Tillage radish
Tillage radish is a deep-rooting plant that extracts nutrients from deep in the profile and helps open channels in the soil for subsequent crops.
Tillage radish cover crops improve water movement and drainage and increase airflow through the soil.
- Tillage radish sowing rate: 4-6 kg/ha
- Sowing time: Sow Tillage radish seed from mid-July up until 15 September if sowing for ACRES
- Frost tolerance: Poor – frost will help decay Tillage radish and thus avoid the requirement for chemical spray
- Biomass: Will generate large biomass quickly
- Pests & diseases: Generally not a problem, but clubroot could become an issue if brassicas are used as a catch crop over a period of years.
ACRES requirements
- The following table presents the full list of prescribed catch crops permitted by the ACRES scheme.
- For ACRES, a mixture of at least two crops from the prescribed list must be sowing.
- Tillage radish cover crops must remain in situ until after 1 January.
| Brassica | Legume | Cereal | Other |
| Forage rape
4-5 kg/ha |
Crimson clover
10-15 kg/ha |
Rye
65-75 kg/ha |
Phacelia
4-5 kg/ha |
| Leafy turnip
4-6 kg/ha |
Berseem clover
10-15 kg/ha |
Oats
60-75 kg/ha |
Buckwheat
30-40 kg/ha |
| Tillage radish
4-6 kg/ha |
Vetch
15 kg/ha |
Black oats
30-40 kg/ha |
Sunflowers
10-15 kg/ha |
| Mustard
8-10 kg/ha |
Peas
40-50 kg/ha |
Linseed
15 kg/ha |
|
| Beans
70-90 kg/ha |
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| Red clover
8-10 kg/ha |
Ask an expert
Please ask an expert if you would like any advice about the optimal Tillage radish seeding rate or any other catch crops.