Radish (Mooli)
Raphanus sativus
One of the fastest crops there is — a root ready to pull in about six weeks — where the whole result turns on two things: sowing the right type for the season (an Asiatic white type in the warm plains, a European type only where it is genuinely cool), and pulling the roots on time, because a radish left even a few days too long turns spongy, woody and sharply pungent and cannot be sold.
Quick Summary
The key points from this page in about two minutes — read it or have it read aloud.
Quick Summary
Radish (mooli) is a quick, cool-preferring root vegetable grown across India — West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka, Assam and the hill states. West Bengal grows the most. In the plains it is mainly a winter crop sown from September to January, but the heat-tolerant Asiatic (tropical) types can be sown over a much longer window, almost year-round.
The first decision is which type to sow. The Asiatic white types — Pusa Chetki, Pusa Desi, Japanese White, Kashi Hans — tolerate warmth, form a root without a cold spell, and are what the plains and the south should grow. The European (temperate) types — Pusa Himani, Pusa Mridula and the small round salad radishes — need genuinely cool weather; sown into warm conditions they bolt (run to flower) without ever forming a proper root. Growing a European type in the warm plains is the most common way to get a radish crop that never bulbs.
The second decision is when to harvest. Radish must be pulled young, while the root is still crisp, mild and tender. Left even three or four days too long, the root turns pithy (spongy and hollow inside), fibrous, and sharply hot, and in warm weather the plant bolts within days. There is no storing a radish out of this — the window is short and you have to be ready for it.
The rest is like a fast carrot: a deep, loose, stone-free seedbed with only well-rotted manure for straight roots, even moisture so the roots do not crack, and a watch for aphids, the mustard sawfly and Alternaria leaf blight.
- Crop type
- Quick cool-preferring annual root vegetable
- Season
- Plains: Sept–Jan (Asiatic types Aug–Feb); hills: spring–summer
- Suitable states
- West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka, Assam
- Growing duration
- 40–50 days (Asiatic); 50–70 days (temperate)
- Water requirement
- Low total, but even — swings crack the roots and make them hot
- Temperature
- Best 10–25°C; Asiatic types tolerate up to ~30°C, temperate types do not
- Soil type
- Deep, loose, stone-free sandy loam to loam, pH 6.0–7.5
- Difficulty level
- Easy (bolting from the wrong type/season, pithy roots from late harvest)
- Expected yield
- 20–30 t/ha (Asiatic); up to 35–40 t/ha (temperate)
- Key risk
- Roots left too long turning spongy, woody and sharply pungent
Overview
Radish, or mooli (Raphanus sativus), is a quick-growing root vegetable of the mustard family. It is direct-sown, never transplanted, and a tropical type is ready to pull about 40–50 days after sowing; a temperate type takes 50–70 days. The tender leaves are also eaten as a green and fed to animals.
It is grown all over India. In the plains it is chiefly a rabi (winter) crop sown from September to January, but the heat-tolerant Asiatic types stretch the season from August right through to February and, in the south, almost year-round. In the hills the temperate types are grown through spring and summer. West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka and Assam are the main producers.
Two decisions carry the crop: matching the type to the season (Asiatic for warm weather, European only for genuine cold), and harvesting on time before the root turns spongy and woody and the plant bolts. A deep, stone-free seedbed with only rotted manure, and even soil moisture, give straight, crack-free roots.
Crop timeline, sowing to harvest
A quick visual map of the season — jump to any section below for the detail behind each stage.
- Day 0
Sowing
Seed sown 1.5–2 cm deep in rows or on ridges 30–45 cm apart on a fine, deep, stone-free bed; plains September–January (Asiatic types from August), hills spring–summer.
- Day 3–6
Germination
Radish germinates fast and evenly — seedlings are usually up within a week; keep the surface moist so it does not crust.
- Day 12–18
Thinning & first weeding
Seedlings thinned to 6–10 cm apart and a first quick hand-weeding done; crowded plants make thin, twisted roots.
- Day 20–30
Root formation
The tap-root begins to swell; steady moisture and a light nitrogen top-dressing carry it. Bolting risk rises fast now if the weather is warm or the wrong type was sown.
- Day 35–45
Root filling
The root reaches full size — crisp, mild and tender. This is the harvest window, and it is short.
- Day 40–60
Harvest
Pull Asiatic types at 40–50 days and temperate types at 50–70, watering the bed lightly first so the roots lift whole. Do not wait — a few days late and the root is pithy.
