This document provides information on the production technology of spinach. It discusses the introduction, nutritive value, benefits, botany, climate requirements, cultivation practices including varieties, and diseases and pests of spinach. The key points covered are that spinach is a cool season crop rich in nutrients like iron and vitamins K and A. It details different spinach varieties including savoy, semi-savoy and smooth leaf types and their characteristics. The document also outlines the soil and climate preferences as well as cultivation practices for spinach.

1. Production technology of spinach
Vanisree Padmanabhan
2019534005

2. introduction
• Spinach or English Spinach or Vilayati Palak is the most
important pot herb or leafy vegetable grown in winter
season.
• The word spinach is derived from Spanish word Hispania.
• The shape of the leaves is quiet different from that of Palak.
• The edible parts consist of the compact rosette of leaves
prior to the elongation of central bud in flower stalk
formation.
• It is purely a cool season plant and is dioecious in nature.

3. Scientific classification

4. Nutritive value
• Nutritive value( per 100 g of edible portion)
• Spinach is one of the best natural food source of Lutein and
zeaxanthin helps in controlling age related macular degeneration.

5. contd.
• Spinach is one of the best natural food source of Lutein and
zeaxanthin helps in controlling age related macular
degeneration.
• The United States Department of Agriculture states that a
100 g (3.5 oz) serving of cooked spinach contains 3.57 mg of
iron.
• A quantity of 3.5 ounces of spinach contains over four times
the recommended daily intake of vitamin K.

6. Benefits of spinach

7. Difference between spinach and beet leaf
Beet leaf Spinach
• Chromosome No. 2n=18 • Chromosome No. 2n=12
• Known as Desi Palak • Known as Vilayati Palak
• Botanically called as Beta vulgaris • Botanically called as Spinacia
oleracea
• Tolerant to high temperature , grown
as warm season crop
• Cannot tolerant to high temperature,
grown as cool season crop.
• Its leaves are with entire margin • Its leaves are with lobed margin
• Plants are hermaphrodite in nature • Plants are dioecious in nature
• Seeds are monogerm. • Seeds are multigerm.

8. Botany
• It is a leafy herbaceous annual plant in the family
Amaranthaceae.
• The spinach plant has simple leaves which stem from the
center of the plant and measure about 2–30 cm long and 1 to
15 cm across.
• The leaves grow in a rosette and can appear crinkled or flat.
• The plant produces small yellow-green flowers which are 3–
4 mm in diameter.
• The flowers produce small fruit clusters which contain seeds.
• Spinach is an annual and survives only one growing season
and can reach 30 cm in height.

10. Sex forms of spinach
Extreme males:
• These produce only staminate flowers with minimum
foliage.
• Small with very little vegetative development and tend to
bolt quickly.
• This plant type flowers early and die soon after flowering.
Vegetative males:
• These produce only staminate flowers, more foliage and
flower later than extreme males.

11. Female plants:
• These produce only pistillate flowers and have well
developed foliage with very late tendency to flower.
• Gibberellic acid plays an important role in sex expression of
spinach.
• Female and vegetative male plants are preferred because
they are larger, slower bolting and high yielding.
• Pollination is mostly by wind.
• Fruits usually an achene, the fertilized ovary form a one
seeded fruit called utricle.
• Parthenocarpic fruits also occur in spinach.
Monoecious plant:
• These produce staminate and pistillate flowers, well
developed foliage and are slow to flower.

12. contd.
• Vegetative males and females are slower to flower and
produce considerably more foliage, making them the
preferred plants type for commercial cultivation.
• Dioecious plants are also reported.
• Extreme males produce flower stalks early, but they do not
bear any seed.
• Female and monoecious plants produce seeds.

13. Cultivars of spinach
Savoy Spinach
• It is very productive and handles cold better than most types
of spinach.
• It has deeply crinkled leaves.
Semi-Savoy Spinach
• It has more upright habit that makes mud splash less likely,
and the leaves aren’t as crinkly, so they’re easier to wash.
• Also tend to have better disease and bolt-resistance.
Smooth-Leafed Spinach
• It has smooth, flat leaves that are easier to clean, which
makes it the primary choice for processed spinach.

14. Savoy types
REGIMENT
• F1 Hybrid
• resists mildews
• produces high yields of
deep green leaves that stay
tender even when large.
BLOOMSDALE
• Thick-leafed, succulent
savoy spinach
• handles cold better than
most varieties.
• It produces high yields in
early summer, but has
limited bolt resistance.

15. Semi-savoy types
TYEE
• F1 Hybrid matures in 45 days
• resistant to Downey Mildew
races 1 and 3
• vigorous, upright growth, dark
green leaves, and bolt-
resistance.
• Can be grown all year in mild-
winter areas.
Catalina
• F1 Hybrid matures in 48 days
• It has thick, succulent, spear-
shaped leaves and moderate bolt
resistance.

16. TETON
• F1 Hybrid matures in 40-45
days
• resistant to races 1-4 of Downey
Mildew
• It has deep green oval leaves on
upright plants.
• Very slow to bolt.
INDIAN SUMMER
• F1 Hybrid, 40-45 days, is a fine,
productive,
• Can be grown under spring,
summer and fall seasons.
• Flattened, semi-savoy leaves are
almost like smooth leaf spinach.
Very slow to bolt.

