Spinacia Oleracea: Spinach

Spinach
Spinacia oleracea
Classification
• English Name:
Spinach
• Botanical Name:
Spinacia oleracea
• Family:
Chenopodiaceae
Origin
• Spinach is thought to have originated in
ancient Persia (modern Iran and neighboring
countries).
• Arab traders carried spinach into India, and
then the plant was introduced into ancient
China, where it was known as "Persian
vegetable“ .
• The earliest available record of the spinach
plant was recorded in Chinese, stating it was
introduced into China via Nepal.
Area and production in the World
Top Producing Countries

China, USA, Japan, Turkey, Indonesia, France, Pakistan, Italy,
Republic of Korea, Belgium, Iran
Nutritional value per 100 g
• Energy 97 kJ (23 kcal)
• Carbohydrates 3.6 g
• Sugars 0.4 g
• Dietary fiber 2.2 g
• Fat 0.4 g
• Protein 2.2 g
• Vitamin A 9400 IU
• Beta-carotene 5626 μg (52%)
• Lutein and zeaxanthin 12198 μg
• Folate (vit. B9) 194 μg (49%)
• Vitamin C 28 mg (34%)
• Vitamin E 2 mg (13%)
• Vitamin K 483 μg (460%)
• Calcium 99 mg (10%)
• Iron 2.7 mg (21%)
Plant Description
• Leafy vegetable with high amount of mineral and
vitamins.
• Annual plant and cool season vegetable.
• Usually it is dioecious.
• There are almost 4 type of plants.
• Extreme males
• Vegetative males
• Females
• Monoecious
• Experiments proved that temperature altered its
photoperiodic response.
Soil Requirement
• Spinach can be grown successfully on a variety of soils,
but a fertile sandy loam high in organic matter is preferred.
• The use of cover crops and green manure crops is
recommended to maintain the soil organic matter.
• The soil pH should range between 6.4 to 6.8.
• Spinach is very sensitive to acid soils, thus a soil test prior
to planting this crop should be made.
• Low germination, yellowing and browning of margins and
tips of seedling leaves, browning of roots, general slow
growth and even death of plants, may indicate that the soil
is too acid.
• If the pH is too high, leaves may have a yellow colour
referred to as chlorosis
Land Preparation
• A well-prepared seedbed that is free of large clods
permits precision planting with rapid and uniform
emergence of spinach seedlings.
• Uniform depth of seeding is critical when using pre-plant-
incorporated herbicides because if spinach seeds are
planted too deeply, seedlings may be killed by herbicide.
• Well-prepared seedbeds also permit proper and accurate
incorporation of pre-plant-incorporated herbicides,
leading to improved weed control and reduced
phytotoxicity to seedlings.
• In situations where cultivation can be used, uniform beds
with level bed tops are essential.
Irrigation
• Spinach requires abundant moisture to insure a
high quality product.
• An application of one inch of water every
seven to ten days, when rainfall is inadequate,
is recommended.
• Keep soil moist until seedlings have emerged.
Time of Sowing
• Winter spinach is best when sown in August.
• Summer spinach can be started in February and needs lot of
water.
Seed Rate:
• Around 10-12 kg seed per acre is recommended.
• Seeds are broadcasted on the flat beds or in ridges and are
mixed with fully prepared soil sans pressed with some hard
material immediately after sowing seed, irrigation water is
applied.
• Spacing:
– R-R distance 25 cm.
– B-B distance 60-75 cm.
– P-P distance 12-15 cm.
Fertilizer Requirement
• Spinach requires a high level of fertility, especially nitrogen.
• Early spring spinach may require larger quantities of fertilizer
than fall crops.
• Per acre requirements on sands and sandy loams are
 40 to 80 kg N
 35 to 40 kg P2O5
 40 to 60 kg K2O.
 On heavier clay soils, 25 kg/acre of each nutrient should be
adequate.
• Fertilizer is often broadcast and worked into the soil prior to
seeding.
• If the fertilizer is banded at seeding, it should be placed along
each side of the rows 2 to 3 inches below the level of the seed .
Weed Control
• A healthy, vigorous crop provides substantial
competition that suppresses weed growth and
acts as part of the weed control programme.
• Therefore, proper fertilization, irrigation, and
insect and disease control measures promote
good crop growth and compliment other weed
control measures.
• Hand hoeing can be used at small scale but
proper weedicides should be used at
commercial scale production.
Marketing and storage
• Spinach is sold loose, in pre-packaged bags, or
frozen.
• Fresh spinach loses much of its nutritional value
with storage of more than a few days.
• While refrigeration slows this effect to about
eight days, spinach will lose most of its folate and
carotenoid content, so for longer storage it is
frozen, cooked and frozen, or canned.
• Storage in the freezer can be for up to eight
months.
Harvesting
• The crop is ready for cutting with in six to
eight weeks after sowing.
• The cutting is done 2cm above the ground
level when plants have put five to six leaves.
• New foliage is cut later with three to four
cuttings.
• Yield:
• 8000 kg per acre.
Varieties
• Desi and Candiari
• Local Sindhi
• Prickly heat
Health Benefits
• Spinach is reported to have anti aging properties, anti-cancer
effects, reducing the risk of cardiac disorders, muscular
degeneration and vision-related discrepancies.
• It helps regulating blood pressure and cerebral health.
• It is also reported to improve the brain functioning.
• It proves to be an efficient remedy for constipation, anemia,
acidosis, night blindness, tooth and respiratory disorders.
• It smoothes the functioning of digestive system.
• Presence of vitamin A aids in combating night blindness.
• Calcium contents of spinach help to strengthen the bones
especially teeth.
• It efficiently reduces the respiration related problems and
diseases like tuberculosis, bronchitis, asthma and cough.
Spinach Disease
• Spinach leaf spot