Suitable states
States where this crop is grown at scale, highlighted below. Your local Krishi Vigyan Kendra is still the final word for your specific block.
- Jammu and Kashmir
- Himachal Pradesh
- Punjab
- Uttarakhand
- Haryana
- Delhi
- Uttar Pradesh
- Rajasthan
- Bihar
- Jharkhand
- West Bengal
- Sikkim
- Assam
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Meghalaya
- Nagaland
- Manipur
- Mizoram
- Tripura
- Gujarat
- Madhya Pradesh
- Chhattisgarh
- Maharashtra
- Odisha
- Goa
- Telangana
- Andhra Pradesh
- Karnataka
- Kerala
- Tamil Nadu
- Puducherry
- Ladakh
- Chandigarh
- Lakshadweep
Grown here
Climate requirements
The whole crop is a race against warm weather and bolting — sow the right type at the right time so the root fills before it turns hot, and pull it as soon as it is ready.
Ideal temperature
A cool-preferring crop. Roots form and stay mild best at 10–25°C. The Asiatic (tropical) types tolerate warmer weather up to around 30°C and still bulb; the European (temperate) types need real cool weather and, sown warm, bolt to flower without forming a root. Above about 30°C even Asiatic radish turns woody and very pungent.
Rainfall
Grown on stored moisture and light irrigation in the dry season. Heavy rain late in the crop cracks the roots and brings on soft rot and a muddy, unmarketable lift.
Humidity
Moderate. Long leaf wetness and high humidity favour Alternaria leaf blight, white rust and downy mildew, which strip the tops and cut root growth.
Sunlight
Full sun for good leaf growth and root filling; radish in shade makes leaf and a thin root.
Soil requirements
Deep-ploughing and breaking every clod and stone out of the top 25–30 cm before sowing does more for radish shape and price than anything done to the growing crop.
Suitable soil
A deep, loose, well-drained sandy loam to loam is best. Like carrot, the root has to push straight down, so the soil must be worked deep and fine and be free of stones, clods and a hard plough pan. Heavy clay and stony soils give short, forked, hairy roots.
pH range
Best at pH 6.0–7.5. It tolerates a slightly alkaline soil better than carrot does. Strongly acid soils below about pH 5.5 also raise the risk of club root.
Drainage
Free-draining but moisture-retentive. Waterlogging rots the root; a soil that bakes hard between waterings makes the root crack and turn woody.
Organic matter
Wants soil rich in well-rotted organic matter, but — exactly as for carrot — the manure must be fully decomposed and applied to the previous crop or well before sowing. Fresh farmyard manure worked in just before radish is a classic cause of forked, hairy, branched roots.
Land preparation
Same four steps whichever region you are in — only the timing shifts with the sowing window.
- 1
Deep, fine tillage
Plough two or three times and harrow to a fine, even tilth, loose to at least 25–30 cm; break any plough pan and pick out stones and unrotted clods on smaller plots.
- 2
Only well-rotted manure, applied early
Incorporate 15–20 t/ha of fully decomposed farmyard manure or compost during an earlier ploughing, not just before sowing — fresh manure forks the roots.
- 3
Form ridges or raised beds
Sow on ridges or raised beds 15–20 cm high so the roots grow in loose, aerated soil and surplus water drains away from the crown.
Seed information
How the main varieties compare, so you can pick by duration, yield, disease pressure or what you are growing for.
