INTRODUCTION

Crpos which are cultivated for their roots are known as root crops. Root crops
contain mainly starch. Their water content is very high. These crops grow
generally as annual crops and yield roots, tubers, rhizomes, corms and stems which
are used largely for human food, either as such or in processed form, but also for
animal feed. In certain countries, they are used to manufacture starch and alcohol.
Beets, carrots, parsnips, radishes, turnips and rutabagas are all commonly known as
root crops. These crops offer a prolonged harvest season and, for the most part, a
long storage life. They also produce a large amount of food in a small amount of
space.
In root crops requirements of plant nutrients are different from others. Too much
nitrogen fertilizer on carrots and potatoes in spring promotes foliage growth but
not good tuber and root formation. Instead, root crops enjoy phosphorous, which
promotes root growth, so a soil test should be performed and based on the results,
bone meal or rock phosphate fertilizer can be added before planting to ensure
quality yield. Onions in particular like lots of fertilizer, and they can stand some
extra nitrogen, which promotes leaf growth.

SOIL MANAGEMENT
Lime and Fertilizing
Root crops require a soil pH between 6.0 and 6.5. Strongly acid soils should be
limed according to test results. Lime (if needed) is most effective when mixed
thoroughly into the soil in the fall.
It is also a good idea to side dress the plants with the same amount of fertilizer
when the plants have reached about one-third their growth. To prevent burning the
roots, however, fertilizer should be applied three to four inches away from plants.

Soil Preparation
Root Crops grow best in well-drained, loose soil. Drainage is important because
these crops are among the earliest planted and the latest harvested. Raised beds
will help to reduce soil compaction, permit easier digging and will allow carrots
and parsnips to attain greater length and be smoother in shape. Sand and organic
matter can be added, as manure, to heavy soils to improve drainage. Using organic
matter or manure that is not well-composed as a fertilizer for carrots can cause the
roots to become rough and branched.
The following steps may be used to prepare soil prior to planting in the spring:
To apply two to three bushels of well-rotted manure or compost per 100
square feet. (If carrots are to be grown, it is wise to apply the organic matter
in the fall prior for planting in the spring.)
To apply recommended amounts of lime.

 To broadcast recommended amounts of fertilizer just prior to planting seeds

and work into the soil.

NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
Plants take up nitrogen as nitrate or ammonium, phosphorus as phosphate and
potassium as potash. These chemicals, as fertilizers, can come from organic or
inorganic sources. With adequate environmental conditions, soil microbes break
down organic matter and supply the chemicals that plants need to their roots.
Organic fertilizers can also improve soil tilth and health. Inorganic fertilizers can
be used to supply a more readily available form of primary nutrients to plants.
Organic fertilizers can come from a variety of sources such as manures, compost,
fish meal and bone meal. Each material contains varying amounts of specific
nutrients. Table 1 lists guidelines for nutrient management.
Table 1: Annual nitrogen, phosphate and potash recommendations for root crops.

Source:Delahaut and Newenhouse (1998)

Fertilizer should be applied in a band 2 inches to the side of the row and 2 inches
below the seed depth. On sandy soils nitrogen should be splited two to three
applications over the course of the growing season. Too much nitrogen on carrots,
radishes or parsnipes will cause excessive top growth. Carrots also need moderate
amounts of manganese, borons and copper. Carrots grown in copper deficient
muck soils have poor colour.
Beets grown in soils deficient in boron will develop black spots in the phloem
tissue and dry rot on the root surface. Boron deficiency is most common on
calcarious soils and under drought conditions. Some plants such as muskmelon and
sweet clover accumulate boron and their composted leaves may be added to soil to
raise soil boron levels. Excessive boron in soils may cause poor beet seed

