A Proposal on Nutrient Management on Radish

INTRODUCTION
Radish is the common name for herbaceous plant, Raphanus sativus, of

the mustard family (Brassicaceae), grown as an annual or biennial, and characterized by a large,

fleshy root and white to purple hermaphrodite flowers clustered in a terminal raceme. The term

turnip also refers to this edible, succulent, pungent root, which is commercially popular.

As a root vegetable, the radish has been cultivated since pre-Roman times. Its sharp taste offers a

unique culinary experience and today radishes are grown and consumed throughout the world.

Radishes have numerous varieties, varying in size, color, shape, and duration of required

cultivation time. They are generally consumed raw, such as in salads or as an appetizer. There

are some radishes that are grown for their seeds; oilseed radishes are grown, as the name implies,

for oil production.

Radishes belong to the flowering plant family Brassicaceae (or Cruciferae), also known

as the crucifers, the mustard family, or the cabbage family. (Cruciferae is an older name for the

family. It means "cross-bearing," because the four petals of their flowers are reminiscent of

a cross.) The family contains species of great economic importance, providing much of the

world's winter vegetables. In addition to radish, these include cabbage, broccoli,

cauliflower, brussels sprouts, collards, mustard, and kale.

Brassicaceae consists only of herbaceous plants with annual, biennial, or perennial

lifespans. The leaves are alternate (rarely opposite), sometimes organized in basal rosettes. They
do not have stipules. The structure of the flowers is extremely uniform throughout the family.

They have four free saccate sepals and four clawed free petals, staggered, and with a typical

cross-like arrangement. They have six stamens, four of which are longer (as long as the petals, so

relatively short in fact) and are arranged in a cross like the petals and the other two are shorter

(tetradynamous flower). The pistil is made up of two fused carpels and the style is very short,

with two lobes.

Brassicaceae fruit is a peculiar kind of capsule named siliqua (plural siliquae, American

English silique/siliques). It opens by two valves, which are the modified carpels, leaving

the seeds attached to a framework made up of the placenta and tissue from the junction between

the valves (replum).

The radish, Raphanus sativus, is characterized by white to purple flowers that form

ebracteate racemose inflorescences (floral clustera comprising blossoms attached along a central

axis and without underlying bracts). They are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs)

and are pollinated by bees and flies (PFAF 2008). Nectar is produced at the base of the stamens

and stored on the sepals.

The fleshy, edible root varies in shape (round, oval, or elongated), size (small globes,

one-half inch in diameter to those carrot-like giants one and one-half feet in length), and color

(white to pink to red to purple to black to various combinations) (Herbst 2001).

Radish comes from the Latin radix, meaning "root" (Herbst 2001). The descriptive Greek name

of the genus Raphanus means "quickly appearing" and refers to the rapid germination of these

plants. Raphanistrum from the same Greek root is an old name once used for this genus.

There are numerous varieties of radishes, differentiated according to flavor, size, color, and

shape. In American markets, the most common variety is the globular or oval-shaped red-

skinned radish, which can vary in size from a small cherry to a tiny orange (Herbst 2001). It may

vary from mild to peppery in flavor, depending on age and variety (Herbst 2001), (New World

Encyclopedia contributors, 2008).

Worm fertilizer (Vermicompost) is a product of earthworm remains called (worm

casting), which resulted in worms consuming organic waste such as home, greenhouse, kitchen,

tree leaves, cardboard and paper, city and markets, laboratories, etc., and then secreting and

extracting those enzymes within the digestive worm system. Then throw them away, as well as

organic contaminants arising from some inhabitant fungi and bacteria that feed on worms that

live on the plant. The percentage of organic components in this Vermicompost varies depending

on the form of organic waste that feeds the worms, sometimes causing certain components to

increase or decrease. Also, Vermicompost is the least polluted fertilizer by other pathogenic

microorganisms that cause the pathology of plants, and it is also rich in plant nutrients. All

Vermicompost components dissolve in water which makes it beneficial and easier to be absorbed

by plants. This worm fertilizer can be applied to plants directly, in nursery boxes, or placed at the

bottom of the seedlings [1,2,3]. As for Vermicompost tea, it is an extract from Vermicompost

fermentation, which is rich in nutrients and beneficial microorganisms. The key explanation for

the production of Vermicompost tea is the conversion of microbial biomass, organic

microparticles, and soluble chemical components in Vermicompost into a liquid solution that can

be applied to the plant as a foliar spray or added to the soil in ways that may be useless or not

economically feasible with solid fertilizer. The very important characteristic of Vermicompost

tea compared to normal compost tea (resulting from the fermentation of plant and animal organic

waste) is that the normal compost contains bacterial or fungal pathogens which can develop

when soaked in humid environments; such environments are; the availability of oxygen, water,

and the added saccharides required for the processing of this tea, and when the plants are sprayed

with tea, these microbes are transferred to the plant, and thus, they will pass to humans and

animals. Whereas the worms secrete substances in the Vermicompost tea that destroy these

pathogens, so it does not produce them, making it safe to spray on plants [4]. In a research study

conducted by [5], it was found that Vermicompost promoted beneficial organisms in the soil,

increased nutrient availability and increased lettuce yield, and also resisted pathogens whether in

soil or as sprayed hydro-extracts. He found that the plant’s productivity for the soil in which

Vermicompost was used increased by 10 % relative to control treatments. In a greenhouse pots

experiment, [6] observed that Vermicompost tea applied to soil or sprayed on lettuce plants had

increased vegetative weight and root length, improved plant-specific features, and increased the

availability of essential nutrients in soil absorbed by plants in its contrast between Vermicompost

tea and Vermicompost filtered liquid collected during the production process, they found that tea

was better and richer than filtered liquid concerning the nutrients necessary for the plant and

other characteristics the ratio of organic matter and carbon, as well as total nitrogen in