| Variety | Duration | Yield | Disease resistance | Best state | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
An IARI Asiatic white variety that tolerates heat and can be sown from March to August in the plains and the south — the go-to warm-season radish. Roots are smooth, cylindrical, pure white, about 20–25 cm, mildly pungent, ready in 40–45 days. | 40–45 days | 25–30 t/ha | No special resistance; watch Alternaria and white rust | Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka | Warm-season and off-season plains crop, near-city market |
An IARI Regional Station (Katrain) European (temperate) variety with white, semi-stump roots 30–35 cm long, tender and sweet with little pungency. Grown year-round in the hills and in the coldest months in the plains. | 55–60 days | 30–35 t/ha | No special resistance claimed | Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir | Hill cultivation, premium mild table radish |
An IARI European-type small round radish with bright red skin and white, crisp, mild flesh, ready very fast in about 25–30 days. A salad radish for the cool plains winter and the hills. | 25–30 days | 12–18 t/ha | No special resistance claimed | North Indian plains (winter), hill stations | Salad market, quick catch crop, kitchen gardens |
An IARI Asiatic variety with long white roots tapering to a point, a green shoulder and a sharp pungency, with heavy leafy tops that are used as a green. Sown August–October in the plains. | 50–55 days | 25–30 t/ha | No special resistance claimed | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana | Traditional pungent market, mooli-ka-saag, fodder tops |
A widely grown Asiatic-type (daikon) variety with pure white, smooth, cylindrical roots 30–45 cm long and mild flesh. Sown October–December in the plains and July–September in the hills. | 55–60 days | 30–35 t/ha | No special resistance claimed | Grown across the plains and hills | Main winter market, long mild white radish |
An ICAR-IIVR (Varanasi) tropical white variety bred for high-temperature tolerance, with long roots 30–40 cm, and wide adaptation across the eastern and northern plains including the warmer months. | 45–50 days | 28–34 t/ha | Good field tolerance of leaf diseases | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal | Eastern plains, extended-season crop |
An ICAR-IIHR (Bengaluru) variety with long, smooth, marble-white roots about 30 cm, notable for resistance to pithiness and to premature bolting — it holds in the ground a little longer without going spongy. | 50–55 days | 28–32 t/ha | Resistant to pithiness and premature bolting | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra | Southern plains, a slightly more forgiving harvest window |
- Seed rate
- 8–10 kg/ha for Asiatic types and 10–12 kg/ha for temperate types. On an acre that is roughly 3.5–5 kg. The rate is fairly high because the crop is sown in continuous rows and then thinned.
- Certified seed
- Buy fresh certified seed of a named variety each season from a state seed corporation, an ICAR institute or a reputed company. Above all, choose an Asiatic type for warm-season and plains sowing and a European type only where the weather is genuinely cool — the wrong choice bolts without forming a root.
- Spacing
- Rows 30–45 cm apart; after thinning, plants 6–10 cm apart in the row. Sow on ridges or raised beds for straight roots and good drainage.
- Seed treatment
- Treat seed with a fungicide such as thiram or captan, and with Trichoderma, against damping-off and seedling rots. Radish germinates fast, so no soaking is needed.
Sowing guide
Do not sow a European (temperate) variety once daytime temperatures are climbing past the mid-20s°C — it will bolt to flower and never form a usable root.
- Best time
- Northern plains: Asiatic types from August through January; European types October–December. Southern plains: Asiatic types over most of the year, avoiding the hottest weeks. Hills: temperate types March–June and again August–September.
- Row spacing
- 30–45 cm
- Plant spacing
- 6–10 cm after thinning
- Sowing depth
- 1.5–2 cm
- Method
- Sow thinly in shallow rows by hand or seed drill on ridges or beds, cover lightly, firm the surface, and keep it moist until the fast, even germination is complete. Thin to a stand at 12–18 days.
Fertilizer schedule
A split dose beats one large dose applied at sowing — nitrogen especially is lost to the air and to leaching if it all goes in on day one.
- 1
Basal (at sowing)
Day 0
Well-rotted FYM incorporated earlier, plus a basal dose of about 30–40 kg N, 40–50 kg P₂O₅ and 40–50 kg K₂O per hectare; phosphorus and potash matter for root shape and crispness.
- 2
Top-dressing
18–25 days after sowing (after thinning)
The rest of the nitrogen (roughly 20–30 kg N/ha) beside the rows as the root starts to swell. Keep total nitrogen moderate — excess grows big leafy tops and forked, hairy roots.
Irrigation schedule
1. Sowing to germination
Day 0–8
Light irrigation to keep the surface moist through the quick germination; do not let it crust.
2. Vegetative growth
Day 8–25
Water every 5–8 days to keep the soil evenly moist as the tops and tap-root develop.
3. Root filling
Day 25–45
Keep moisture steady and even — a heavy irrigation after a dry spell makes the root split lengthwise and turns it sharply pungent. A light watering the day before harvest helps the roots lift whole.
Critical stages
- Germination and stand establishment
- Root filling
Water-saving tips
- Even, moderate moisture matters far more than total water — a mulch of straw steadies soil moisture, prevents crusting at germination and cuts irrigation frequency.
- Because the crop is so short, three to five light, well-timed irrigations are usually enough for the whole season.
- Drip or well-levelled furrow irrigation avoids the wet–dry swings that split roots and drive up pungency.
Weed management
Common weeds
Organic control
- One or two quick hand-weedings, at thinning (12–18 days) and again at about 25–30 days, carry the crop through its short weak period; the canopy then closes and shades most weeds.