germination. Rubatages are also susceptible to boron deficiencies and develop

brown, water-soaked spots in the core of the root.
Radishes need moderate amounts of boron, copper, manganese, molybdenum and
zinc. Soil tests result will show recommendations to add zinc or to alter soil pH to
make more molybdenum available.
One of the goals of nutrient management is to supply nutrients in a timely manner
to maximize crop yield and quality. Crop nutrient uptake is calculated from
measurements of crop biomass (dry matter) multiplied by crop nutrient
concentration.
In onion, during early leaf growth phase nutrient needs are very low. Onions have a
shallow, sparsely branched root system with most roots in the top foot soil. Rooting
density increases with soil depth. The sparse, shallow rooting of onions has
important implications for management of relatively immobile nutrients (P,K and
some micronutrients such as Zn). The unbranched root system of onions is less
effective than most crop plants in extracting immobile nutrients. Therefore onions
are more susceptible than most crops to deficiencies of these nutrients.
The shallow root system of onions also is an important consideration for efficient
management of mobile nutrients such as nitrate-N and sulfate-S. With furrow
irrigation mobile nutrients move to bed centers, where they typically become
available later in the season when onion roots proliferate across the beds.
Cumulative nutrient uptake by an onion crop follows a sigmoid or s-shaped curve
during the growing season.

Fig. 1:Cumulative nutrient ( N,P,K,Ca,Mg,S) uptake by onion (bulb+leaf)

Fig.2: Cumulative nutrient (Mn,Cu,B,Zn) uptake by onion (bulb+leaf)

Source: Horneck and Pelter (1998)

The period of rapid nutrient uptake starts during bulbing. Onions take up more than
100lb per acre of nitrogen, potassium and calcium with substantially lower
amounts of sulfur, phosphorus and magnesium (Fig. 1 and 2). About 80 percent of
the nutrients present in the plant at harvest are present in the bulb; the remainder is
present in tops.
Potato growth can be divided into four distinct stages. Coordination of nutrient
availability with the nutrient requirement of each growth stage has a profound
influence on yield, specific gravity, and other quality characteristics.

Plant growth stages of potato

Stage I
Stage II

Stage III

Stage IV

Plant development after planting and until tuber initiation.

Begins with initiation of tubers at the tips of stolons
(tuberization) approximately 10 to 14 days prior to flowering.
Tuberization is defined as an enlargement which is double the
normal stolon diameter. Little or no enlargement of initiated
tubers (bulking) occurs during this stage.
Enlargement of initiated tubers (bulking); tuber growth is linear
if all growth conditions are optimum; tuber dry weight
increases due to translocation of plant nutrients and food
reserves from the shoots and roots into the tubers.
Tuber maturation occurs as vines start to yellow, leaf loss is
evident.

Adapted from Kleinkopf and Westermann, 1981

Promoting rapid root development under the furrow improves water and nutrient
efficiency during subsequent fertigation (applying liquid fertilizers through the
irrigation system). Root elongation is most rapid during stage I, reaching 2 feet
below the hill and into the furrow zone as early as 3040 DAP under optimum soil
physical conditions (Pan et al., 1994). Although stolons can be initiated throughout
most of the growing season, during early growth (stage I) the majority of stolons
are produced for tuber set. During emergence and initial growth, plant nutrients are
supplied primarily from reserves in the seed piece until the plant establishes a leaf
area of approximately 3162 inch2 or when plants have covered approximately
50% of the ground surface (using a 34-inch by 9-inch plant spacing) (Dean, 1994).
Optimizing earliest tuber set should be a goal of the management system.
Early season nutrient management is critical for development of a healthy root
system and preventing excessive vine growth during stages I and II. For short
season (determinate) cultivars, tuber initiation begins when plants reach a
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genetically regulated shoot to root ratio. In the subsequent developmental stage

(stage III), maximum tuber bulking occurs until plant senescence or environmental
conditions end the growing season (Kleinkopf and Dwelle, 1978). High nutrient
availability early in the growing season does not influence tuber initiation in short
season (determinate) cultivars as strongly as in long season (indeterminate)
cultivars. Short season cultivars generally have a greater early-season bulking rate
which must be supported by greater early season nutrient availability than for
indeterminate cultivars (Ojala et al., 1989). However, excess fertilizer application
should be avoided at all growth stages for both short and long season cultivars to
increase fertilizer efficiency and minimize potential leaching or erosion losses of
nutrients.
An effective nitrogen fertilization program coordinates amount and timing of
fertilizer application with plant demand and soil nitrogen supply. Poor nitrogen
fertility management can lead to inefficient nitrogen utilization, which can reduce
crop yield, tuber quality. Nitrogen is required in large amounts to maintain
optimum shoot and tuber growth. The amount of nitrogen available to meet a
crops requirement depends upon the efficiency of the management system. The
potato plants nitrogen uptake efficiency under current best management practices
is approximately 65% (Roberts et al., 1991), an efficiency which is comparable to
that of corn and wheat.

