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SE PA | Full disclosure: I am a partner in Cover Crop Solutions that sells Tillage Radish.
Ed, thanks for digging that up! I would add a long-winded clarification since it was written over 3 years ago. A seed company can put any selection of seeds they want into a BRANDED product. It is incumbent on their reputation to put in consistent quality seeds in order to develop a trusted customer base. Once you have a variety, that seed is required to be the VARIETY claimed. Some companies are using the BRAND name "oilseed radish" on radish selections that are clearly a daikon type of radish. There are indeed some named oilseed radish VARIETIES- Colonel, Adagio, and Defender are 3. These historically have been directed to the "bio-fumigant" market. The effect that the current "cover crop" type radishes have in regards to biofumigation is under investigation and yet to be determined how bio-fumigant properties compare to named oilseed VARIETIES. These oilseed VARIETIES can have cover crop benefits but in research have not consistently shown corn and bean yield increases the following year as compared to radishes selected for cover cropping.
In answer to the question posted, it depends if it's a VARIETY of oilseed radish or a BRAND labeled as oilseed radish. That's why there is confusion in the marketplace yet today. The cover crop radish industry emerged as a whole new category that did not have definition of what qualifies for the various uses. And to answer the other side of the question, Tillage Radish originated as a BRAND out of the "forage radish" research conducted at the U of MD beginning in 2001. Tillage Radish has now received VARIETY status (patent pending) which defines the genetic traits designated to cover cropping. I know this is a loaded answer but it is complicated to explain. Regardless of what name you call a radish, the market will determine the cream that rises to the top. | |
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Tillage Radish vers Oil Seed Radish