- A false-seedbed — irrigating 8–10 days before sowing to flush a weed germination, then shallow-hoeing it off — cuts the weed load in the actual crop.
- Straw mulch between the rows suppresses weeds and holds soil moisture for the fast-germinating seed.
Chemical control
- Radish is short and fast and usually does not need a herbicide; where it is used, a pre-emergence herbicide cleared for radish applied right after sowing, followed by one hand-weeding, is the practice on larger areas.
- Confirm the product, dose and pre-harvest interval with your local KVK — radish is a short-duration root eaten whole and often raw.
Nutrient deficiency identification
What a shortage of each nutrient actually looks like on the plant, so you can tell a deficiency apart from a disease before you spray the wrong thing.
Boron
Visible symptom
Brown, water-soaked patches or a hollow, corky centre inside the root ("brown heart"), a cracked skin and dieback of the growing point — worst on light, alkaline or over-limed soils.
Potassium
Visible symptom
Scorched leaf margins on the older leaves and small, poorly filled, low-crispness roots that store and travel badly.
Nitrogen
Visible symptom
Pale, stunted tops and thin roots — though in radish the more common problem is too much nitrogen, which grows big leafy tops and forked, hairy roots.
Diseases to watch for
Symptoms, likely cause and what actually treats it — not just a spray name.
Alternaria leaf blight
- Symptoms
- Dark brown to black spots with concentric rings and a yellow halo on the leaves, starting on the older outer leaves; spots merge, leaves scorch and drop, and root growth stalls.
- Cause
- The fungus Alternaria (A. brassicae / A. raphani), seed- and residue-borne, favoured by warm weather with dew or light rain and a dense canopy.
- Treatment
- A protective mancozeb, chlorothalonil or copper spray from the first spots, repeated at 8–10 day intervals in favourable weather, observing the pre-harvest interval.
- Prevention
- Sow treated, disease-free seed; rotate away from radish and other brassicas for 2–3 years; avoid overhead irrigation late in the day; and destroy crop residue.
White rust
- Symptoms
- Shiny white, blister-like pustules on the underside of leaves and on the stems, with yellow patches on the upper surface; a systemic infection swells and distorts the flower stalk into a "stag-head" on a seed crop.
- Cause
- The oomycete Albugo candida, spread by wind and splash in cool, moist, humid weather, and carried on seed.
- Treatment
- A protective mancozeb or metalaxyl-based spray at first sign, repeated in cool humid spells; combines well with the Alternaria programme.
- Prevention
- Clean seed, crop rotation away from brassicas, wider spacing for airflow, and removal of infected plants and cruciferous weeds that host the disease.
Downy mildew
- Symptoms
- Pale yellow angular patches on the upper leaf surface with a fine off-white to grey mould underneath in humid weather; leaves yellow and die from the older leaves upward.
- Cause
- The oomycete Hyaloperonospora parasitica, favoured by cool nights, dew and long leaf wetness.
- Treatment
- A protective or systemic downy-mildew fungicide from the first spots, repeated at 8–10 day intervals in wet weather; the white-rust spray programme also helps.
- Prevention
- Adequate spacing, drip rather than overhead water, crop rotation and residue destruction.
Bacterial soft rot
- Symptoms
- A wet, slimy, foul-smelling breakdown of the root, usually starting from a crack, bruise or insect hole or from the cut top; spreads fast in warm, moist stacks after harvest.
- Cause
- Pectobacterium (Erwinia) bacteria entering through wounds, worst on roots lifted wet or damaged in pulling and washing.
- Treatment
- No cure once a root is rotting; sort out and discard all soft roots immediately so the rot does not spread through the lot.
- Prevention
- Lift into drier soil, handle gently to avoid bruising, do not over-wash, and keep roots cool, dry and ventilated.
Pests to watch for
What to look for before the damage is visible, and organic options before you reach for a chemical.
Aphids
- Identification
- Dense colonies of small green to grey soft-bodied insects (mustard aphid) on the youngest leaves and in the crown, with sticky honeydew and sooty mould; leaves curl and yellow.
- Damage
- Sap loss curls and stunts the tops and slows root growth; heavy early infestation on a seedling crop can badly check it, and aphids also spread mosaic-type viruses.
- Organic control
- Neem sprays, strong water jets on hotspots, yellow sticky traps, and conserving ladybird beetles and lacewings by not spraying broad-spectrum insecticides routinely.
