Carrot is a cool-season vegetable and just like radish, its cost of production is very cheap. There are many categories where different vegetables are sorted. Carrot is included in root vegetables. Carrot’s botanical name is Daucus carrots and it belongs to the family Umbelliferae. Technically speaking, carrot cultivation in Pakistan is very common in Punjab especially and farmers are excited about growing the carrot early so that they get more profit. As a consumer ends carrot has medicinal importance like carrot juice benefits, carrot benefits, aloe vera, and carrot juice benefits which are very useful. There are many important points but shortly carrot is the renowned precursor of vitamin A and suggested by doctors and dietitians as a daily dose for eyesight improvement. In this article, I will discuss carrot farming in Pakistan. There are the following outlines,
- Selection of variety
- Seed quantity
- Land preparation
- Fertilizer and irrigation
- Plant protection
- Harvesting
- Yield
- Important note
Variety selection and seed quantity
There are many brands available locally as well as from different multinational companies. There are many carrot-growing varieties in Pakistan like Red long, MirpurKhas selection, etc. it is suggested that select the variety which should be hybrid and compatible with the area. The seed quantity selected is average between 8-10 kg per acre. As is mentioned earlier that the carrot growing season in Pakistan is a cool season and its cultivation starts from September to December. Sowing in early months like in September makes less production but at that time its demand in the market is very high but later in November and December sowing time carrot crop production will be at a peak and its demand will be less than in earlier months.
Land preparation
Land preparation is the same as in radish, in which it is necessary that land should be leveled. First makes the land at the proper unique level and then makes deep plowing. It is recommended that 6-8 times deep plowing should be done. Depth of soil for carrot cultivation is very important which helps in the longer size of a carrot. Then broadcast the seed which is a local and common method. After broadcasting makes ridges and sizes and distances between beds and furrows should be the same just like a radish.
Fertilizer and irrigation
Fertilizer requirement is very less in carrot crops. It is suggested that apply the Urea or Nitrophos after twenty days of sowing. Nitrophos is more recommended than Urea, in which two active macronutrients are available at the same time. The irrigation schedule is the same as in radish. Do not give the water stress to crop and apply plenty amount of water for early one month and keep the soil in semi-wet condition for early 20 days. Then keep the irrigation schedule for 5-7 days of interval.
Plant protection
The major issue in root vegetables is weed due to rush vegetation. For this purpose, apply the Dual Gold or other suggested weedicide spray should apply just after seed sowing. It will be helpful for the crop to lower and control the weeds. In the normal season like in November and December, carrot crops did not face any pest and disease attack but fewer chances can happen in September when the relative temperature is higher during the day than the normal season. Attacks of fungal diseases can occur so it is suggested that apply the fungicides as per the condition.
Harvesting and yield
Carrot is a small durational crop of 90-100 days. Carrots are dug out with a spade and pulled out with the hand. Yield is less for crops of early-season which varies 200-250 kg per acre and December crops produce 10000-15000 kg per acre. The early crop has a higher price in the market but the late crop gives more production and less market price.
Note: it is a rough estimate that total expenditure for crop establishment including all expenditure ranges between 30-40 thousand rupees and profit margin ranges between 50,000-1000,000 rupees.
I hope you will be able to understand the production technology of carrots. Keep commenting and stay tuned!