Kern 288 OP Spinach

Kern 288 is an open-pollinated spinach (palak) for the North Indian plains. Plants are all green and semi-erect with even, dark green leaves, and it has good tolerance to bolting.

Land and sowing window

• Rabi: mid-September to mid-October
• Spring: February to April
• Summer: May to June, in cooler pockets only
• Climate: best growth at 15–30°C
• Soil: well-drained sandy loam or alluvial soil, pH 6.0–7.0
• Land preparation: plough twice to 20–25 cm, then harrow and level. Make raised beds 15 cm high

How to sow

• Seed rate: about 5 kg per acre in Rabi; about 12 kg per acre in summer
• Spacing: 30 cm between rows × 8 cm between plants
• Depth: 3–4 cm, in lines, and irrigate immediately
• Pack size: 500 g

Manure and fertiliser (per acre)

• FYM: 10 tonnes of well-rotted manure before final land preparation
• Nitrogen (N): 20 kg at sowing, then 7.5 kg after the first cutting and 7.5 kg after the second
• Phosphorus (P₂O₅): 12 kg at sowing (about 75 kg SSP)
• Potash: 25 kg, only if a soil test shows low potassium
• Give a light irrigation after each nitrogen top-dressing to push regrowth

Water, weeds and pests

• Irrigation: every 10–12 days in winter and every 4–6 days in summer. Use drip or furrow irrigation and try not to wet the leaves
• Weeds: 2–3 shallow hoeings between rows. Pyrazone as a pre-emergence herbicide at 1.12 kg per acre right after sowing
• Aphids: Malathion 50 EC at 350 ml per acre in 80–100 litres of water; wait 7 days after spraying before cutting
• Cercospora leaf spot: Carbendazim at 400 g per acre; repeat after 15 days if needed
• Downy mildew and white rust: watch for them; spray Mancozeb at 2 g per litre of water if they appear
• Always follow the product label and your state advisory

Harvest

• First cutting: 25–30 days after sowing, 3 cm above the ground
• Repeat cuttings: every 20–25 days; 4–5 cuttings in the Rabi season
• Use a sharp, clean knife to limit damage to the plants
• Cut in the early morning, remove damaged leaves before bundling and send to market the same day — spinach keeps only 1–3 days at room temperature

Please quote product code KERN-288 when ordering.

Agronomy helpline: 9107062062