Difference between revisions of "Carrot"

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{{Taxobox
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{{SPlantbox
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| color = lightgreen
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|familia=Apiaceae
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| name = Carrot
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|genus=Daucus
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| image = Carrot.jpg
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|species=carota
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| image_width = 240px
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|common_name=Carrot
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| image_caption = Harvested carrots
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|habit=herbaceous
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| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
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|Min ht metric=cm
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| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
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|lifespan=biennial
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| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
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|exposure=sun
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| ordo = [[Apiales]]
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|water=moderate
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| familia = [[Apiaceae]]
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|features=edible
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| genus = ''[[Daucus]]''
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|Temp Metric=°F
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| species = '''''D. carota'''''
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|min_zone=1
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| binomial = ''Daucus carota''
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|max_zone=11
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| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
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|image=Carrot.jpg
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|image_width=240
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|image_caption=Harvested carrots
 
}}
 
}}
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{{nutritionalvalue | name=Carrot, raw | kJ=173 | protein=1 g | carbs=9 g | sugars=5 g| fiber=3 g | fat=0.2 g | vitA_mg=12 | thiamin_mg=0.04 | riboflavin_mg=0.05 | vitB6_mg=0.1 | vitC_mg=7 | niacin_mg=1.2 | iron_mg=0.66 | calcium_mg=33 | magnesium_mg=18 | phosphorus_mg=35 | potassium_mg=240 | sodium_mg=2.4 | right=1 }}
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CARROT (Daucus Carota, Linn.). Garden vegetable, grown for its elongated subterranean crown-tuber.
  
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A '''Carrot''', '''Devil's Plague''' or '''Bird's Nest Plant '''(''Daucus carota'') is a [[root vegetable]], usually orange or white in color with a woody texture. The edible part of a carrot is a [[taproot]]. It is a [[biennial plant]] which grows a rosette of leaves in the spring and summer while building up the stout taproot, which stores large amounts of sugars for the [[plant]] to flower in the second year. The flowering  stem grows to about 1 m tall, with [[umbel]]s of white flowers.
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The carrot is native of Europe and Asia, and one of the introduced weeds of eastern North America. The carrot is now very generally, though not extensively, cultivated everywhere, both for culinary purposes and for stock-feeding. It is sometimes forced under glass, but to no great extent.
  
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==Uses==
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==Cultivation==
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Carrots can be eaten raw, whole, chopped, grated into [[salad]]s for color or texture, and are also often chopped and boiled, fried or steamed, and cooked in [[soup]]s and [[stew]]s. A well known dish is ''Carrots [[Julienning|Julienne]]''. Grated carrots are used in [[carrot cake]]s and [[carrot pudding]]s. The greens are edible as a [[leaf vegetable]], but are rarely eaten. Together with [[onion]] and [[celery]], carrots are one of the primary vegetables used in a ''[[mirepoix (cuisine)|mirepoix]]'' to make various [[broth]]s.
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The carrot is hardy and may be planted as soon as the ground is in fit condition to be properly prepared for seeding. It is a [[biennial]] plant, but grown as an [[annual]]. When grown as a market-garden or truck crop, this early seeding is essential to maximum returns. The best soil for carrots is a medium to light loam, rich, friable and comparatively free from weeds. As the seed is slow to germinate, it is a good plan to sow some quick-germinating seed with the carrot seed so that the rows may be noticed in time to keep them ahead of weed growth. Lettuce serves well for this purpose. When the carrots are thinned, this lettuce is pulled out. The carrot seed is best sown in rows 12 to 15 inches apart, using enough seed to produce a plant every inch or two along the row. When the carrots are 3 to 5 inches high, they should be thinned to stand 3 inches apart in the row. The only further culture necessary is frequent tillage to conserve soil-moisture and to prevent weed growth. The early crop should be ready to pull and bunch for sale seventy-five days after sowing. Early carrots are an important crop on the market-garden and truck-farm. They are pulled as soon as they have attained sufficient size and tied into bunches of three, six or seven roots, according to the size of the roots and the market demands. The earlier the crop and the more active the demand, the smaller the roots which may be salable. A later sowing is made for the main or winter crop or for livestock. This may be from four to six weeks after the first sowing. The crop is handled in the same manner as the early crop except that it is allowed to continue growth as long as the weather is suitable. It is then pulled, the tops cut from the roots and the roots placed in frost-proof storage for winter sale.
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[[Image:Carrot flowers.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Carrot Flowers]]
 
