Beetroot is increasingly being adopted in the India market because of its nutritional value and customers’ preference. It is also known as garden beet or beetroot itself. This is a short-duration crop, and it takes about 6 to 7 months to be ready for harvesting.
Beetroot is a taproot vegetable with medicinal value that helps to cure cancer and heart diseases. It has made its place on the list of the top 10 most-grown vegetables in the country. Now, let’s discover some cultivation techniques to produce high-quality beetroot.
Cultivation Process Tips
Proper cultivation is essential for yielding better-quality produce. Let’s learn a few tips for cultivating quality beetroot.
Soil Preparation
Beetroot should be grown in well-drained, silt-loamy, and soil with a pH value of 6. The first work is supposed to be ploughing, which refers to furrowing the field to a depth of 20-25 cm. The soil should be free from stones, lumps and folds. Nowadays, farmers use modern farming techniques and machinery. Tractors like Farmtrac Powermaxx Tractor help prepare the soil for planting more methodically and effectively.
Seed Selection and Sowing
When selecting beetroot seeds, ensure that you choose the best quality from a trusted supplier. They should be sown whenever the climate is a little cooler; the best months are October, November, and December. Plant the seeds 2-3 cm deep in the soil and space the plants 10-15 cm apart.
Farmers use seed drills as implements with tractors like John Deere Power Pro tractor to do effective sowing.
Irrigation and Fertilization
The recommendation is to water the field soon after sowing, especially when the weather is hot.
Drip irrigation is ideal as it helps in saving water and ensures that the water reaches all the required parts.
Soil is incorporated with NPK fertilizer at a rate of 20 kg/ha. However, organic manures should be preferred over fertilizers.
Harvesting
Beetroot is ready for harvest 60-90 days after being sown. It is suggested that the crop be harvested when the roots have grown to be approximately 5-7 cm in diameter. Farmers use tractors like the Mahindra Trem IV to transport the beetroots to cold storage or marketplaces.
Conclusion
By following proper cultivation methods, farmers can increase the quality of beetroot and get good market prices for their produce. Implements like tractors, seed drills, harvesters, etc., can help improve the yield and reduce the labour cost. Moreover, farming beetroot in India can still be both monetarily rewarding and ecologically helpful if certain measures are observed.