For maximum tuber yields, phosphorus should be mixed into the seed bed prior to
planting to support: early shoot and root growth (stage I), tuber initiation (stage
II), and tuber bulking (stage III). Plant phosphorus levels in mid and late season
(stages III and IV) may be raised by applications of phosphorus using foliar sprays,
application through irrigation water, or soil applied phosphorus followed by
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irrigation. However, due to the small distances phosphorus moves in the soil,
feeder roots must be near the soil surface to make in-season application effective.

At recommended potassium soil levels, yield does not appear to be directly related
to increased application rates or source of potassium (KCl, K 2SO4, or thiosulfate).
In fact, applications in excess of recommended rates may be detrimental to potato
quality (Tindall and Westermann, 1994; Westermann et al., 1994). High rates of
potassium fertilizers may cause slight decreases in tuber specific gravity, which is
especially important to potato used in processed products. However, there are
reports of increased disease resistance with the use of potassium chloride. Crop
consultants have not consistently seen significant differences in disease incidence
related to potassium source. However, high rates of potassium chloride have been
related to significant reductions in potato tuber quality (Lang and Stevens, 1997).

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CONCLUSION
Root crops are very important for us. Imbalanced nutrient management negatively
affects the quality of root crops. So, proper nutrient management should be ensured
to get high quality yield.

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REFERENCES
1. Dean, B.B. 1994. Cultivation, fertilization, and irrigation. In: Managing the
potato production system. Haworth Press, Inc. New York. pages 69
83.
2. Delahaut, K.A. and A. C. Newenhouse. 1998.Growing carrots, beets,
radishes and other root crops in Wisconsin: A guide for fresh market
growers, University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension, In
Cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
3. Horneck, D. and G. Pelter. 1998. Nutrient Management for Onions in the
Pacific Northwest. Oregan State University Extension Service.
4. Kleinkopf, G.E. and D.T. Westermann. 1981. Predicting nitrogen
requirements for optimum potato growth. Proc. Univ. Idaho Winter
Commodity School. pages 8184.
5. Kleinkopf, G.E. and R.B. Dwelle. 1978. Effect of nitrogen fertilization on
tuber set and tuber size. Proc. Idaho Potato School. pages 2628.
6. Lang, N.S. and R.G. Stevens. 1997. Survey of central Washington fertilizer
recommendations. Proc. Wash. State Potato Conf. (In press)
7. Ojala, J.C., J.C. Stark, and G.E. Kleinkopf. 1989. Influence of irrigation
and N management on potato yield and quality. Amer. Potato J.
67:2942.
8. Pan, W.L., L.K. Hiller, E. Lundquist, and R. Bolton. 1994. Potato root
development. Proc. Farrow. 1991. Potato uptake and recovery of N-15
enriched NH4/NO3 from periodic applications. Agro. J. 83:378381.
9. Roberts, S., H.H. Cheng, and F.O. Farrow. 1991. Potato uptake and
recovery of N-15 enriched NH4/NO3 from periodic applications.
Agro J. 83:378381.
10.Tindall, T.A. and D.T. Westermann. 1994. Potassium fertility management
of potatoes. Proc. Univ. Idaho Winter Commodity Schools 26:239
242.
11.Westermann, D.T. and G.E. Kleinkopf. 1984. Phosphorus nutrition of
potatoes. Proc. Univ. Idaho Winter Commodity Schools 16:215219.
12.www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-grow-root-crops.html
13.www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/rootcrops.html

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