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Since the late 1980s, [[Baby Carrot|baby carrots]] or mini carrots, carrots that have been peeled and cut into uniform cylinders, have been a popular ready-to-eat [[snack]] food in many [[supermarket]]s.
 
  
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[[Carotene|β-carotene]], a [[dimer]] of [[Vitamin A]], is abundant in the carrot and gives this vegetable its characteristic orange color. Furthermore, carrots are rich in [[dietary fiber]], [[antioxidant]]s, and [[dietary mineral|minerals]].
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The carrot may be successfully forced under glass and is grown in this way to a limited extent. The small early varieties are used, such as French Forcing. Early Parisian, Early Scarlet Horn and Golden Ball. These will usually be grown as a catch-crop between tomatoes or cucumbers. When grown in this way, the carrot is one of the most delicious of all vegetables, and deserves much wider popularity. See Forcing.
  
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[[Carrot juice]] is also widely marketed.
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The field cultivation of carrots for live-stock differs little from the garden or horticultural treatment except that earliness is not desired, and the longer-rooted later- maturing kinds are mostly used; and less intensive cultivation is employed.
  
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[[Ethnomedical]]ly, the roots are used to treat digestive problems, intestinal [[parasite]]s, and [[tonsilitis]].
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===Propagation===
 +
Seed.
  
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==History==
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===Pests and diseases===
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The wild ancestors of the carrot are likely to have come from [[Afghanistan]], which remains the center of diversity of ''D. carota''. The familiar wild plant [[wild carrot]], sometimes called [[Queen Anne's lace]], is the same species as the garden carrot (which was bred from it); garden carrots that run to seed soon revert to their wild prototype, with a forking carroty-smelling, edible root that quickly becomes too woody and bitter to eat.
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{{edit-pests}}<!--- Type pest/disease info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
  
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In early use, carrots were grown for their aromatic leaves and seeds, not their roots. The first mention of the root in classical sources is in the 1st century CE. The modern carrot appears to have been introduced to Europe in the 8-10th centuries; [[Ibn al-Awam]], in [[Andalusia]], describes both 'red' and 'yellow' carrots; [[Simeon Seth]] also mentions both colors in the 11th century. Orange-colored carrots appear in the [[Netherlands]] in the 17th century.<ref>[[Oxford Companion to Food]]; Andrew Dalby, Siren Feasts: A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece, Routledge, 1996. ISBN 0-415-11620-1, p. 182; Andrew Dalby, ''Food in the Ancient World from A-Z'', 2003, ISBN 0-415-23259-7, p. 75</ref>
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==Varieties==
 +
There are several distinct market types of carrots, the variation being chiefly with respect to size and shape. The smaller varieties, as they mature more quickly, are used to some extent for the early bunching, while the larger kinds are always more popular in the general market.
  
