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

Month I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII.
Sowing XX (textile) XXX XXX XXX XXX XX
Harwest XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX X

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)  
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