Vermicompost tea were 21, 12 and 2.4%, respectively, corresponds to 3.4, 2 and 0.9% for

Vermicompost extract, respectively. As for the macronutrients, which are phosphorus and

potassium in tea, their concentration as was (1862 and 2482 mg. L-1), orderly which meets 1907
and 1677 mg. L-1 in the extract [7]. Whereas the concentrations of micronutrients in tea were;

12, 0.1, 25, and 0.5 mg. L-1 on sequence for iron, copper, zinc, and manganese, were; 3, 0, 8,

and mg l-1 in the extract, respectively, Whereas in tea the pH, EC, C / N ratio 7, 2.5 dS.m-1, and

5% were successively present, while in the extract were; 7.5, 2.4 dS.m-1, and 2.2%, respectively.

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of Vermicompost and Vermicompost

tea on broccoli growth and some soil properties (Alkobaisy et al, 2021).

Imbalanced fertilization has caused lower yield and nutrient use efficiency for

radish (Raphanus sativus L.) production in China. Estimating nutrient requirements for

radish is crucial in optimizing fertilization to resolve the problem. On-farm experiments

in the radish-growing regions of China from 2000 to 2017 were collected to investigate

the relationship between fleshy root yield and nutrient accumulation in radish plant

using the Quantitative Evaluation of the Fertility of Tropical Soils (QUEFTS) model. The

QUEFTS model predicted a linear increase in fleshy root yield if nutrients were taken up

in balanced amounts until yield reached about 60%–70% of the potential yield. The

balanced N, P, and K requirements in radish plant simulated by the QUEFTS model were

2.15, 0.45, and 2.58 kg to produce 1000 kg of fleshy root, and the corresponding

internal efficiencies (IEs, kg fleshy root per kg nutrient in total plant dry matter) for N,

P, and K were 465.1, 2222.2, and 387.1 kg kg−1. The simulated balanced N, P, and K

removal by fleshy root to produce 1000 kg fleshy root were 1.34, 0.30, and 1.93 kg,

respectively. Approximately 62%, 67%, and 75% of N, P, and K in radish plant were

presented in the fleshy root and removed from the soil. Field validation experiments

confirmed the consistency between the observed and simulated nutrient uptake values.
The QUEFTS model was proven to be effective for estimating nutrient requirements of

radish and will contribute to develop fertilizer recommendations for radish cultivated in

China (Zhang et al. 2019).

However, in the view of point with the higher costs of synthetic fertilizers the farmers

could not afford to buy easily a synthetic fertilizers but, we can use the vermicompost

tea on the growth performance of our radish.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to determine the growth performance of radish as influence by different

level of vermicompost tea in terms of:

1. Germination percentage five (5) days after sowing;

2. Plant height after twenty (20), forty (40), and sixty (60) days of sowing;

3. Number of functional leaves twenty (20), forty (40), and sixty (60) days after

sowing;

4. Total yield/ yield per plot.

FIELD LAYOUT

3.0 m

I 1m
0.5 m
II

III

LAND PREPERATION

The land preparation were the land prepared by plowing until he soils surface become

soft, friable and free of weeds. Shovel and rake was used to make plots as well as

cleaning and clearing of the area.

Preparation of experimental plots: The preparation of experimental plots of the

researchers. The plots were established on a 5m X 15m area with 1 x 3 meter per plot.

The plot was cleared with unwanted shrubs and weeds using shovel, rake and other

cultivation tools.

Watering: The watering management of the researchers. The plants were watered

early in the morning using a hose and sprinkler. Watering was done regularly or as the

need arises.

Weeding and Cultivation: The weeding and cultivation was done regularly or as the

need arises using trowel.

Fertilization: the fertilization of the plots. The recommended rate. The balanced N, P,

and K requirements in radish plant simulated by the QUEFTS model were 2.15, 0.45, and 2.58

kg to produce 1000 kg of fleshy root. The researcher’s requirement are under the different

level of vermicompost tea per plot, T1- NO Treatment Applied, T2- 300ml
vermicompost tea/ 700ml water, T3- 400ml vermicompost tea/ 600ml water, T4-

500ml vermicopostea/ 500ml water.

Harvesting and weighing: The harvesting process and the weighing process of

radish (Raphanus sativus). Harvesting was done after indicators of readiness visible in

the plant. Harvested yield of radish weighs using the weighing scale each plot per

treatment.

Methods of Gathering data

The following data was taken during the conduct of the study:

Germination percentage: The data was gathered to determine radish (Raphanus

sativus) germination percentage within five days after sowing (DAS). This is done to

determine which seed varieties having high germination.

Plant height: The gathering of data in plant height per radish plant sample. The data

taken determine the height of each radish (Raphanus sativus) varieties at 20, 40, 60

DAS. This is done by manual measuring using a ruler and meter stick to measure the

samples height.

Number of functional leaves: The gathering of data on the number of functional

leaves. The following data gathered determine the development of leaves of radish

(Raphanus sativus) at 20, 40, and 60 DAS. This is done by manual hand counting of its

leaves of a sample.
Total yield: The total yield of harvested radish. The data taken determine which

among the varieties exhibits the highest possible yield of radish (Raphanus sativus).

This is done by weighing each yield by treatment per plot using the weighing scale.

Statistical Analysis

The data collected on the growth and yield of radish (Raphanus sativus) variety was

analysed using the mean and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for Randomized Complete

Block Design (RCBD). All data were computed using the STAR 2.0.1.