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The [[parsnip]] is a close relative of the carrot.
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The varieties of carrots differ chiefly in respect to size and grain, with differences in earliness closely correlated. The following are now favorite varieties{{SCH}}:
  
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==Cultivars==
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*French Forcing (Earliest Short Horn).—One of the smallest and earliest; root small, almost globular, orange-red.
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[[Image:CarrotDiversityLg.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Carrots come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes]]
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*Oxheart or Guerande.—Small to medium in size; root 2 to 4 inches long, growing to a blunt point, of good quality and popular in some sections for an early bunch carrot.
 +
*Chantenay.—Large to medium in size; root 3 to 5 inches long, more tapering than Oxheart; of good quality and a better carrot for the bunched crop than the above.
 +
*Danvers Half-Long.—Six to 8 inches long, 2 to 3 inches in diameter, at top tapering to a blunt point; the most popular garden carrot grown.
 +
*True Danvers.—A long carrot, 8 to 12 inches; tapering to a slender point like a parsnip; grown more for live-stock or exhibition purposes. The Half-Long has largely displaced it as a market sort chiefly because of the greater ease with which the latter strain it harvested.
 +
*Half-Long Scarlet.—Top small, roots medium size, cylindrical, pointed; much used for bunching.
 +
*Early Scarlet Horn.—Top small, roots half-long somewhat oval, smooth, fine grain and flavor; a favorite garden sort.
 +
*Large White Belgian.—Of much larger size than the above-named varieties, of less delicate flavor and coarser texture; a popular variety for live-stock.
  
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Carrot [[cultivar]]s can be grouped into two broad classes: '''eastern carrots''' and '''western carrots'''. More recently, a number of novelty cultivars have been bred for particular characteristics.
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The variation in the different strains of carrot seed is marked and it is important to secure seed from carefully selected roots true to shape and color. Carrot seed may be produced in any location in which the crop of roots is grown successfully.
  
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===E
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==Gallery==
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astern carrots===
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{{photo-sources}}<!-- remove this line if there are already 3 or more photos in the gallery  -->
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Eastern carrots were domesticated in Central Asia, probably in modern-day Afghanistan in the [[10th century]] or possibly earlier. Those of the eastern carrot that survive to the present day are commonly purple or yellow in color, and often have branched roots. The purple color common in these carrots comes from [[anthocyanin]] pigments.
 
  
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===Western carrots===
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<gallery>
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[[Image:ThreeRootCarrot.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Carrots with multiple taproots (forks) are not specific cultivars, but are a byproduct of damage to earlier forks, often associated with rocky soil.]]
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Image:CarrotDiversityLg.jpg| Carrots come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes
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The Western carrot emerged in the [[Netherlands]] in the [[15th century|15th]] or [[16th century]], its orange color making it popular in those countries as an emblem of the [[House of Orange]] and the struggle for [[Dutch independence]]. The orange color results from abundant [[carotene]]s in these cultivars. While orange carrots are nearly ubiquitous in the West, other colors do exist, including white, yellow, red, and purple. These other colors of carrot are raised primarily as novelty crops.
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Image:ThreeRootCarrot.jpg| Carrots with multiple taproots (forks) are not specific cultivars, but are a byproduct of damage to earlier forks, often associated with rocky soil.
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Image:Carrots of many colors.jpg| Carrots [[artificial selection|selectively bred]] to produce different colors
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The Vegetable Improvement Center at [[Texas A&M University]] has developed a purple-skinned, orange-fleshed carrot, the ''BetaSweet'' (also known as the Maroon Carrot), with substances to prevent [[cancer]], which has recently entered commercial distribution.
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</gallery>
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Western carrot cultivars are commonly classified by their root shape:
 
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* 'Imperator' carrots are the carrots most commonly sold whole in U.S. supermarkets; their roots are longer than other cultivars of carrot, and taper to a point at the tip.
 
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* 'Nantes' carrots are nearly [[cylinder (geometry)|cylindrical]] in shape, and are blunt and rounded at both the top and tip. Nantes cultivars are often sweeter than other carrots.
 
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* 'Danvers' carrots have a [[cone (geometry)|conical]] shape, having well-defined shoulders and tapering to a point at the tip. They are somewhat shorter than Imperator cultivars, but more tolerant of heavy soil. Danvers cultivars are often pureed as [[baby food]].
 
