennial. The first year the plant gives a rosette and a root crop, the second one seeds. Hybrid varieties are mostly annual. The vegetable species has a significant number of varieties and varieties, differing in the shape of the fruit, size, color, ripening time. General description of the radish:
- stem up to 1 meter long;
- leaves are large, narrow at the bottom, wide at the top, lyre-shaped, whole, dissected or pinnate;
- racemose inflorescences consist of small flowers of blue, purple, yellow or white;
- dark round seeds are located in a pod capsule;
- thickened roots, suitable for human consumption.
Content of vitamins and minerals
In all varieties and varieties, the content of useful, active substances is approximately the same. The culture includes:
- essential oils;
- mineral salts;
- bactericidal substances (vitamin C);
- glucose;
- dry substances;
- protein;
- cellulose;
- potassium;
- magnesium;
- calcium;
- vitamins of group B, PP, C, E, A.
Turnip varieties are grown as a snack vegetable. The active substances in the varieties improve appetite and digestion. Promote liquefaction and removal of phlegm from the bronchi. It is used in folk medicine as a tonic. It has diuretic and choleretic properties. Breaks down cholesterol.
Turnip and radish: what is the difference
Both herbaceous crops belong to the Cabbage family, at first glance, they are similar to the tops and root crops, but these are completely different plants that differ from each other:
Culture | The form | Color | Taste | Application |
Turnip | flat | light yellow, white | sweet | subject to heat treatment (stewing, baking) |
Radish | does not have this form | green, black, white, pink | spicy with the presence of bitterness | consumed only raw |
The radish is divided into several varieties, species and varieties. There are two varieties of turnip: Japanese, white (garden). Lumpy turnip-turnips were bred. Radish for livestock feed is not grown.
Types of radish with photos and names
The main types of radish, which include a significant number of taxa, radically different in color and shape. White radish has several varieties. Has a less pungent taste. Forms fruits of a round or oblong shape. The varieties are annual and biennial. It tolerates low temperatures well. Distribution area - Siberia, European part of Russia, Southern, Central regions.
Black radish - a species that includes a large number of varieties. They differ in shape, growing season. Annual varieties of the culture of the summer ripening period, two-year autumn ones. All are black.The root vegetable has a bitter, pungent taste due to the high concentration of essential oils. The chemical composition is more varied than that of the white species. Radish undemanding to agricultural technology, tolerates a drop in temperature. Cultivated throughout Russia (except for areas of risky farming).
Field radish refers to weeds, found among agricultural crops. Grows on roadsides, wastelands. An annual herbaceous species is not used for food, it is used for hybridization of new table varieties.
Radish varieties with photos and descriptions
Radish is one of the few herbaceous plants that has a large number of hybrid varieties with different color spectrum and fruit shape. There are two varieties of radish, summer and autumn, they have different ripening periods and storage times. The most common and demanded types include the following varieties of radish:
Sowing radish includes a variety of the white variety "Gaivoronskaya". Medium late, high-yielding is not afraid of the first frost. The fruit is in the form of a cone or cylinder. The peel and pulp are white, medium juiciness, long-term storage, has a pungent taste. This variety includes Black Round, with the same characteristics as "Gaivoronskaya". The difference is in appearance.
Radish "Red Meat" - the result of the work of Japanese breeders. It is rare in personal plots. The fruits are large, dense. The rind is colored burgundy and light pink. The pulp is dark red. The root crop is round or cylindrical, weighing 250 g. There is no bitterness in the taste, gastronomic characteristics like radish.
Radish "Lobo" - a variety of Chinese origin. The early variety ripens in 2 months, it is poorly stored. Consumed fresh immediately after collection. The root crop is rounded, less often in the form of an elongated oval, grows to 0.5 kg. The color of the surface layer is beige, pink or red, violet is found, the flesh is white. The upper part is green.
Chinese radish "Fang of an elephant" - medium late variety, ripening in three months. An elongated cone-shaped root crop with a white skin and pulp. Weight 530 g. Green pigments are present on a smooth surface. In addition to fruits, the tops of the plant are eaten. The variety is poorly stored.
