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© Wilmington College 2005 

Forb Forage Crops

Common Name:

 Forage Turnip

Latin Name:

 Brassica rapa

Variety:

 Barkant

Crop Origin:

 Mediterranean area

Type:

 Forage

Date Planted:

 16 June, 2005

Growth Stages in Ohio

Forage turnip Jan 1 06.JPG (3162764 bytes) Forage turnip feb 6 06.JPG (1484122 bytes) Forage Turnip March 4 06.JPG (3281174 bytes) Forage Turnip Apr 4 06.JPG (3370255 bytes) Forage Turnip May 5 06.JPG (2943236 bytes) Forage Turnip 3 June 05.JPG (2855792 bytes)
January February March April May June
Forage turnip 1 July 05.JPG (3599575 bytes) Forage Turnip 7aug05.JPG (2484066 bytes) Forage turnip 3 sep 05.JPG (2541665 bytes) Forage Turnip 1 oct 05.JPG (2709595 bytes) Forage turnip 4 Nov 05.JPG (2930404 bytes) Forage Turnip 2 dec 05.JPG (3666056 bytes)
July August

September

 October November December

Cultivation in Ohio

Primary Uses:

 Forage

 Planting:

 Seed into a fine, firm seedbed with adequate moisture for germination.  Can be planted any time during the summer before August.  Only plant 0.5 inches deep.

 Seeding Rate:

 1.5 to 2.5 lb/acre

Fertility:

 Grows best in moderately deep loam, fertile, slightly acidic soil.  Lime soils to a pH of 6.0.  With soils in the medium range, apply about 20 to 30 lb/acre of P and 120 lb/acre of K.  Soil tests should be taken to assure proper fertilization.

Insects:

 Cabbage flea beetle, striped flea beetle, and common turnip louse or aphid.

Diseases:

 Clubroot, root knot, leaf spot, white rust, scab, anthracnose, turnip mosaic virus, and rhizoctonia rot

Harvest:

 Harvest before heading at about 12 inches tall.  Can be grazed down to about 5 inches of stubble.  If you wait too long to harvest or graze, fungal diseases can begin to cut yeilds.  

Comments:

 Nitrate toxicity can be a problem so livestock should not feed on turnip during the breeding season or after the plants have begun to flower.  Lactating cows should not eat more than 50 lb a day to avoid milk tainting.                                                                                           MVB

Identification

Leaf:

 Forage Turnip Leaf.JPG (2166071 bytes)

Flower:

 Forage Turnip flower 2.JPG (1609096 bytes) Forage Turnip flower 1.JPG (1352968 bytes)

Seeds:

 Forage_Turnip_seed.JPG (1217247 bytes) Forage Turnip root March 5 2007.JPG (3633711 bytes)

Distribution:

More Information

Links:

 http://ohioline.osu.edu/agf-fact/0020.html
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/turnip.html
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BRRAR2