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* 'Chantenay' carrots are shorter than other cultivars, but have greater girth, sometimes growing up to 8 cm (3 inches) in diameter. Shapewise, they have broad shoulders and taper towards a blunt, rounded tip. They are most commonly diced for use in [[canning|canned]] or prepared foods.
 
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While any carrot can be harvested before reaching its full size as a more tender "baby" carrot, some fast-maturing cultivars have been bred to produce smaller roots. The most extreme examples produce round roots about 2.5 cm (1 inch) in diameter. These small cultivars are also more tolerant of heavy or stony soil than long-rooted cultivars such as 'Nantes' or 'Imperator'. The "baby carrots" sold ready-to-eat in supermarkets, are however often not from a smaller cultivar of carrot, but are simply full-sized carrots that have been sliced and peeled to make carrot sticks of a uniform shape and size.
 
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Carrot flowers are pollinated primarily by [[bee]]s. Seed growers use [[honeybee]]s or [[mason bee]]s for their [[Pollination management|pollination needs]].
 
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Carrots are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species including [[Common Swift (moth)|Common Swift]], [[Garden Dart]], [[Ghost Moth]], [[Large Yellow Underwing]] and [[Setaceous Hebrew Character]].
 
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===Novelty carrots===
 
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[[Image:Carrots of many colors.jpg|thumb|right|185px|Carrots [[artificial selection|selectively bred]] to produce different colors]]
 
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Food enthusiasts and researchers have obtained other varieties of carrots through traditional breeding methods. One particular species lacks the usual orange pigment from carotenes, owing its white color to a recessive gene for [[tocopherol]] (Vitamin E).
 
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Derived from ''Daucus carota L.'' and patented (US patent #6,437,222) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the variety is intended to supplement dietary intake of Vitamin E.
 
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==Trivia==
 
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* In 2005, a poll of 2,000 people revealed that the carrot was [[United Kingdom|Britain's]] third favourite culinary vegetable.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/britain
 
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/article/0,,1489887,00.html | title = Onions come top for British palates | work = Guardian Unlimited | publisher = Guardian Newspapers Limited | author = Martin Wainwright }}</ref>
 
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* Carrots are noted in popular culture for being the favorite food of [[rabbit]]s, and are also associated with fictional rabbits such as [[Bugs Bunny]]. However, rabbits finding carrots in a garden are more likely to eat the exposed greens than to dig up the root.
 
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* For the purposes of the [[European Union]]'s ''"Council Directive 2001/113/EC of 20 December 2001 relating to fruit jams, jellies and marmalades and sweetened chestnut purée intended for human consumption"'' carrots can be defined as a fruit as well as a vegetable. This is because carrot [[jam]] is a [[Portugal|Portuguese]] delicacy.
 
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* A common [[urban legend]] is that carrots aid a human being's [[night vision]]. It is believed that [[disinformation]] introduced in [[1940]] by [[John Cunningham (RAF officer)|John "Cat's Eyes" Cunningham]] during the [[Battle of Britain]] was an attempt to cover up the discovery and use of [[radar]] technologies <ref>{{snopes | link = http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/carrots.asp | title = Carrots }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s1392430.htm | title = Carrots & Night Vision | work = Great Moments in Science | publisher = ABC | author = Karl S. Kruszelnicki }}</ref>. It reinforced existing [[Germany|German]] [[folklore]] and helped to encourage children to eat the vegetable. Lack of Vitamin A can, however, cause poor vision and can be restored by adding Vitamin A back into the diet.
 
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* The world's largest carrot was grown in [[Palmer, Alaska]], by John Evans in 1998, weighing 8.614 kg (18.99 pounds).
 
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* The world's largest carrot statue is located in [[Ohakune]], [[New Zealand]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ohakune.info/carrot.html | title = Ohakune - Carrot Capital | work = Ruapehu Bulletin | publisher = Ruapehu Bulletin | author = staff }}</ref>
 
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* Carrots are traditionally used as noses when building [[snowman|snowmen]].
 