- Chemical control
- A recommended systemic or contact insecticide only when colonies are heavy and spreading, observing the pre-harvest interval — important on a short crop.
Mustard sawfly
- Identification
- Dark, greenish-black, wrinkled slug-like larvae feeding on the leaves, mostly in the morning and evening; they bite holes and then skeletonise the leaves, and drop and curl up when disturbed.
- Damage
- Severe defoliation of the seedling and young crop, which can strip the tops and stunt or kill young plants in patches, especially in cooler weather.
- Organic control
- Handpick and destroy larvae in the early morning when they are sluggish, spray neem, flood-irrigate to dislodge them, and encourage birds and predatory wasps.
- Chemical control
- A recommended insecticide at the seedling stage if defoliation is spreading fast; the older crop tolerates the pest far better.
Painted bug
- Identification
- Small, shield-shaped bugs brightly marked in orange/red and black, clustered on seedlings and on the leaves and developing pods of a seed crop; they suck sap, leaving pale stippled and wilting patches.
- Damage
- Worst on the just-emerged seedling crop in warm weather — a heavy attack can kill seedlings and thin the stand; on a seed crop it shrivels the developing seed.
- Organic control
- Deep summer ploughing to expose overwintering bugs, early sowing to pass the seedling stage before numbers build, neem sprays, and clearing cruciferous weeds around the field.
- Chemical control
- A recommended insecticide on the seedling crop where the bug threatens the stand, following the label and pre-harvest interval.
Root-knot nematode
- Identification
- Small galls and knots along the root, forked and stubby roots with hairy side-roots, and pale, stunted tops in patches across the field.
- Damage
- Galled, forked, knobbly roots are unsellable; even a moderate infestation sharply cuts the marketable yield, and radish following an infested vegetable crop suffers badly.
- Organic control
- Rotate with non-host cereals and marigold, deep-plough in summer to expose eggs, add well-rotted organic matter and Trichoderma/Paecilomyces bio-agents, and never follow a known nematode-infested crop with radish.
- Chemical control
- A recommended soil treatment before sowing only where nematode counts are high and rotation alone has not worked; follow the label strictly.
Common mistakes to avoid
The mistakes that cost growers the most, ranked by how often they show up in the field — not in the order you might expect.
- 1
Sowing a European (temperate) variety in warm weather.
Why it hurts
Temperate types need genuine cold to form a root; sown warm they bolt straight to flower and never bulb. In the plains and the south, and outside the coldest months, sow an Asiatic white type like Pusa Chetki or Kashi Hans.
- 2
Leaving the roots in the ground too long.
Why it hurts
A radish left even three or four days past ready turns pithy — spongy and hollow inside — fibrous and sharply hot, and in warm weather bolts within days. Pull the crop as soon as the roots reach size; the window is short.
- 3
Working fresh farmyard manure into the field just before sowing.
Why it hurts
Undecomposed manure is a classic cause of forked, branched, hairy roots, exactly as in carrot. The manure must be fully rotted and applied to the previous crop or well ahead of sowing.
- 4
Sowing into a cloddy or stony seedbed.
Why it hurts
The root deflects around every clod and stone and comes out forked and misshapen. Deep-plough and break the top 25–30 cm fine and stone-free.
- 5
Letting the soil swing between wet and dry.
Why it hurts
A heavy irrigation or rain after a dry spell makes the root take up water fast and split lengthwise, and drives up the pungency. Keep moisture even, and cut water off just before harvest.
- 6
Over-feeding nitrogen.
Why it hurts
The plant grows big leafy tops and forked, hairy roots instead of one clean root. Keep nitrogen moderate and give phosphorus and potash for root shape and crispness.
Harvesting
Pull Asiatic types at 40–50 days and temperate types at 50–70, as soon as the roots reach the size for the variety and are still crisp, mild and tender. Lift a few test roots first. Water the bed lightly a day before so the roots come out whole. Do not delay — a pithy or bolted root is worthless however heavy the crop looks.
Signs it is ready
- Root shoulders at full expected diameter for the variety
- Root still crisp and mild when a test root is cut, not spongy or fibrous
- No sign of a flower stalk starting from the crown
- Lower leaves just beginning to yellow
Tools
- Hand-pulling by the tops on light soil after a light watering
- A spading fork to loosen the row on heavier soil
- Knives for trimming the tops (leaving a short stub, or a leaf handle for bunched sale)
- Baskets or crates and shade for holding lifted roots
Expected yield
Roughly 20–30 t/ha for Asiatic types and 30–40 t/ha for temperate types in the hills. On an acre this is about 80–160 quintals for a good plains crop.