Yellow radish - the main representative of the variety of radish "Zlata". Root crops are round, small in size with a dark yellow skin and white flesh. An early selection from the Czech Republic. Weight 25 g. The surface is rough. Fruit with a long root system.
Long radish (red) - ultra-early variety, ripens in 40 days, intended for summer harvest. Due to the low calorie content, it is recommended to include it in the diet menu. The cone-shaped root vegetable is about 14 cm long and 5 cm in diameter. The surface is bright red, the flesh is white, juicy, without sharpness. Weight 170 g.
Garden radish includes one year old radish and two year old turnip. This category includes almost all varieties with commercially available seeds. Everyone has different ripening periods and colors: white, black, red, purple, pink.
Radish "Lady" originally from China, mid-season, ripens in 1.5 months. Stores well, is used in winter. The variety tolerates low temperatures safely. Root crops are red, rounded, weighing 130 g. The pulp is juicy, spicy, creamy, pink near the peel. "Lady" is a biennial plant, the seeds retain their varietal characteristics.
"Misato Red" - a subspecies of sowing radish, an early variety intended for planting in summer. A kind of Chinese selection. It has a mild taste due to the minimal content of essential oils. The fruits are round, dark pink in color, the peel is smooth and glossy. Weight 170 g, diameter 9 cm. The pulp is white, juicy. The peculiarity of "Misato Red" is the ability to maintain its presentation and taste for six months, which is not characteristic of early varieties.
Purple radish - an early hybrid that matures in 65 days. The concentration of nutrients is identical to the composition of the tops, which are used to prepare salads. An annual variety, in the southern regions two crops can be harvested over the summer. A dark purple root crop with beige fragments. The peel is uneven, rough. The shape is in the form of a cone, weight 200 g. White pulp with purple blotches, juicy, sweet, no bitterness.
"Cylinder" - a kind of black radish. Medium late, high yielding, all fruits are of the same size with a black surface. The pulp is white, bitter. A variety for long-term storage, use in the winter-spring period. Weight 350 g, length 20-25 cm, cylindrical.
"Kohlrabi" in translation from German "cabbage radish", the culture is often referred to as cabbage. An exotic vegetable located on the surface of the soil. The forks are round, dense, similar in taste and appearance to a root vegetable. It comes in green, cream, purple colors. Weighing up to 800 g. The plant belongs to medium early. Used for vegetable salads, it lends itself well to heat treatment.
Winter radish varieties
Late crop species that are well stored are characterized by a longer ripening period. The most popular among vegetable growers are the best mid-late varieties of radish, suitable for cultivation in the Russian climate:
Name | Ripening time (days) | Color, shape | Weight (gram) | Taste | Collection time |
Gaivoronskaya | 90–110 | white, tapered | 550 | acute | September |
Winter round black | 75–95 | black, rounded | 450 | bitter | second decade of August |
Levin | 70–85 | black, rounded | 500 | bittersweet | August |
Winter round white | 70–95 | white with green top, rounded | 400 | sweet without bitterness | beginning of September |
Chernavka | 95–110 | black, rounded | 250 | acute | end of September |
Severyanka | 80–85 | dark red, rounded | 420 | weakly sharp | September |
A variety of radish "Margelanskaya" from China is very popular among gardeners. Unpretentious to the composition of the soil, care. Frost-resistant, distribution area throughout Russia. The variety is early ripe, the seeds are laid at the end of June, in September they are harvested. In the South, the crop variety is sown twice in the spring and in the middle of summer. Ripens in 60 days, the root vegetable is green, round, weight 350g, bitterness is present in the taste.
How to choose the right variety
Among the numerous types and varieties of radish for cultivation, they choose the one that suits the climatic features of the area. If the goal is to preserve the harvest until spring, the crop will acquire a two-year growing season, medium late. Most of the hybrid variety is suitable for summer use. On the packaging with planting material, the dates of planting, ripening and the recommended region are indicated; special attention is paid to this point.
Conclusion
Bitter radish is a vegetable crop that is in great consumer demand. Vitamin composition improves tone. The plant is unpretentious to care for, has a large number of varieties. Frost-resistant species are cultivated in the North. In regions with a warm climate, you can get two crops.