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* The comedian and entertainer "[[Carrot Top]]" is named after a carrot because of his bright orange hair.
 
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* [[Susan Dey]], of [[Partridge Family]] fame, was said to have eaten so many carrots during her bout with [[anorexia nervosa|anorexia]] and [[bulimia]] that her skin literally was tinged with orange - a condition called [[carotenosis]]. <ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.allamericanspeakers.com/newspeakerbio/1533/index.php | title = Susan Dey | work = unknown | publisher = All American Speakers | author = unknown }}</ref>
 
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* [[Holtville, California]] holds an annual festival devoted entirely to the carrot.
 
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==See also==
 
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{{Commons|Daucus carota}}
 
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* [[List of carrot diseases]]
 
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* [[Arracacha]]
 
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* [[Parsnip]]
 
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* [[Skirret]]
 
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* [[Falcarinol]]
 
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* [[Carrot fly]]
 
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* [[Gezer]] (Hebrew for carrot)
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
−
{{reflist}}
+
<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
 +
<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
 +
<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
−
{{cookbook}}
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*{{wplink}}
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* {{cite web
 
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| url = http://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=21
 
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| title = Carrots
 
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| work = The World's Healthiest Foods
 
−
}}
 
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* [http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Daucus+carota+sativus ''Daucus carota sativus''] - Plants For a Future database entry
 
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* [http://www.ars.usda.gov/pandp/people/people.htm?personid=5186 Carrot and Garlic Genetics] - diverse information on carrots, with links to more (USDA)
 
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* [http://growingtaste.com/vegetables/carrot.shtml Carrots] - selecting cultivars best suited for home gardening, with growing information
 
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* {{cite web
 
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| url = http://vic.tamu.edu/main/VFICIndex/Web%20pages/f&vresearchpgs/betasweetnews/newmightmaroon.htm
 
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| title = ''BetaSweet'' purple carrot
 
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| publisher = Texas A&M
 
−
}}
 
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* [http://www.accidentalhedonist.com/index.php/2007/02/13/carrot_tips_and_hints Carrot Cooking and purchasing tips]
 
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* {{dmoz|Home/Cooking/Fruits_and_Vegetables/Carrots/|Recipes with carrots}}
 
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* [http://www.carrotmuseum.com World Carrot Museum]
 
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* {{cite web
 
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| url = http://www.nsac.ns.ca/pas/instind/pcrp/index.htm
 
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| title = Processing Carrot Research Program
 
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| publisher = Nova Scotia Agricultural College
 
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}}
 
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* {{cite web
 
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| url = http://nutrition.about.com/od/fruitsandvegetables/p/Carrots.htm
 
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| title = Carrots - Nutrional Information
 
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| publisher = About.com
 
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}}
 
  
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[[Category:Apiaceae]]
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__NOTOC__
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[[Category:Root vegetables]]
 
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[[Category:Plants and pollinators]]
 

Latest revision as of 17:32, 1 November 2009


Harvested carrots


Plant Characteristics
Habit   herbaceous

Lifespan: ⌛ biennial
Cultivation
Exposure: ☼ sun
Water: ◍ moderate
Features: ✓ edible
USDA Zones: 1 to 11
Scientific Names

Apiaceae >

Daucus >

carota >


CARROT (Daucus Carota, Linn.). Garden vegetable, grown for its elongated subterranean crown-tuber.

The carrot is native of Europe and Asia, and one of the introduced weeds of eastern North America. The carrot is now very generally, though not extensively, cultivated everywhere, both for culinary purposes and for stock-feeding. It is sometimes forced under glass, but to no great extent.