Post-harvest & storage
Storage
Radish does not store well. Trim the tops (leaving a short stub), sort out forked, cracked and split roots, and do not wash roots that will be held more than a day. It keeps 3–4 days at ambient in the shade, and about 1–2 weeks near 0–2°C at very high humidity; without cold storage, sell within a day or two.
Packaging
Pack topped, graded roots in ventilated crates or mesh sacks, or tie in bunches with the leaves on for the fresh market. Avoid tight bags that trap heat and start soft rot.
Transportation
Move in the cool of the day, protected from sun and drying wind. Bruised roots rot quickly, so pack firmly but not over-full and keep loads ventilated.
Shelf life
3–4 days at ambient; 1–2 weeks at 0–2°C and 95% humidity. Bunched radish with leaves on wilts faster than topped roots.
Market prices
Today's mandi price near you, pulled live from the government's own Agmarknet data.
Live daily mandi prices from the government Agmarknet dataset.
Synced from data.gov.in (Agmarknet). Rates are ₹ per quintal.
Weather
Current conditions and a 5-day outlook for your selected location, with one line of stage-aware advice.
Pick your state for current conditions and a 5-day outlook.
Live data from Open-Meteo
Profit calculator
Your own cost sheet, expected yield and selling price — not ours.
Where the money goes
Share of the total cost per acre, using the calculator’s own default cost sheet below — adjust the numbers there to match your field and this picture will no longer apply to you exactly, but the ranking rarely changes.
- Labour32% (₹9,000)
- Land rent22% (₹6,000)
- Fertiliser11% (₹3,000)
- Machinery9% (₹2,500)
- Irrigation9% (₹2,500)
- Seed7% (₹2,000)
- Pesticide & weedicide5% (₹1,500)
- Interest4% (₹1,200)
Official downloads
Government and ICAR documents only — everything below is hosted on an official server.
ICAR-IARI, New Delhi — Division of Vegetable Science
Pusa Chetki, Pusa Himani, Pusa Mridula, Pusa Desi and the radish package of practices
ICAR-IIVR, Varanasi
Kashi Hans and other Kashi radish varieties, and brassica pest and disease management
ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru
Arka Nishant and southern radish advisories
Kisan Call Centre — 1800-180-1551
Free crop advice in your language
Frequently asked questions
My radish grew big leafy tops but the root stayed thin. Why?
Two common reasons. One, a European (temperate) variety was sown into warm weather, so it ran to flower instead of forming a root — in the plains and the south you need an Asiatic white type like Pusa Chetki, Kashi Hans or Japanese White. Two, too much nitrogen, which pushes leaf at the expense of root. Match the type to the season and keep nitrogen moderate with enough phosphorus and potash.
Why is my radish spongy and hollow inside?
It was left in the ground too long. A radish left even three or four days past ready turns pithy — spongy and hollow — and fibrous, and in warm weather it bolts within days. Pull the crop as soon as the roots reach size; unlike carrot or potato, radish cannot wait in the ground.
When should I sow radish?
In the northern plains, Asiatic (heat-tolerant) types from August through January and European types only in October–December. In the south, Asiatic types over most of the year except the hottest weeks. In the hills, temperate types through spring and summer. The type must match the temperature at the time the root is filling.
Why did my radish roots come out forked and hairy?
Almost always the seedbed — clods, buried stones, a hard plough pan, root-knot nematodes, or fresh (undecomposed) farmyard manure. Deep-plough and break the top 25–30 cm fine and stone-free, use only well-rotted manure applied to the previous crop, and keep nitrogen moderate.
Does radish have an MSP or a mandi price?
There is no MSP for radish. It is heavily traded on Agmarknet (filed as "Raddish"), with daily price and arrival records from APMC markets across West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and elsewhere. Price is best for the early and late crop and lowest at the mid-winter peak.
Can I eat or sell the radish leaves?
Yes. The tender young leaves are eaten as mooli-ka-saag and are nutritious, and the tops of leafy varieties like Pusa Desi are also fed to animals. Cut the leaves fresh; they wilt within a day, so use or sell them quickly.
Still have questions?
The FAQs above cover the common ones. For anything specific to your field and soil, your nearest Krishi Vigyan Kendra is the authoritative answer.