Hybrid Radish Seed

Kern Hybrid Radish is F1 radish seed. For the right variety for your season, sowing dates and pack sizes in stock, call our agronomy helpline before you buy.

Sowing window

• Main season (autumn): mid-September to October in Haryana, Punjab, West UP and Rajasthan — roots come from October to December and this window gives the cleanest, mildest roots
• Late sowing: November to December only with a late-season (cold-tolerant) type; ordinary Asiatic radish sown late bolts without forming a root
• Spring: second fortnight of January to mid-March for a spring crop
• Summer and rains: April to August only with a heat-tolerant type, sown in the evening and kept moist
• Which Kern radish for which window: Kern 766 (white F1) for late August to mid-October; Kern 762 (heat-tolerant F1) for February to mid-April and July to October; Kern 383 (desi palak-patta OP) for August to November
• Land: friable sandy loam, pH 5.5–6.8. Heavy clay gives forked, hairy roots

How to sow

• Seed rate: about 2–2.5 kg per acre of F1 seed, sown thinly along the ridge and thinned later. The state PoP figure of 4–5 kg per acre is for open-pollinated desi seed sown thick
• Spacing: ridges 45 cm apart, plants thinned to 7.5–10 cm in the row at the true-leaf stage. Thinning is what gives uniform, well-shaped roots
• Depth: 1–1.5 cm on the side of the ridge, then a light irrigation
• Seed treatment: Kern hybrid radish seed is supplied treated. For untreated seed, Captan 3 g/kg against damping-off is the PoP recommendation

Manure and fertiliser (per acre)

• FYM: 15 tonnes of well-rotted manure at land preparation. Never use raw manure — it causes forked, black roots
• Nitrogen (N): 25 kg (55 kg urea), all at sowing
• Phosphorus (P₂O₅): 12 kg (75 kg single superphosphate), all at sowing
• Micronutrients: boron (about 4 kg borax per acre) and zinc where the soil is deficient — they help prevent cracking and hollow roots

Water, weeds and pests

• Irrigation: first irrigation immediately after sowing; then every 6–7 days in warm weather and 10–12 days in winter — 5–6 irrigations in all. Over-watering gives misshapen, hairy roots. A light irrigation a day or two before pulling keeps summer roots fresh and less pungent
• Weeds: one weeding at 2–3 weeks, followed at once by earthing up so the shoulders of the root stay covered
• Pests: aphids (January–February), flea beetle on young leaves and root maggot at root stage. Scout weekly and spray only as per label and your state advisory
• Diseases: damping-off in the seedling stage and Alternaria leaf blight in humid weather — keep the field drained and follow your state advisory

Where it will not do well

Radish forms its best roots at 10–15°C. Sown in the wrong window — a main-season type in winter cold or an ordinary type in May–June heat — the plant bolts and the root never fills. Keep to the windows above and match the type to the season.

Harvest

• Maturity: 40–60 days depending on type and season — hybrids sit at the early end
• Stage: pull while roots are tender. A delay of even a few days makes the root pithy and unsaleable, so sow in staggered lots rather than one large plot

Please quote the product name "Kern Hybrid Radish" when ordering.

Crop practices follow state agricultural university recommendations for North India; confirm doses for your district with your Kern dealer or KVK.

Agronomy helpline: 9107062062