Carrot

Short description of the species

Botanical name

Carrot

Latin name

Daucus carota subsp. sativus

Family

Apiaceae

Plant height

flowering stem (2nd year): 1-1.5 m

Exposure

relatively undemanding (sun or semi-shadow)

Temperature requirement

cold-resistant

Keeping

easy to medium

Water requirement

medium

Soil

light or medium-heavy (heavy soil = root deformations/branching)

pH pôdy

6.5 – 7.0

Edible part

root

accessibility

Usage

direct consumption – salads, soups, side dish, juices; processing – sterilization/conservation, freezing

Growing technology and harvest

Propagation

• generative – direct sowing

Spacing

• 0.30-0.40 x 0.03-0.05 m

• sowing depth = 15-20 mm

Harvest

• early cultivars – root with leaves on market in package of several roots

• cultivars for storage = taking from soil and leaf removal

• before freeze period

• late harvest = woodening and cracking of roots

Important dates

Storage 

• temperature = 0-1 °C 

• air humidity = 95-98% 

• storage period at mentioned conditions = approximately 6 month (basic condition = health, un-damaged roots) 

Use 

• direct consumption – salads, soups, side dish, juices 

• processing - conservation (small roots – „baby“ carrot) or freezing 

Diseases and pests 

• damage in case of un-suitable growing technology: root cracking (irregular irrigation, later harvest), deformations – root branching (un-suitable soil, dense sowing), greening of root head 

• virus diseases: Carrot mottle virus (CMoV), Celery mosaic virus (CMV), Carrot thin leaf virus (CTLV), Carrot red leaf virus (CRLV) 

• fungus diseases: carrot and parsley mildew (Erysiphe heraclei), Alternaria carrot spottiness (Alternaria dauci) 

• storage diseases: various bacteria (mostly Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora or Pseudomonas spp.) and funguses (mostly Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Alternaria radicina, Rhizoctonia crocorum ai.) causing rotteness of carrot roots 

• diseases connecting with selling of washed carrot: cratered rotteness (Athelia arachnoidea), surface black root of carrot (Berkelyomyces basicola) 

• pests: root nematode (Meloidogyne hapla), aphids (Semiaphis dauci, Dysaphis crataegi), carrot flealouse (Trioza viridula), carrot fly (Chamaepsila rosae)