Turnip Cultivation In India with Essential Information

You can grow the turnip worldwide, and it is considered the best root vegetable. Turnip vegetables are an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, calcium, manganese and fibre. You can use these turnips in different forms of cooking worldwide.  

There are various kinds of turnip recipes – like you can use it as a stewed, stir-fried, used as juice. The most common colour of this healthy turnip vegetable is white. The states that produce turnips consist of Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Bihar and Haryana. You can get here essential information regarding turnip cultivation. 

Process of Turnip Cultivation in India 

You can get the best guidelines for turnip farming in the below section. For the ideal condition of farming, you should also keep the information regarding which equipment is best in turnip farming. Several types of equipment are used in turnip farming, such as tractors, implements, and harvesters. For turnip farming, the Swaraj tractor company provides the best tractor models. Apart from this, you can choose any other tractor brand such as Sonalika tractor, Mahindra tractor. And, you can choose the top brand tractors. And also, you can get Swaraj tractor price and any other tractors prices online.

1. Turnip Cultivation – Climate Information

Farmers grow the turnip tree in a moist and cool climate. For better development of the roots, turnip trees require long night lengths and short day lengths. During the critical stages of the growth period, these trees require good sunlight. The trees remain evergreen in tropical climates. Apart from this, the moderate climate with moist conditions and cold temperature is best for the crop. The optimum growth for the turnip plant requires around 6 to 8 hours of direct exposure to sunlight. 

2. Turnip Cultivation – Temperature requirement

You should keep the bit below the average temperature range for optimum turnip growth. The range starts ranging from 10°C to 16°C. However, the turnip plant’ Asiatic variety can tolerate a wider range of temperatures than this. Temperatures less than 5°C along with frost and more than 25°C temperatures can harm the crop and reduce the yield.

3. Turnip Cultivation – Rainfall requirement

Farmers require a humid climate and ample moisture with an evenly distributed rainfall of approximately 500 to 600 mm for turnip trees. However, these trees are sensitive to water stagnation; therefore, excess rainfall with the absence of proper drainage can become harmful for the roots of the plants. Therefore, the construction of good drainage systems in areas with high rainfall should be the priority of the farmers.

4. Turnip Cultivation – Soil Requirement

Farmers can cultivate the turnip tree in a wide range of soils, such as in northern India’s alluvial soils or sandy loam to deep clay loam or lateritic/acidic soils. But, the most suitable soil conditions are highly fertile sandy loam and well-drained to medium-heavy soils with high organic matter content and a high percentage of humus. Soils with poor drainage are not suitable. The optimum range of pH for turnip farming is from 6.5 to 7.5. PH values ​​10 and above and 4 and below will result in very poor yields and require appropriate soil treatment. You should avoid very heavy soil or very light sandy soil at all costs for commercial cultivation of turnips.

5. Turnip Cultivation – Land Preparation 

Land preparation is the most important task for turnip cultivation. You should do the plough 2 to 3 times because it is necessary to make the field weed-free and obtain the fine tilth of the soil. You should also level and clear the previous crops. After these ploughings, you should manually crush the remaining soil clods through country ploughs or other instruments because it favours germination.

 The land is dry in the sun about 15 days after opening the topsoil. This will ensure the potential weed seeds and eradication of weeds. After that, you should spread about 25 tonnes of well-rotted field manure (FYM). Subsequently, you must mix the soil after further ploughing.

6. Turnip Cultivation – Sowing Methods and Tips 

You can do the turnip plant propagation through the seeds. No propagation is practised with the help of the vegetative method. Farmers sow the seeds through a line sowing method in ridges during the land preparation. You should sow the seeds deep into the soil (at least 1.5 cm) for better chances of germination and proper nutrient availability. However, you must do it specifically on ridges in low-lying regions affected by water logging.

7. Turnip Cultivation – Irrigation Methods

Light irrigation is given to the plants immediately after sowing, and later irrigation is given after 8-10 days of irrigation. Turnip plants require a moist climate. Therefore, you should choose the irrigation frequency according to the climate, the soil’s water-holding capacity, and other soil characteristics. Irrigation can be done 15-25 days later. You should stop the irrigation from maintaining proper moisture in the soil in case of winter rains.

Equipment Requirement 

With information about turnip cultivation, you should also know the equipment that will help to boost the yield. Of course, tractors are an essential segment in every cultivation. However, the John Deere tractor is the most effective tractor for farming, and you can easily check this John Deere tractor price list online. Apart from this, you can choose Swaraj 742, Eicher 551 and many more.    

For more information about turnip farming in India, stay tuned with us.