The carrot first emerged in Afghanistan about 3000 B.C. Carrots belongs to the family Apiaceae which is related to celery, celeriac, coriander, fennel, parsnip and parsley. The plant is a biennial, that is, it grows vegetatively in the first season and produces seed in the second. Carrots are said to be rich in beta-carotene, dietary fiber, antioxidants and minerals. Vitamin A deficiency, which causes night blindness in mothers and children, is a major public health problem. Raw carrots contain the highest amount (5800- 6100μg/100gm) of beta-carotene.
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| A Carrot Harvest |
Optimal Ecological Requirements
Altitude
Tropical
highland climate is suitable for carrots production. The adaptable altitude is
depends on the variety. Ethiopia has high quality carrots production area in
1800-2,500m.
Rainfall
Carrot
requires well-distributed rainfall of around 500 mm during the growing period.
Temperature
The
optimum temperature for growth is 15-20 degrees Celsius. Temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius cause longer, more slender and paler roots.
Shorter, thicker roots are produced at higher temperatures.
Temperatures exceeding 20 degrees Celsius lead
to poor quality.
Temperature and soil moisture influence the
shape, color and quality of carrots. The temperature below or above the
optimum, poorer color develops.
Soil
Carrots require deep, loose, well-drained sandy
to loamy soils with a pH of 6.0-6.5. The crop produced in humus rich soil tends
to increase in foliage excessively and forms forked and hairy carrots.
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Composting
The
use of compost or organic manures is not recommended as they often cause
unattractive, hairy roots, with a coarser texture as well as decrease
marketable yield. Organic manures or compost should preferably be used on preceding
crops in the rotation. If you have a heavy soil, dig in plenty of manure several
months before planting. Never work fresh manure into the soil as this encourages
forking of roots. It is important to plan in advance where to grow carrots since
compost should be applied not before planting carrots but preceding crops in
the rotation.
Land Preparation
They
are best grown in deep well-drained and sandy loam soils. Heavy clay compacted
and water-logged soils will not give the best shape and carrot sizes. Carrots
need finely prepared soil to suit the germination of their small seeds, thus
farmers need to plough and prepare land for carrots five to six times before
planting.
Rake
the soil surface to a fine-tilth seedbed before sowing the small carrot seeds.
Deep ploughing or working to loosen the soil to a depth of at least 30 cm is
important to allow good root development. Stony soils cause misshapen roots and
produce poor quality carrots. Carrots are often planted on top of ridges or
raised beds. This is especially important on heavier soils, shallow soils or
these less well-drained, as it gives added soil depth, better drainage and the
looser structured soils favored by the carrots.
Incorporation of Crop Residues
Incorporating
crop residues in the farm land can significantly increase the soil organic
content. It is recommended to incorporate crop residue as early as possible
after finishing previous cultivation. Optimum pH range 6.5 to 7.5; hence lime
should be applied at least 30 days before planting, if the pH is less than 6.5.
If agriculture lime is not available, you can apply wood ash since they can
also reduce the acidity of the soil; Apply 9kg of wood ashes per 100 meter
squared. However, if the crop residues belongs to the family Apiaceae which is
related to celery, celeriac, coriander, fennel, parsnip and parsley, remove and
burn the residue to avoid possible risk of disease build up.
Planting Materials
Carrot
seed is very small (800,000 to 1,100,000 seeds/kg). Seed should be checked for
their purity percentage, germination percentage and expiry date. Use
disease-free or certified seed (recommended to purchase from a research station
and registered stores).
Appropriate Seeding Rate
Dense
plantings could be thinned out, but this is costly and time-consuming, therefore
following appropriate seed rate is necessary.
Recommended Spacing
The seed should be covered to a uniform depth of 1.0 to 2.5 cm, and should be kept moist until the plants are well established. Rows are generally spaced from 20-40cm. For double or triple rows, the width between sets of rows varies from 40 to 60cm.
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| A Carrot Farming Field |
A mistake that is generally made by new growers is to plant too
densely. For the first time of planting, count the number of seeds between 30
to 35 plants per meter of row to achieve uniform space. Mixing seed with sand
in a ratio of 1:5 helps achieve even distribution. After germination thin the
plants to achieve 2.5cm between the plants. Farmers are usually reluctant to
thinning out of plants, so attention must be given to ensuring that the correct
seeding rate is used at planting.
Thinning
First
thinning is done 1 to 2 weeks after emergence when 2-3 leaves, around 4cm high.
Thin out to 2-3 cm. Second thinning is
done 2 weeks later when 5-6 leaves have emerged and thin out to 5-6 cm.
Plant Density
If
the crop is not thinned out, the carrots will be small and malformed. Thinning
should take place in the afternoon, and when soil is moist. Where the
population is too low, roots tend to become large, are generally subject to
more splitting/cracking. While where the population is excessive, roots tend to
become smaller and are often twisted around one another giving a poorer quality
root, and marketable yields of good quality may also be lowered.
Water Requirement
The soil moisture should be maintained at above 50 percent of available moisture throughout growth, generally 25 mm of water per week should be adequate. Under dry conditions long, thin roots are produced, while excess moisture will result in a light color and larger diameter but excessively short roots. Carrots can be grown throughout the year if rain and irrigation water is available.
