Agronomy III – Root Crops

Discover how to grow some of the most important crops in the world: root veggies!

 With the help of this thorough course in growing root crops, you can expand what you are currently producing on your farm or launch a new business.  The second-most significant staple crop in the world is roots. Over the world, they are a vital source of carbohydrates for people. As the agricultural environment is altered by climate, we will need to switch to resilient, carbohydrate and protein-rich, easily grown crops to replace those that are heavily dependent on water (such as rice) for their productivity and survival. They are also important crops for food security for both humans and animals.Root crops includes:

• potatoes
• sweet potatoes
• yams
• turnips
• carrots
• swedes

Root crops are also becoming very popular in the developed world as people start to realise the benefits to their health and to the environment by growing and eating root vegetables. In developing countries, some types of root crops (for example, yams and cassava) contribute to the diet as a substitute for other, less accessible, protein foods such as fish or meat.You will learn the finest growing strategies, different harvesting methods, and several root vegetable kinds in this course.

Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

1. Scope and Nature of Root Cropping and the Botany of Roots
   • What are root vegetables?
   • Human nutrition and root vegetables
   • Botany of roots
2. Cultural Practices A: Soil Management, Crop Scheduling and Soil Water
   • General guide to growing root vegetables
   • Improving soils
   • Sampling soils
   • Cover crops
   • Cultivation techniques
   • Soil fertility and plant growth
   • Plant nutrition
   • Fertiliser
   • Soil and water
3. Cultural Practices B: Weed control, Pest Management
   • Weed and weed management
   • Methods of weed control
   • Pest and disease management
   • Toxicity
   • Diseases
   • Common environmental problems
4. Potatoes
   • Growing conditions
   • Nutrient requirements
   • Planting
   • Care
   • Watering
   • Problems
   • Harvest and post-harvest
5. Carrots and their Relatives
   • Carrots
   • Parsnips
   • Bulb fennel
   • Turnip rooted chervil
   • Skirret
   • Celeriac
6. Turnips and their Relatives
   • Turnips
   • Rutabaga (swede)
   • Radish
   • Horseradish
   • Daikon
   • Kohlrabi
7. Beets
   • Growing conditions
   • Nutrient requirements
   • Planting
   • Care
   • Watering
   • Problems
   • Harvest and post-harvest
8. Taro, Yams and Sweet Potato
   • Growing conditions
   • Nutrient requirements
   • Planting
   • Care
   • Watering
   • Problems
   • Harvest and post-harvest
9. Other Root Crops
   • Salsify
   • Scoronera
   • Scolymus
   • Mashua
   • Jerusalem artichoke
   • Potato bean
   • Arrowroot
   • Oca
   • Dandelion
   • Chinese artichoke
   • Water chestnuts
   • Yacon or jicama
   • Root chicory
   • Ullico
   • American groundnut
10. Harvest and Post-Harvest Management
    • Harvesting root vegetables
    • Cooling methods
    • Storage

Each lesson ends with an assignment that is sent in to the school, graded by the tutors there, and returned to you with any pertinent comments and suggestions—and, if necessary, additional reading—if they are applicable.

Aims

• Explain root vegetables, including their varieties, health benefits, and morphological internal and external structures.
• Provide a brief description of the cultural practises required to grow vegetables.
• Describe how to manage weeds and pests, as well as the types of specialised equipment used in the production of root crops.
• Describe the conditions needed for potato culture and how to grow potatoes.
• Describe the growth practises for carrots and their relatives as well as the cultural requirements.
• Describe the growth practises for turnips and their relatives as well as the cultural requirements for them.
• Describe the growth practises for beets and their relatives as well as the cultural requirements.
• Describe the cultural requirements and methods for growing yams, taro, and sweet potatoes.
• Describe the cultural needs and growth methods for a variety of other root crops that were not covered before in this course.
• Explain the requirements for root vegetable crops during harvest and after harvest.

What You Will Do

• Create a bed for root vegetables.
• Make and keep a log book with information about your bed.
• Do tests to identify the moisture range.
• Describe how to enhance the soil for a group of root crops.
• Describe crop rotation techniques.
• Talk about seed preparation and planting methods.
• Establish a weed collection.
• Create pest and disease control strategies for use from planting through harvest.
• Create a schedule for agricultural production.
• Discuss when to harvest certain kinds.

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WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE?

• Farmers and agricultural labourers
• Agricultural supply companies and related services
• Agricultural professionals and students
• Small-scale or hobby farmers thinking about new “niche” crops
• livestock managers and owners who seek to make animal feed

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