17. Smooth leaved types
RED CARDINA
• It has red veins in the leaves
and deep red stems.
• Harvested as baby greens, they
make a beautiful addition to a
salad
• But they bolt faster and must be
harvested young.
SPACE
• F1 Hybrid
• resistant to races 1-3 of Downey
Mildew
• slower to bolt

18. Climate
• Spinach prefers a cool climate.
• The minimum temperature for seed germination is 2 ⁰C with a
maximum germination temperature of 30 ⁰ C and an optimum
range of 7 to 24 ⁰ C.
• Young plants can withstand temperatures as low as -9 ⁰ C.
• Best crop growth occurs at 15 to 20 ⁰ C with a minimum
temperature of 10 ⁰ C and a maximum of 32 ⁰ C.
SOIL
• Well drained sandy loams or loams well supplied with organic
matter and high in pH are preferred.
• Peat soils may also be used and produce the highest yields.

19. Season
• The crop is seeded in August and early September (up to 30-35
days before the first fall frost) for September and October harvest.
• This crop may also be overwintered if given protection.
• Spinach bolts rapidly when days are both long and hot.
• Plants reach market size in 40 to 70 days depending on the
temperature, moisture, fertility, etc.
• Spinach requires a regular supply of moisture since it is a shallow
rooted crop.

20. Crop establishment
Fresh seed will germinate readily at soil temperatures as low
as 3 to 4⁰C.
At higher temperatures there will be decreased percentage of
germination.
Spinach seeds more than a year old rarely germinates over
80%.
Older seed is even less viable and germinates more slowly and
irregularly.

21. PLANTING
• Seed rate of 13 to 17 kg of seed per hectare
• Sown at a depth of 0.5 to 1 cm a
• Spacing of 25 seeds per meter of row and rows spaced 18 to 60
cm apart.
• Seed may be broadcast where weed control is not a problem.
Seed treatment
• Germination of seed is enhanced by treating the seed with
sulphuric acid or bichromate mixture (Na + k).
Thinning
• After germination, thinning is done when plants attain 5cm
height to retain plants with a spacing of 10-12cm within each
row.

22. Manures
• 60:15:50kg NPK/ha gives 7,904kg of leaf yield.
• 85-112 kg N/ha as ammonium sulphate in split application
after each cutting.
MICRONUTRIENTS
• Zinc (500 and 1000 ppm) in combination with GA3
increased the fresh and dry weight of spinach. (Omran et
al,1973)
• Manganese and boron at 4.5 and 2.2 mg/sq.m, enhanced
ascorbic acid and carotene contents. (Hulwicz,1971)

23. Irrigation
• Irrigated at 10 to 15 days interval because this is a
shallow rooted crop.
• Ample soil moisture is important near harvest which
improves yield and quality of produce.
Weed control
• To keep the field free from weeds, hoeing is necessary.
Weeds can also be checked by the application of herbicides.
• Benthiocarb as pre-emergence and pendimethalin as post
emergence application.
• Broad – leaved weeds can be controlled by pendimethalin
applied at 2.2 kg/ha.

24. Harvesting
• First cutting can be taken about 4 weeks after sowing.
• It is possible to get 4-6 cuttings/season at 7-10 days
interval depending on variety and season.
• Harvesting is done in the evening because leaves become
crisp due to dew and easily break in the morning.
• Yield: 50-60 q/ha.
• Savoyed leaved cultivars were used for fresh markets and
the smoother leaved ones for processing.
• Smoother leaved cultivars are now used more for the
packaged spinach market as they are easier to wash and
present a quality product.

25. STORAGE
• Spinach has one of the highest respiration rates among fruits
and vegetables so cooling is critical.
• Forced air cooling and Vacuum cooling can be used .
• Spinach can be held 10 to 14 days at a temperature of 0⁰ C
and a relative humidity of 95% to 100%.

26. Diseases of spinach
Downy Mildew (fungus)
Symptom:
• Causes indefinite, yellowish areas on the upper leaf surface.
• On the lower surface a gray mold appears.
• Affected areas turn black and die.
• Disease develops best in cool, moist weather.
Control:
• Use tolerant cultivars.
• Practice 3 year crop rotations and hot water treat the seed.

27. White blisters
Symptom:
• Fungus causes white blister like circular or irregular pustules which
appear on the lower surface of the leaves
• Later opposite each pustule on the upper surface a yellow patch is
developed.
Control:
• Spray of copper fungicides and crop rotations, keeping the field free
from weeds.
• Flat or smooth leaf cultivars which are more resistant than the savoy
or crinkled leaf cultivars, may be grown.

28. Spinach Blight or Yellows (virus)
Symptom:
• Caused by cucumber mosaic virus and transmitted by aphids.
• Young inner leaves become mottled, later changing yellow and
finally they are killed.
• Older leaves gradually turn yellow.
• Symptoms develop much faster at higher temperatures.
Control:
• Grow resistant cultivars.

29. Pest of spinach
Leaf miner
• Eggs are laid on the undersides of leaves
• Newly hatched larvae burrow between the leaf surface
layers.
Control :
• Weed control and crop rotation are the first line of defense.
• Row covers can also be used to exclude flies.

30. Aphids
• Small soft bodied insects on underside of leaves and/or
stems of plant.
• Cause leaves to yellow and/or distorted, necrotic spots on
leaves.
• It secretes a sticky, sugary substance called honeydew which
encourages the growth of sooty mold on the plants.
Control:
• Reflective mulches such as silver colored plastic can deter
aphids from feeding on plants.
• Release 1st instar larvae of green lacewing bug (Chrysoperla
zastrowi sillemi) @ 4,000/acre.
• Spraying with tobacco decoction (1 Kg tobacco boiled in 10 l
of water for 30 minutes and making up to 30 l + 100 g soap).

31. Spinach crown mite (Rhizoglyphus spp.)
Symptoms
• Mites are tiny and transparent, living deep in the crown of
the spinach plant.
• Leaves deformed and small holes in newly expanding leaves;
Control :
• Destroy crop debris immediately after harvest.
• Application of appropriate acaricide may be required if mites
are damaging and weather conditions are cool and wet.