Oil radish, Kharkov region.

Radish is a fast-growing, deep-rooted oil radish that tolerates late sowing very well, used for green manure and as a fodder plant. Intensive growth of radish contributes to the rapid closing of crops.

Oil radish - early ripening, cold-resistant (withstands frosts down to minus 3°). It grows well on neutral and slightly acidic soils of any type, including drained peatlands and heavy loams. In addition, in terms of yield of green mass, oil radish more than doubles that of lupine,mustard white and rye. That's why it's an excellent cider.
It is sown in a continuous row method from early spring (as soon as the soil thaws) until autumn (including September) with a seeding rate of 300-500 grams/100 sq.m., and in mixed crops, the rate can be reduced by 50 to 70%. The optimal depth of planting seeds is 2-3 cm. A mandatory method is rolling the soil before and after sowing.

The peculiarity of sowing in August and September is that oil radish gives more leaves and they are larger than when grown in early summer, therefore the amount of green mass is greater and the siderate effect is better.
The seeds germinate on the 4-7th day, and after three weeks buds appear - this is the best time to mow the radish. The mass is left to dry for 4-6 days, then it is covered with soil. In total, it takes about 30-40 days from sowing to digging.
The mixed sowing of oil radish, vetch and buckwheat has proven itself well for obtaining a high yield of organic matter. The resulting organic mass is rich in carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and potassium. This is the best cider mixture for agriculture, indispensable for intermediate crops in crop rotations to enrich the soil with fresh organic matter.

It is also the case that oil radish is called "Biological plow", because after dying, a huge number of deep-penetrating roots remain in the soil, which form peculiar tubes-pores, which favorably affects the density of the soil in its water and air regime. And if you do not mow the late sowing of oil radish (sowing in late September - early October), leave it for the winter (the uncultivated remains will also retain snow well) and dig up this area in the spring, then you will notice how easily the bayonet of the shovel will penetrate the loose soil.
(//tractor-service.com)
When cultivating oil radish, weediness of the plot is reduced by more than half, including creeping rush. The number of soil-dwelling pests and pathogenic microorganisms, such as causative agents of root rot and nematodes, is reduced by 1.5-2 times. Groundwater pollution with nitrates is reduced 10 times, and hard-to-assimilate nutrients from soil minerals become available for vegetable crops. In addition, the structure of the soil improves and its reaction (pH) is normalized.
In addition, the green mass, when embedded in the soil, deacidifies it, acting like adding lime, as it has an alkaline content of cell juice.
The underground part of plants has the ability to absorb nitrogen from the air, like clover and lupine. Root secretions dissolve mineral inclusions in the soil and transfer trace elements, phosphorus and potassium into a form available for subsequent crops.
Decomposing cruciferous biomass releases substances into the soil that inhibit and suppress the growth and development of weed plants. Saprophytic microflora rapidly develops on a substrate rich in organic matter, which displaces pathogens of vegetable crops from the soil (except for cruciferous vegetables:cabbage radish, etc.).
After harvesting the green mass, plant growth and development stimulators from the class of brassinosteroids remain in the soil together with the harvest residues, which increase the yield and improve the quality of the commercial production of subsequent crops.
The honey-like qualities of oil radish are also well-recognized. Their main advantage is the release of nectar on days even with cold nights. On average, nectar contains 120-180 kg/ha of sugars. Cross-flowered crops provide honey collection in early spring (winter species) and in the second half of summer (spring species), when other honey bears have already bloomed. Honey crystallizes, so it is taken out of hives for the winter.

Description of oil radish:
Oil radish is a long-day plant, early-ripening, cold-resistant, characterized by intensive growth. Seeds begin to germinate at a temperature of 2-3°С, the friendly emergence of seedlings is noted at 7-8°С. Seedlings tolerate frosts up to -3, -4°С, and adult plants tolerate lower temperatures without stopping vegetation.
Oil radish is relatively undemanding to soils. The plant easily adapts to various soil and climatic conditions, grows well on almost any soil (clay, sandy, etc.). Tolerates slight acidity. Oil radish is not afraid of drought, long-term rain, or autumn snowfalls. It responds well to organic and mineral fertilizersудобрения. 100 kg of green mass contains 140-150 calories. and up to 2.5 kg of raw protein.
The root is rod, thickened in the upper part, branched. Stems are straight, branched, strongly receding, green, sometimes with anthocyanin, pubescent, height up to 120 cm. Leaves pinnate, lyre-shaped, green, sometimes with anthocyanin shade, strongly pubescent. Inflorescence is a loose brush. The flowers are small. The color of the corollas is diverse, with different shades: white, light lilac, pale violet, pinkish. Stretched flowering. The fruit is a pod: cylindrical, elongated-oval, pointed, with thickened walls, filled with parenchymal tissue. The seeds are round-oval, reddish. Weight of 1000 seeds 8-12 years.