Insufficient soil moisture results in a longer and thinner root, while very wet
conditions have the opposite effect and also give rise to a lighter color. The
field should be irrigated lightly immediately after sowing. Irrigation water
should be applied once or twice a day until germination. Watering should
gradually be reduced to prevent longitudinal splitting of the roots when the
crop approaches maturity. Water stress during root development also causes
cracking of the roots.
Weeding
Carrots are small, rather vulnerable plants during the early stages of growth. Many weeds grow rapidly and vigorously, and are efficient competitors for available nutrients, water and sunlight. Carrot seedlings are very susceptible to weeds especially at their early stage before they cover the ground.
Weeding and
cultivation should be done 2-3 times (2 and 4 weeks after sowing) until the
canopy covers the ground in order to suppress weeds and earth up roots to
protect them from direct sunlight which causes them to green. When the upper
part of the root is exposed to sunlight, chlorophyll is formed, resulting in
undesirable green shoulders. First weeding is done 4 weeks after sowing at the
same time of the first thinning and preferably done before top-dressing.
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| A Carrot Harvest |
Top Dressing
Although
carrots do not like much Nitrogen, it is good to top-dress to supply additional
nutrients during the growth of the crop. Apply a top dressing of urea in a
split form. First top-dressing at 5
weeks after sowing, and second top-dressing, 3 weeks after first application,
and apply the rest by sprinkling on both sides of the row, 2-10cm from the
plants. Do not sprinkle on the plants. Remove all the weeds before topdressing
and work into the top 2cm of the soil.
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Pests and Diseases Control
Management Strategies
Pests
and diseases can be managed through either single control strategies or an
integration of two or more methods. The single control strategies are:
cultural; physical; biological; and chemical.
1. Cultural Control: This involves managing
the environment in which the crop is growing with a view of maintaining pest
and disease below the harmful level. The cultural methods include: field
sanitation/hygiene, intercropping, crop rotation, furrowing, flooding,
solarization etc.
2.
Mechanical Control: This involves use of insect traps, hand picking, screening
house, weeding etc.
3.
Biological Control: This involves use of natural enemies (predators and
parasitoids), resistant/tolerant varieties, trap plants, push and pull system,
and repellant plants
4.
Chemical Control: This involves use of pesticides. Pesticides are preferred
because of the quick knock down effect; they have high efficacy. Pesticide
usage has been linked to environmental degradation and should be used as last
resort
5.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Due to limitation of a single control
strategy, use of IPM is a more recommended strategy. IPM integrates cultural,
mechanical, biological and as a last resort, chemical control to minimize the
crop loss caused by pests and diseases.
Major Diseases
Disease
infestation leads to reduction in quality and quantity of produce .The proper
understanding of each disease symptoms and characters can help to develop
integrated disease control methods. The following are the major diseases
affecting carrot farming; Leaf blight, Powdery mildew, Root-knot and nematode.
Management
Use
clean, certified seed. Practice crop rotation. Remove weeds and discard plant
debris. To avoid infesting new fields with plant-parasitic nematodes, clean
equipment and tools thoroughly with water, and prevent movement of infested
soil. Carrots are more susceptible to root knot nematodes than any other
vegetables. Nematodes are not very active in cool weather below 17 degrees
Celsius, so sometimes winter carrots will be successful even in soils where
some nematodes are present. Pull up affected carrots and dispose them.
Harvesting
Carrots
are harvested when they have reached a diameter of 20 mm and more, still young
and tender. Where carrots have grown poorly or in very dense stands, the
criteria for lifting should not be size, but rather maturity and quality. Due
to the market demand or other factors, carrots can be harvested earlier.
Usually when the carrots have reached the mature stage, their base tips appear
on the soil surface.
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Harvesting
is done from 90-120 days after sowing depending on the temperature of the
growing area. Carrots lifted from wet soils tend to crack and are more
susceptible to damage; therefore, the soil should be allowed to dry out to some
extent before harvesting. In dry periods, it is better to use hand tools. After
harvesting, topped, washed and packed, remove the leaves before storing to
extend shelf life. Fresh carrots harvested when mature will keep for up to five
days at room temperature 20 degrees Celsius
and for
7-21 days in a refrigerator.
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| Carrots |
Post-Harvest Handling
Packaging
Small size and misshaped should be removed before packing which is estimated to be between 5-10 percent depending on the management of the farmers. After harvesting, if necessary, carrots can be put in cold storage for several months with storage humidity above 90% and the temperature is approximately 0 degrees Celsius.
In rural conditions,
storing carrots is not recommended due to lack of facility. Depending on the
market carrots can be sold in bunches or in plastic bags. Bunched carrots have
a shorter shelf because they have a higher respiration rate than carrots that
have been topped and are in plastic.
- Seedlings per acre: 2.5kg per acre
- Spacing: 20-40cm between rows
- Market price per kg: 50-100 depending on market demand and supply
- Yield per acre: 11-50 tons
- Common pests: Aphids, cut worm, white flies, flea beetles
- Common diseases: Leaf blight, Powdery mildew, Root-knot and nematode.
- Lifespan: one growing season
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the best climatic conditions for carrot farming?
- How long do carrots take to mature in Kenya?
- How much do carrots make per acre in Kenya?
- How many months do carrots take to grow?
- What makes carrots grow faster?
- Is carrot farming profitable?
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