Differences between Spinach beet and Spinach Spinach beet/ Indian spinach/ beet leaf/desi palak Spinach/ Vilayati palak Scientific name: Beta vulgaris var. bengalensis Hort. Spinacea oleracea L. 2n= 18 2n= 12 Leaves with entire margins Leaves have lobed margins It produces bisexual (hermaphrodite) flowers It may produce staminate, pistillate and/or hermaphrodite flowers It tolerates high temperature and grows well in hot weather Its purely cool season crop & cannot tolerate high temp. In warm season it quickly tends to flower

Types of Spinach / Vilayti palak Smooth leaved Savoy leaved

Types of beet leaf/ Spinach beet/Indian spinach/ Desi Palak Green Veined- green mid ribs and leaf veins Red Veined- reddish midribs and leaf veins

Spinach beet is probably native of Indo- Chinese region Belongs to family Chenopodiaceae Cultivars developed All green Pusa palak Pusa Jyoti Pusa harit Jobner green HS-23 Palak No. 51-16 Banerjee’s Giant Pusa Bharti Pant Composite-1 Punjab selection Punjab green Arka Anupama

Nutrient value of spinach beet Rich source of vitaminA, ascorbic acid and iron 100g of leaves supply as much essential amino acids as 100g of any food like fish and meat. Consumption of palak at stage I and stage II potentially provides the greatest amount of minerals

Soil & climate Can be grown in any types of soils having sufficient fertility and proper drainage but the sandy loam soil is the best SPINACH BEET IS HIGHLY SALT TOLERANT VEGETABLE Normally grown during autumn and spring seasons in plains Can be cultivated through out the year in the regions where relatively mild climate prevails This crop can withstand frost and tolerate warm weather but high temperature leads to early bolting without giving sufficient cuttings Seed Rate 25-30kg/ha Sometimes before sowing, seeds are soaked in water overnight to hasten germination

Manuring and fertilization Sowing time In plains it is grown three times in a year Early spring In the beginning of rainy season As a main crop during September- November It can be grown throughout the year in the regions having suitable climate In hills: April- June There are two methods of sowing: Broad cast method Line sowing: in rows 20 cm apart Manuring and fertilization FYM: 25tonnes/ha N:P:K (kg/ha): 70:50:50 ( Full dose of P&K + half dose of N. Remaining half should be applied in two equal splits during weeding)

July-November, February-March July-October, February-April Himachal Pradesh: sowing time Irrigation For proper seed germination sufficient moisture is required. Light irrigation after sowing is desirable Frequent irrigation is required in light than heavy soils Spring crop requires irrigation after 6-7 days where as autumn winter crop requires irrigation at 10-15days interval Zone Time of sowing Low Hills July-November, February-March Mid Hills July-October, February-April High hills March-June

Harvesting, yield and storage Interculture 2-3 weedings cum hoeings are required Pre-emergence application of herbicides like Pyrazone @2.5kg/ha Harvesting, yield and storage Crop is ready for first cutting in about 3-4 weeks after sowing Susequent cuttings are done at 15-20 days interval Well grown succulent and tender leaves are cut Winter crop gives more cuttings than spring summer crop On an average palak gives 4-6 cuttings ( about 80-100q green/ha) Palak can be stored for about 10-14 days at low temperature(0ºC) and high relative humidity (90-95%)

Diseases and Insect -Pests Control Damping off Seed treatment with thiram, ceresan @2.5g/kg seed Leaf spot Spray Blitox@0.2% Insects Aphids & leaf eating caterpillars Spray Malathion 50EC@ 1.6-2ml/l

Spinach: Spinacea oleracea L Spinach: Spinacea oleracea L. Family: Chenopodiaceae 2n=12 Origin is South-West Asia It is herbaceous annual plant for leaf production and biennial for seed production Spinach is a rich source of vitamin A, iron and calcium and also contain appreciable quantity of ascorbic acid, riboflavin and small quantity of thiamine.

Rosa(1925) described 4 types of spinach plants with respect to sex expression i. Extreme males: These are smaller in size and bloom earlier than others. These are early bolters and do not produce seed. ii. Vegetative males: These are larger in size and do not produce seed iii. Female plants: These are larger in size and remain vegetative for longer period. Female plants bloom later in the season and all flower at the same time. They also produce seeds. iv. Monoecious plants: These plants may be predominantly staminate, predominantly pistillate or purely pistillate early but with some staminate flower later or almost equally staminate and pistillate flowers throughout the season and produce seed.

On the basis of leaf character they are divided into 2 types: smooth- leaved Savoy leaved On the basis of seed they are of two types: Round seeded Prickly seeded Popular cultivars in India: Early smooth leaf Virginia Savoy Long Standing

Soil requirement is same as that of beet leaf Optimum yield is harnessed when crop is raised at soil temperature of 20ºC Spinach is a long day crop Low temperature or cool night tends to make the plants more erect and causes savoying in savoy cultivars, whereas high temperature decreases it Low temperature is also responsible for profuse blooming and good green colour but high temperature causes yellowing of leaves Maximum yield is obtained under short day and moderate to warm temperature. Long days and warm weather are very favourable for quick bolting of the crop

Sowing time and seed rate Plains: September- October Hills: August-October Prickly seeded cultivars are best suited for the autumn winter crop in the hills Smooth seeded cultivars are suitable for spring- summer on the hills and autumn sowing in the plains 37-45kg/ha(high seed rate is required as 50% of the plants come out as male plants with poor growth and its not possible to remove male types except at seed stage Manuring and fertilization, interculture and irrigation : same as that of beet leaf

Harvesting, yield and storage The crop is ready for cutting about 4 weeks after sowing Harvesting is either done by hand or with a knife 3-4 cuttings can be taken in a season Like spinach beet harvesting of spinach is not done in morning hours as due to dew leaves are crisp and break easily Average yield id 50-60q/ha Crop can be stored at 0°C and 90-95% relative humidity for 10-14 days

Diseases and Insect -Pests Control Damping off/ root rot Seed treatment with thiram, ceresan @2.5g/kg seed White rust Spray DM-45@2.5g/l Downy mildew Leaf spot Spray Blitox@0.2% Insects Aphids & leaf eating caterpillars Spray Malathion 50EC@ 1.6-2ml/l