How long does it take for carrots to be ready to harvest, and how do you prevent and control common pests and diseases?

Carrots, also known as red radish or gansun, are a commonly eaten vegetable in daily life and a biennial herbaceous plant cultivated throughout the country.So how long does it take for carrots to be ready to harvest? What are the common pests and diseases and their control methods?

1. How long does it take for carrots to be ready to harvest?

The carrot is a biennial plant, so its growth cycle from sowing to seed maturity takes 2 years; generally, it takes two years before it can be harvested. However, because of the development of cultivation techniques, through hybridization and improvement, the harvest period of many carrots has been shortened considerably, and the harvest period of each variety is different. A brief introduction is given below.

1. The hybrid variety Hongsen

Hongsen is a mid-to-late maturing carrot variety, cold-resistant, sweet and good in texture, and it can generally be harvested about 95 days after sowing.

2. Japanese hybrid carrot

This variety has strong cold resistance and can be sown in spring, summer and autumn; it can generally be harvested 110 days after sowing.

3. Super Red Core, Hanseong Six Inch, and Baoguan

These two varieties can both be harvested about 100 days after sowing, and the yield per mu can reach more than 5000 kg. Baoguan can be marketed about 70 days after sowing.

4. French Aya and Chunhong No. 2

These two varieties are both early-maturing carrot varieties that can be harvested in 90 days, and can be spring-sown in the unsuitable areas of our country.

5. Hongying No. 2

This variety can generally be harvested 95 days after sowing, and its ability to resist bolting is especially strong, making it suitable for film-covered sowing and close planting in early spring.

2. What are the common pests and diseases of carrots and their control methods?

Although the varieties now chosen for planting have relatively strong disease resistance, pests and diseases are still likely to occur if management is improper. The common pests and diseases in the carrot planting process and their control methods are introduced below.

1. Cutworm

The harm caused by the cutworm is generally its larvae gnawing on carrot seedlings, causing missing plants and broken rows.

Control method: if the number of insects is small, manual capture can be used; if the number is large, poisoned bait can be used to trap and kill them.

2. Seed maggot

The seed maggot harms the underground roots of carrots with its larvae, causing wounds on the carrots and thus making them susceptible to bacterial infection.

Control method: during the adult occurrence period, use 1 part sugar, 1 part vinegar and 2.50 parts water to make a sugar-vinegar solution and trap and kill them at noon on sunny days.

3. Aphid

Aphids are also common pests that harm carrot growth.

Control method: spray the affected plants with 5% abamectin and 10% imidacloprid 1500-fold solution; for more severely affected plants, remove and destroy them.

4. Black rot

The occurrence of black rot can easily cause damping-off of carrot seedlings before emergence or at the seedling stage, and death of mature plants, and under certain conditions it can also infect other healthy carrots.

Control method: in carrot-growing areas of North China, in early July, before or at the initial stage of disease occurrence, use 200 ml of the protective fungicide 40% chlorothalonil suspension per mu, spraying once every 7-10 days, for 3-4 consecutive applications, which can achieve a control effect with low input and high output.

5. Leaf spot

Leaf spot is also a major disease harming carrots; after it occurs, it not only affects growth but also causes reduced quality and yield of carrots.

Control method: treat the seeds before sowing, drain accumulated water from the field promptly after rain, pull out and remove diseased plants in time, and at the initial stage of disease, spray mancozeb wettable powder solution or Xinwansheng wettable powder solution, etc.

During the carrot planting process, pest and disease control should still focus mainly on prevention, and when using chemicals, those with low phytotoxicity should be given priority.