Carrots Farming

Carrots Farming

The scientific name of the Carrot is Daucus carota Subsp. Sativus. Numerous commercial varieties exist. However, there are vast differences in performance of varieties over varying environmental conditions.

Carrot is important root crops cultivated throughout the world for its fleshy edible roots. Carrot farming is done in the spring, summer, and autumn in temperate climate countries and during winter in tropical and subtropical regions.

Carrots possess many medicinal properties and are used in Ayurvedic medicine. Carrots are a rich source of b-carotene and contain appreciable amounts of thiamine and riboflavin.

Soil requirement for Carrot farming:
Carrots can be grown well in a wide variety of Soils. However, the ideal soil for commercial Carrot farming should be deep, loose, well drained, and rich in humus. The ideal pH range for obtaining good Yield is 5.5-6.5. Soils with pH up to 7.0 can also be used.

Climate requirement for Carrot farming:
Carrot is a cold weather crop, and it also does well in warm climates. The optimum temperatures for getting excellent growth is between 16 to 20 °C, while temperatures above 28°C drastically reduce top growth.

Planting of Carrot:
The soil for Carrot cultivation should be properly prepared to get the desired Yield. Therefore It is necessary that the field provides a loose, friable, deep, and well-drained for seeds to germinate. This can be achieved by repeated deep ploughing at least 20-30 cm deep followed by harrowing, leveling, and cleaning.

In any case, a shallow furrow is made 30-45 cm in length. When the seeds are dibbled, they are sown with 7.5-10 cm spacing. With such conditions about 4- 6 kg of seeds is needed per hectare.

Then seeds are lightly covered with soil or sand. Some growers irrigate the field about 24 hours before sowing to ensure that adequate Moisture is present at the time of sowing. Many varieties germinate in about 10-15 days.

Irrigation:
The first irrigation should be light and carried out immediately after sowing. Subsequent irrigations are given as needed. During the rainy season, only occasional irrigations are needed. Water stress should be avoided during root development to prevent cracking of the roots.

Harvesting:
Early Carrots are harvested when they are partly developed. For distinct markets otherwise, they are retained in the soil till they reach full maturity stage they should not be retained full maturity stage. After harvesting, the Carrots are placed in a packing house in crates before washing. After that carefully wash Carrots and sort by size before packaging.

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