CULTIVARS AND HYBRIDS

CULTIVARS AND HYBRIDS

CULTIVARS AND HYBRIDS
Cultivars may be either smooth seeded or prickly seeded and smooth leaved or Savoy leaved.
Cultivars may be classified as:
A. Leaves heavily savoyed
i) Plants late seeding
a) Leaves blue-green
b) Leaves dark green
ii) Plants not late seeding
a) Plants very late seeding
b) Plants medium early seeding
B. Leaves not savoyed (or slightly savoyed in cool weather)
i) Plants early seeding
a) Seeds prickly
b) Seeds not prickly
ii) Plants not early seeding
a) Seeds prickly
b) Seeds not prickly
I. Leaves blue green
II. Leaves medium green
Cultivars may be classified into 3 groups as:
A. Round-seeded
1. Smooth-leaved (or slightly savoyed in cool weather)
i) Early bolting or not long-standing
ii) Slow bolting or long-standing
2. Savoy-leaved
i) Early bolting or not long-standing
(a) Mosaic resistant
(b) Not mosaic resistant
ii) Slow bolting or long-standing
B. Prickly seeded
1. Smooth-leaved (or slightly savoyed in cool weather)
i) Early bolting or not long-standing
(a) Mosaic resistant
(b) Not mosaic resistant
ii) Slow bolting or long-standing
2. Savoy-leaved
i) Early bolting or not long-standing
(a) Mosaic resistant
(b) Not mosaic resistant
ii) Slow bolting or long-standing
Cultivars may also be classified into 3 groups on the basis of leaf type as:

i) Savoy
ii) Semi-savoy
iii) Smooth
  • Prickly seeded cultivars are suitable for winter autumn sowing in hills while smooth leaved are suited for spring summer cultivation in hills and autumn sowing in plains.
  • Round leaved cultivars are seeded in hills in summers and autumn sowing is done in plains.
  • Round seeded varieties perform well in the plains whereas, prickly seeded grow better in hills.
12.4
Spinach varieties commonly grown in India are:
Virginia Savoy
  • Prickly seeded cultivar having blistered large dark green leaves with round tips.
  • Plants are upright and vigorous in growth, average yield 100-125 q/ha
Early Smooth Leaf
  • Smooth leaf type and smooth or round seeded.
  • Leaves are small light green with a pointed apex.
Long Standing
  • Dark green thick leaves triangular in shape with a pointed apex.
  • Slow in growth, average yield 100-125 q/ha
CLIMATE
  • Spinach is strictly a cool season vegetable.
  • It does not grow well during hot weather.
  • Spinach growth is best at temperature of about 18-20oC.
  • Spinach is a short day plant and the growth is slow at 10oC.
  • Acclimated plants can tolerate freezing temperature up to -10oC.
SOIL AND FIELD PREPARATION
  • It can be grown on a wide range of soil types however soil having high moisture holding capacity and good drainage are preferred.
  • Plants have some tolerance of salinity and favorable pH range is 6.5 to 7.0.
  • Soil should be ploughed thoroughly two or three times followed by harrowing.
  • Planting should be done to ensure uniform irrigation.
SOWING, SEED RATE AND SPACING
  • Spinach can be sown round the year in different agro-climate conditions of the country.
  • The different sowing times are as follows:
  • In plains : September-October
  • In low hills : July-November, February-March
  • In high Hills : March-June and September
  • In spinach, 50 per cent of the plants turn out to be male with poor growth and such plants cannot be removed till the time of blooming.
  • Hence a higher seed rate of 37-45kg/ha is required.
  • Seeds are either broadcasted or line sown.
  • However, line sowing is preferred for the convenience in intercultural operations.
  • Row to row spacing is maintained at 30 cm and plant to plant at 10-12cm.
NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
  • Apply 100q/ha well rottened Farm Yard Manure/compost during field preparation.
  • An application of 75 kg N, 55 kg P and 30 kg K/ha gives best yield.
  • Nitrogen should be applied in 2 splits, first half prior to sowing along with full quantity of Farm Yard Manure, P and K and other half 1 month after seed germination.
IRRIGATION
  • Spinach is a quick growing shallow rooted crop that is not tolerant to water stress.
  • Adequate moisture should be maintained by frequent irrigation when necessary.
  • Irrigation practice that splash soil into the leaves is damaging and should be avoided.
  • About 12-13 inch water may be sufficient during the entire crop season.
  • Moisture requirement is not very high since rate of transpiration is low during cool season.
  • Water logging of the field should be prevented.
WEED CONTROL
  • Wed control is very important because spinach plant cannot compete well with the weeds.
  • For weed control, one to two shallow hoeings are needed. Herbicides can also be used to control the weeds effectively.
  • Asulam (6 or 8l/ha) has been reported to give good weed control in spring-summer and autumn crop without any harmful effects.
HARVESTING
  • Harvesting should not be done early in the morning because leaves are crisp and break easily.
  • The crop is ready for harvest 4-6 weeks after sowing.
  • Cutting is done with a sharp knife/ sickle.
  • About 3-4 cuttings may be obtained throughout the season.
  • Product should be hydro or vacuum cooled immediately after harvest.
YIELD
  • About 50-60 q/ha green leaves can be obtained from one hectare..
STORAGE
  • Spinach can be stored at 0oC and at 95-100 per cent RH.
  • It can be stored only for 10-14 days.
  • Temperature should be as close to 0oC as possible because spinach deteriorates rapidly at higher temperature.
DISEASES AND PESTS

Last modified: Tuesday, 19 June 2012, 3:44 AM