Kern 766 F1 Radish

Kern 766 is a white F1 hybrid radish — clean, straight and uniform, ready in 40–50 days, and able to stand in the field for some days after maturity so you are not forced to sell on a bad day.

Sowing window

• Best sowing: late August to mid-October — this window gives the cleanest roots, and early crops catch the better rates
• Staggering: sow in two or three lots 10–15 days apart inside this window so the crop is pulled on time, not all at once
• Land: friable sandy loam, pH 5.5–6.8, levelled and well drained. Heavy clay gives forked, hairy roots

How to sow

• Seed: supplied pre-treated — no separate treatment needed
• 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 even, straight roots
• Depth: 1–1.5 cm on the side of the ridge, followed by a light irrigation
• Pack sizes: 50 g and 250 g — a 250 g pack sows about one kanal (500 m²); an acre needs 8–10 packs of 250 g

Manure and fertiliser (per acre)

• FYM: use only well-rotted manure — about 15 tonnes at land preparation. Raw, undecomposed FYM causes black and forked roots
• Nitrogen (N): 25 kg (55 kg urea), all at sowing
• Phosphorus (P₂O₅): 12 kg (75 kg single superphosphate), all at sowing
• Zinc and boron: applied on time, they help prevent red blotch and cracking — about 4 kg borax per acre where the soil is deficient

Water, weeds and pests

• Irrigation: first irrigation immediately after sowing; then every 6–7 days while the weather is warm in September and 10–12 days as it cools — 5–6 irrigations in all. Over-watering gives misshapen, hairy roots
• Weeds: one weeding at 2–3 weeks, followed at once by earthing up so the root shoulders stay covered and white
• Pests: root maggot and flea beetle are the main pests at root stage and need field management. Seed treatment gives an early head-start but does not stop root maggot on a mature crop. Aphids can build up on late lots. 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

Sowing after November brings a real risk of bolting — the plant throws flower stalks and the root never forms properly. This happens with any radish sown in the wrong window, so please keep to the dates above.

Harvest

• Maturity: 40–50 days
• Root: pure white, smooth and straight — 10–12 inches long, 250–400 g
• Stage: pull while the root is tender; a light irrigation a day before pulling keeps roots fresh and makes lifting easier
• Field holding: after maturity the root held in the ground for about 12–15 days without going pithy in an October trial. In warmer weather this window is shorter

Please quote product code KERN-766 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