Smart Radish®

A biofumigant and cover crop, Smart Radish® when combined with other husbandry practices, has proven to help reduce and control the infection levels of clubroot and reduce the presence of nematodes in the soil. A cover crop that will increase soil quality by improving the biological, chemical and physical properties of the soil. Smart Radish® can be grazed or mulched into the soil after around three months of growth, or for increased soil structure benefits can be left to form a large tap root over a longer period.

The benefits of Smart Radish are significant! High in glucosinolates for warding off pest and disease, highly vegetative with a large green matter content above ground great for adding organic matter to the soil and building the microbiology of the soil. Attracts beneficial insects and can also be used as a forage for livestock. 

So how does it work? The control of some soil borne pathogens may be achieved by the use of decoy or catch crops. The host plant produces chemical compounds which stimulate the germination of resting spores of the pathogen. The host plant is resistant meaning that germinating spores (zoospores) are mobilised and then effectively starved to death resulting in a significant reduction of pathogenic spores.

Smart Radish® has been developed here in New Zealand through a collaboration between Plant Research NZ and Norwest Seeds and can be used on its own or in combination with other cover crop species.

North Island: You can sow slightly later (April–early May) due to milder winters.
South Island: Aim for March–April to allow enough establishment before cold sets in.