Human use

Pliny the Elder considered the turnip one of the most important vegetables of his day, rating it directly after cereals or at all events after the bean, since its utility surpasses that of any other plant. Pliny praised it as a source of fodder for farm animals, noting that this vegetable is not particular about the type of soil it grows in and that because it can be left in the ground until the next harvest it prevents the effects of famine for humans (N.H. 18.34).