Cultivation

The carrot is hardy and may be planted as soon as the ground is in fit condition to be properly prepared for seeding. It is a biennial plant, but grown as an annual. When grown as a market-garden or truck crop, this early seeding is essential to maximum returns. The best soil for carrots is a medium to light loam, rich, friable and comparatively free from weeds. As the seed is slow to germinate, it is a good plan to sow some quick-germinating seed with the carrot seed so that the rows may be noticed in time to keep them ahead of weed growth. Lettuce serves well for this purpose. When the carrots are thinned, this lettuce is pulled out. The carrot seed is best sown in rows 12 to 15 inches apart, using enough seed to produce a plant every inch or two along the row. When the carrots are 3 to 5 inches high, they should be thinned to stand 3 inches apart in the row. The only further culture necessary is frequent tillage to conserve soil-moisture and to prevent weed growth. The early crop should be ready to pull and bunch for sale seventy-five days after sowing. Early carrots are an important crop on the market-garden and truck-farm. They are pulled as soon as they have attained sufficient size and tied into bunches of three, six or seven roots, according to the size of the roots and the market demands. The earlier the crop and the more active the demand, the smaller the roots which may be salable. A later sowing is made for the main or winter crop or for livestock. This may be from four to six weeks after the first sowing. The crop is handled in the same manner as the early crop except that it is allowed to continue growth as long as the weather is suitable. It is then pulled, the tops cut from the roots and the roots placed in frost-proof storage for winter sale.

The carrot may be successfully forced under glass and is grown in this way to a limited extent. The small early varieties are used, such as French Forcing. Early Parisian, Early Scarlet Horn and Golden Ball. These will usually be grown as a catch-crop between tomatoes or cucumbers. When grown in this way, the carrot is one of the most delicious of all vegetables, and deserves much wider popularity. See Forcing.

The field cultivation of carrots for live-stock differs little from the garden or horticultural treatment except that earliness is not desired, and the longer-rooted later- maturing kinds are mostly used; and less intensive cultivation is employed.

Propagation

Seed.

Pests and diseases

Do you have pest and disease info on this plant? Edit this section!

Varieties

There are several distinct market types of carrots, the variation being chiefly with respect to size and shape. The smaller varieties, as they mature more quickly, are used to some extent for the early bunching, while the larger kinds are always more popular in the general market.

The varieties of carrots differ chiefly in respect to size and grain, with differences in earliness closely correlated. The following are now favorite varietiesCH:

  • French Forcing (Earliest Short Horn).—One of the smallest and earliest; root small, almost globular, orange-red.
  • Oxheart or Guerande.—Small to medium in size; root 2 to 4 inches long, growing to a blunt point, of good quality and popular in some sections for an early bunch carrot.
  • Chantenay.—Large to medium in size; root 3 to 5 inches long, more tapering than Oxheart; of good quality and a better carrot for the bunched crop than the above.
  • Danvers Half-Long.—Six to 8 inches long, 2 to 3 inches in diameter, at top tapering to a blunt point; the most popular garden carrot grown.
  • True Danvers.—A long carrot, 8 to 12 inches; tapering to a slender point like a parsnip; grown more for live-stock or exhibition purposes. The Half-Long has largely displaced it as a market sort chiefly because of the greater ease with which the latter strain it harvested.
  • Half-Long Scarlet.—Top small, roots medium size, cylindrical, pointed; much used for bunching.
  • Early Scarlet Horn.—Top small, roots half-long somewhat oval, smooth, fine grain and flavor; a favorite garden sort.
  • Large White Belgian.—Of much larger size than the above-named varieties, of less delicate flavor and coarser texture; a popular variety for live-stock.

The variation in the different strains of carrot seed is marked and it is important to secure seed from carefully selected roots true to shape and color. Carrot seed may be produced in any location in which the crop of roots is grown successfully.

Gallery

If you have a photo of this plant, please upload it! Plus, there may be other photos available for you to add.

  • Carrots come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes

  • Carrots with multiple taproots (forks) are not specific cultivars, but are a byproduct of damage to earlier forks, often associated with rocky soil.

  • Carrots selectively bred to produce different colors

References

External links


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