Turnips farming guide

Binomial Name:Brassica

Varieties:Purple Top, White Egg. 

Conditions: Prefers well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter, pH 6.0 to 7.5. Can tolerate slightly alkaline soil.

Turnips

-Needs plentiful, consistent moisture. Loosen soil deeply or grow in raised beds to encourage good root development.

-Will tolerate less-than-ideal conditions, but poor soil will slow growth and hurt quality and flavor. -Biennial grown as an annual.

Planting: Sow seeds ¼ to ½ inch deep, 1 inch apart in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. Thin plants to 4- to 6-inch spacings. Plant every 2 weeks for continuous harvest.

-Quality and flavor are best if harvested when whether is cool. Use floating row cover to protect crop from early pests.

-To help reduce disease, do not plant turnips or other cole crops in the same location more than once every three or four years.

Turnips

Pests and diseases

1.Anthracnose - Small circular or irregularly shaped dry spots which are gray to straw in color on leaves; a high number of spots may cause the leaf to die; lesions may coalesce to form large necrotic patches causing leaves to turn yellow and wilt; lesions may split or crack in dry centers; dry sunken spots on roots which enlarge and turn gray or brown.

2.Alternaria leaf spot (Black spot, Gray spot) - Small dark spots on leaves which turn brown to gray; lesions may be round or angular and may possess a purple-black margin; lesions may form concentric rings, become brittle and crack in center; dark brown elongated lesions may develop on stems and petioles.

Alternaria leaf spot

3.Cercospora leaf spot (Frogeye leaf spot)- Angular or circular green to gray spots with brown borders on leaves;plant defoliation may occur in the case of a severe infestation.

4.Downy mildew- Irregular yellow patches on leaves which turn light brown in color; fluffy gray growth on the undersides of the leaves.

5.White spot- Small, necrotic, brown spots on leaf tips or margins that matures to lightgray or white with the original dark spot in center; margins of lesions may be darker; lesions may coalesce to form large chlorotic areas and cause defoliation.

Leaf with white spots

Leaf with white spots

6.Sclerotinia rot (White mold)- Infections usually begin at the base of the plant and will cause tan water soaked lesions on leaves.

Eventually cottony white mycelia will develop and cover infected tissues. From this mycelia black seed like bodies (sclerotia) will be produced.

Irregular, necrotic gray lesions on leaves; white-gray leions on stems; reduced pod set; shattering seed pods.

Leaf with gray lessions

7.Clubroot- Slow growing, stunted plants; yellowish leaves which wilt during day and rejuvenate in part at night; swollen, distorted roots; extensive gall formation.

Clubroot

8.Black root- Small black-blue areas on roots which expand and girdle taproot; roots become constricted at site of lesions; black discoloration extends into root.

9.Wirestem (Damping-off)- Death of seedlings after germination; brown-red or black rot girdling stem; seedling may remain upright but stem is constricted and twisted (wirestem).

10.Black rot- Seedlings develop wilted yellow to brown leaves and collapse; yellow, V-shaped lesions on mature leaf margins; dark rings can be found in the cross section of the stem.

11.Turnip mosaic- Yellow and green mosaic patterns on leaves; necrotic areas on leaves; veinclearing and chlorosis may occur in older leaves; black spots and brown necrotic streaks on stems; stunted plant growth ond reduced yield.

12.Flea beetles- Small holes or pits in leaves that give the foliage a characteristic “shothole” appearance; young plants and seedlings are particularly susceptible.

plant growth may be reduced; if damage is severe the plant may be killed; the pest responsible for the damage is a small (1.5–3.0 mm) dark colored beetle which jumps when disturbed;the beetles are often shiny in appearance.

Flea beetle

13.Wireworms- Death of seedlings; reduced stand; girdled stems and white heads; wireworm larvae can be found in soil when dug round the stem; larvae are yellow-brown, thin wormswith shiny skin.

14.Cabbage aphid-Large populations can cause stunted growth or even plant death; insects may be visible on the plant leaves and are small, grey-green in color and soft bodied and are covered with a white waxy coating; prefer to feed deep down in cabbage head and may be obscured by the leaves.

Cabbage aphids

15.Root maggots- Scars and feeding tunnels on surface of turnip; root damage may be extensive; larvae are white or white-yellow in color, reach approx. 1 cm (0.3 in) in length and taper towards the head; adult insect is a small fly which resembles a housefly.

Harvesting: These tasty and hardy cool-season vegetables epitomize fall root crops. Harvest rutabagas from three to four months after sowing seeds, while turnips can be harvested from one to two months after sowing seeds.

-Harvest turnip leaves for greens before the roots are ready. Cut the outer leaves, then refrigerate, unwashed, and use as soon as you can. Leave some greens on top to keep root alive.

-Loosen the soil around turnip roots when they reach 2 to 3 inches wide. Pull roots from the soil and twist off the tops, leaving about 1/2 inch of stem.

Seeds storage: If small amounts of seeds are wanted, allow individual pods to dry to a light brown color before picking and opening by hand. Lower pods dry first followed by those progressively higher on the plant.

-For larger amounts of seeds pull entire plant after a majority of pods have dried. Green pods rarely produce viable seeds even if allowed to dry after the plant is pulled.

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