Snowball
An early European variety (55 days, NHB) with round, medium-sized, smooth, white roots and sweet, tender flesh; best harvested young.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Turnip (Shalgam)
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 50–60 days
- Seed rate
- 2–3 kg an acre (about 5–7.5 kg/ha) per the PAU package; thin early to the spacing below
- Expected yield
- 25–30 t/ha in course notes
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance claimed; open-pollinated
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Snowball is an early European (temperate) turnip. NHB calls it a cultivar of 55 days with small, light-green leaves and round, medium-sized roots; TNAU describes erect, cut, medium-green leaves, round smooth roots with pure white skin and white, fine-grained, sweet, tender flesh, while NHB says the flesh is light yellow. A course deck says the IARI Regional Station, Katrain introduced and recommended it, and gives 25 to 30 t/ha. It matures faster than most European types but still needs real cold, which makes it a catch crop for cool weather in the hills or a late rabi window. In a Gujarat trial it yielded less than Purple Top White Globe. Do not confuse it with Snowball cauliflower.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Snowball when you want the earliest of the European turnips. NHB calls it a cultivar of 55 days with small light-green leaves and round, medium-sized roots; TNAU describes an early temperate type with pure white skin and white, fine-grained, sweet, tender flesh. NHB says the flesh is light yellow, so sources differ slightly. A course deck says IARI Regional Station, Katrain recommended it and gives 25 to 30 t/ha. In the Anand, Gujarat trial it yielded less than Purple Top White Globe, so pick it for speed, not for tonnage.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeOctober to December in the northern plains; a cool-season sowing in the hills
- Seed rate2–3 kg an acre (about 5–7.5 kg/ha) per the PAU package; thin early to the spacing below
- SpacingRows 30–35 cm apart; plants thinned to 8–10 cm apart in the row
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Matures faster than most European turnip types while still needing real cold weather.
- Small, tender roots with mild flavour when picked young.
Things to consider
- Best picked young — roots left to grow large lose the tender quality the variety is valued for.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Himachal Pradesh
- Uttarakhand
- Uttar Pradesh
A name shared with cauliflower: how to be sure you have turnip seed
Snowball is a turnip variety (Brassica rapa) and also a name used for cauliflower types (Brassica oleracea), so searching or buying by name alone can give you the wrong crop. NHB lists Snowball in its turnip variety sheet as a 55-day cultivar with small light-green leaves and round, medium-sized roots. A course deck lists it as a turnip introduced and recommended by the IARI Regional Station, Katrain, with an average yield of 25 to 30 t/ha.
Before you pay, check three things on the packet: the crop name says turnip or shalgam; the days to harvest are about 55 (NHB), which a root crop can meet but a cauliflower curd cannot; and the supplier gives a lot number and packing date. If the seed was bought loose, sow a few seeds on damp cloth first: turnip seed germinates in 4 to 6 days with 90 to 95% sprouting (TNAU), so a poor count tells you the lot is old or wrong.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This is an open-pollinated variety, so seed from a healthy crop of your own can be sown again. Keep seed only from disease-free plants, dry it properly, store it cool and dry, and bring in fresh certified seed every three to four years so the variety does not drift.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Turnip (Shalgam) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Ball | Farmers and kitchen gardeners in cool areas who want a yellow-fleshed turnip with fine flavour, not the quickest or the biggest root | 60–70 days | 20–25 t/ha in course notes | Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh |
| Punjab Safed-4 | Farmers in Punjab and Haryana who want a plain white early turnip and will ask the seller where the seed came from | Early maturing; days not published | No variety figure published | Punjab, Haryana |
| Purple Top White Globe | Hill farmers and late-sown plains farmers who want a large, firm globe turnip that keeps, and who can wait for real cold | 60–70 days | 25–30 t/ha | Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh |
| Pusa Chandrima | Plains farmers who want a larger white turnip than Pusa Sweti and can wait 55 to 60 days for it | 55–60 days | 30–40 t/ha as reported; no trial found | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi |
| Pusa Kanchan | Farmers who want a red-skinned, creamy-yellow-fleshed turnip that can stand in the field a little longer without going spongy | 55–60 days | About 25 t/ha (250 quintals) in course notes | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi |
| Pusa Sweti | Plains farmers who want a quick, plain white desi turnip for the local fresh market and can match the sowing month to their own advice | 45–50 days | 20–30 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana |
| Snowballthis page | Farmers who want a quick, mild, near-white European turnip for a cool-season catch crop and will pull it young | 50–60 days | 25–30 t/ha in course notes | Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Turnip (Shalgam) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Turnip (Shalgam) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Germination CalculatorTest 100 seeds from the bag before sowing and see whether the lot is fit to sow.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Turnip (Shalgam) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Turnip (Shalgam) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Turnip (Shalgam) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Turnip (Shalgam) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Turnip (Shalgam) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Snowball turnip the same as Snowball cauliflower?
No. Turnip is Brassica rapa; cauliflower is Brassica oleracea, and several cauliflower varieties carry the name Snowball. Check that the packet says turnip (shalgam) and the crop name, not just the variety name. Cauliflower seed sown in turnip's place gives no roots at all. Only the turnip is described here.
Is the flesh white or light yellow?
The sources split. NHB says the flesh is light yellow. The TNAU eAgri note says the skin is pure white and the flesh white, fine grained, sweet and tender, and a course deck says white. Expect near-white to cream inside. Do not reject a seed lot over a slight cream tint; reject it if the roots are flat, long or strongly coloured, which points to another variety.
How does Snowball do against Purple Top White Globe in a trial?
In the 1999 to 2001 Anand (middle Gujarat) trial, Purple Top White Globe was significantly better than Snowball and Deshi Red on root yield, with a pooled 325 quintals a hectare for Purple Top, and also had the highest sugar (TSS) and vitamin C. The abstract does not print the Snowball figure. So Snowball's case is earliness, 55 days (NHB), not yield or sweetness.
How big should I let the roots grow before pulling?
TNAU says harvest when roots are 5 to 10 cm across, depending on the variety, and that roots turn tough and fibrous if harvest is delayed. PAU warns that even a few days of delay makes European types pithy. For a 55-day crop (NHB), start checking by size from about day 45 and pull the best roots first, rather than waiting for the whole bed. Snowball is valued young and tender.
Can I sow Snowball in September on the plains?
It is risky. TNAU puts European types in the plains from October to December and PAU says October to November, because heat and long days make a turnip bolt or give tough, pungent roots. Snowball is an early European type, not a desi one, so it does not get the August to September window that Asiatic varieties get. In the hills, TNAU gives July to September. Wait for the heat to break.
Sourced from: National Horticulture Board (NHB), turnip varieties sheet, TNAU eAgri, HORT281 lecture 29: Origin, area, production, varieties and package of practices for turnip, Effect of sowing time and nitrogen on cultivars of turnip under middle Gujarat conditions, AAU Anand thesis abstract, KrishiKosh, PAU, Package of Practices for Cultivation of Vegetables 2021 (radish and turnip chapter), Turnip course slide deck (Katrain recommendation, 25 to 30 t/ha; secondary source). editorial policy.