• Downy mildew
• Anthracnose
• Spinach curly top virus
leaf Spot
• It occurs in very moist conditions.
• Seed born disease.
• Leaf spots begin as very small circular spots but under
conducive environmental conditions, spots expand.
They become tan colored.
• Control:
• Incorporate all residue into the soil since sexual spores
of the fungus will not develop on buried residue.
• Use only clean seed.
• Chemical fungicides applied preventively may
minimize disease development
Downy mildew
• The pathogen causes lesions on cotyledons and leaves that are
initially light green to yellow then turn brighter yellow.
• In the early morning when substantial dew is present or when
moisture remains on leaves after rainfall or irrigation, the
pathogen produces a blue-gray growth on the bottom of the
leaves.
• Because of the layered growth habit of spinach and the density of
plants in most fields, conditions may remain conducive for
disease development.
• Lesions appear as dead necrotic areas on the leaves
• Control:
• Crop rotation.
• In case of severity, different foliar fungicides could also be used.
Anthracnose
• Early symptoms of anthracnose are small lesions and necrotic
areas on leaves.
• These necrotic areas become large at later stages of
development.
• Spores spread by wind and splashing water.
• The pathogen may be seed borne.
• Control:
• Anthracnose of spinach is difficult to control.
• Use of tolerant cultivars is recommended.
• Use of copper hydroxide proved to be helpful in controlling
this disease.
Curly top disease
• Curly top disease in spinach causes extremely curled
leaves in the center of the plant.
• Infected plants are stunted and chlorotic and do not
recover.
• Spinach is probably infected when planted in the early
fall as leafhoppers move from over-summering weeds.
• Control:
• Weed should be removed around fields.
• Roughing out diseased plants.
• Use of resistant cultivars is recommended control.
Insects
• Leaf catter pillars
• Spinach aphids
• Beat leaf minor
Leaf catter pillars
• Young catter pillars feed on underside of the
leaves resulting in piercing of leaves.
• Adults feed singly.
• Infected leaves have torn edges and reduce
market value.
• Control:
• Spray malathion at recommended rates.
Spinach aphids
• Infestation is evident by the black colour of the
leaves.
• Surface of leaves appear greasy because of the honey
dew secreted by the aphids.
• The aphid suck the sap of the plant hence weaken the
host plant.
• Control:
• Spray of proper insecticide is recommended.
• Removal of infected debris from the field is
necessary.

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Spinach

Top Producing Countries

• Spinach leaf spot

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