Daikon: Description, Fundamentals Of Agricultural Technology, Useful Properties

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Unique Japanese daikon radish is tasty and very healthy

Alas, Russians are mostly indifferent to the daikon, but in vain: in addition to the undoubted dietary value, the daikon also has excellent productivity. And in addition, it is also a source of carbohydrates. And it is no coincidence that in Japan, for example, it takes not even the second, but the first place in terms of area among all vegetable crops.

The daikon itself is a cruciferous plant, it is the closest relative to all of us well-known radish and radish, but it fundamentally differs from them in higher taste - daikon root crops are much more juicy, tender, they are almost completely devoid of rare pungency. The advantages of daikon also include high yield, and rather long keeping quality - with practically no changes, root crops can lie for up to three months.

Daikon consumed in the fresh form, it can be boiled and salt in the food are young leaves. It is rich in potassium and calcium salts, contains the fiber, pectin and vitamin C we need. Daikon also has medicinal properties, due to the fact that it contains glycosides, phytoncides and specific protein substances that prevent the growth of bacteria. Daikon is practically the only vegetable, with the exception of radish, which is able to cleanse the kidneys and liver, and is even able to dissolve minor stones. Daikon, due to the absence of mustard oils in its composition, which are present in abundance in radishes and cause excessive cardiac activity, is recommended for use by elderly people, since it does not give such an effect.

In addition, its root crops are practically the only of all vegetable crops that absorb a minimum of negative substances from the soil, if the soil, for example, is polluted with them, this also applies to daikon leaves. In the composition of daikon, fructose is also present, instead of sucrose, therefore, it may well be used in the diet of patients with diabetes mellitus. In our country, Japanese and Chinese varieties of daikon are successfully growing, and domestic varieties have already appeared, for example, the elephant tusk variety is widely known to vegetable growers, gaining a mass of root crops up to 500-550 grams!

The daikon itself is a very unpretentious plant and may well be cultivated even on clay and heavy soils. However, he prefers still light and fertile, where high yields of high-quality root crops grow. For better plant growth, it is necessary to add organic fertilizers, compost, humus to the soil. Usually, up to 5-10 kg of organic matter, 200 g of potassium sulfate and 300-400 g of superphosphate are added per square meter. If the soil of your site is acidic, then lime must be added.

In general, daikon agrotechnology is simple. It all starts with sowing seeds (the most optimal time for sowing daikon is the second half of July). It is placed on 1 meter wide beds, the seeds are sown, leaving a distance between rows equal to 60-70 cm, and between plants in a row - about 25-30 cm. Seeds are sown in nests to a depth of 3-5 cm, usually two seeds per nest … Seedlings, as a rule, appear already on the 5-6th day. Since we sowed two seeds in the nest, one plant will need to be removed. The most developed is left, if two plants have sprung up and they look equally good, then the second can simply be transplanted to a new place, for example, in the nest where the seeds did not germinate.

Seedling care consists in obligatory weeding, loosening, and it must be carried out 3-4 times per season and, of course, in watering. Daikon is very fond of abundant watering. If watering this plant is not enough, then the root becomes rough, there is no juiciness in it, and it can crack. If the soils of your site are nutritious enough, then you do not need to fertilize them, but if not, then you can add top dressing to the soil, which is better to apply during the period when the plants threw out two real leaves.

They usually start harvesting daikon on the 50-70th day after sowing, it depends on the variety and its characteristics. To keep the crop as long as possible, it is best to harvest root crops in dry weather. If your soil is light, then it is permissible to remove the daikon by simply pulling it out by the tops, but on heavy soils you have to sweat - you will need to carefully dig it out, otherwise you can break long root crops. When you dig up your crop, then place it in plastic bags or simply in boxes with sand, which must then be installed in a basement with a low positive temperature (+ 4 … 6 ° С).

I want to draw the attention of readers to the fact that this culture, despite all its nutritional value and usefulness, also has contraindications. Daikon, like radish, cannot be included in your diet for the following diseases:

• with peptic ulcer,
• hyperacid gastritis,
• with diseases of the kidneys and liver,
• for gout and metabolic diseases.

The medical books provide quite contradictory information related to the treatment of the internal organs of the radish, so it is better to consult with your doctor.