The plant is called beetroot, or beetroot.
Story
Botanical description
Template:Biophoto The root of wild and leafy beet species is taproot, woody, completely immersed in the soil. The wild form has a thin root; annual plant. In bred, the root is fleshy and juicy, thick (root crop), in most varieties it protrudes above the soil surface; biennial plant.
Wild species: creeping beetroot ( Beta procumbens C.Sm. Hornem.), Large root beetroot ( Beta macrorhiza Steven), Beetroot ( Beta lomatogona Fisch. & C.A. Mey.), Three-column beetroot ( Beta trigyna Waldst. & Kit.), Spreading beetroot ( beta patula Aiton) other.
In the first year, it develops only a root and a rosette of basal bare large, ovate, blunt, slightly heart-shaped at the base, along the edge of wavy leaves on long petioles; in the second year, and sometimes by the end of the first year, a leafy stem appears on a fleshy root from the middle of a leaf rosette, reaching 0.5 and even 1.25 meters in height.
Stem herbaceous, erect, strongly branched, furrowed-faceted; the leaves on it are alternate small, almost sessile, oblong or lanceolate; in the axils of the upper leaves, bunches (2-3 each) of small, dim, sessile flowers appear, forming complex long leafy spikes. The flowers are bisexual, consisting of a green or whitish cupped five-lobed perianth, of five stamens attached to a fleshy ring surrounding the ovary, and of a pistil with a semi-inferior single-nested ovary and two stigmas. Cross-pollination by small insects.
Beetroot, red, vegetable, in the first year of life forms a root crop weighing 0.4-0.9 kg of spherical-flattened, spherical-oval or flattened shape, having dark red, burgundy, red-violet flesh (red color is due to the content of betacyanins, in first of all, betanin, and the yellow tint - betaxanthins) and a rosette of green with red veins or red leaves. The root crop is used for food (contains 13-20% dry matter, including 9-16% sugar, 1.8-3% protein, up to 0.5% organic acids, 0.7-1.4% fiber, 0. 8-1.3% mineral salts, vitamins C, B, P, PP) and young plants. Distributed on all continents. In the USSR, table beets were cultivated in all agricultural zones; in 1973, its crops occupied about 50 thousand hectares, the yield was 400-500 centners per 1 ha (up to 1000 centners). For 1974, 21 varieties were released, the best: Bordeaux 237, Incomparable A-463, Gribovskaya flat A-473, Podzimnyaya A-474, etc. In crop rotation, the crop is placed after cabbage, tomato, cucumber. Under autumn plowing, humus is applied (at least 30 t/ha), on acidic soils - lime (5-10 t/ha). Beets are sown in spring or autumn (winter sowing), in two-line ribbons or in wide rows (33 cm between rows). Seeding rate is 16-20 kg/ha, planting depth is 2-3 cm. Crop care: destruction of weeds with herbicides (spraying with pyramine), double thinning, top dressing, loosening and watering (in hot summer and in areas of irrigated agriculture). Root crops are harvested with beet lifters and, after trimming the leaves, are stored in vegetable stores. [
] Table beet varieties, depending on the shape of the root crops, are grouped into four varieties:
Egyptian(round-flat), Bordeaux(round-oval), Eclipse(round, oval-cylindrical), Erfurt(conical). Signs of a botanical variety of beets are the shape and color of the pulp of root crops, ringing, texture, ripening time. In terms of ripening, all beet varieties are divided into early ripe (vegetation period up to 100 days), mid-ripening (up to 130 days) and late-ripening (over 130 days).
Varieties
| fresh beets The nutritional value per 100 g of product |
|---|
Name: Beetroot.
Other names: Beet ordinary.
Latin name: Beta vulgaris L.
Family: Chenopodiaceae (Chenopodiaceae)
Lifespan: Biennial. In the first year of life, it forms a leaf rosette and a root crop. In the second year, leafy branched stems develop with numerous flowers, green or whitish, collected in a paniculate inflorescence.
plant type: Herbaceous plant.
Height: Up to 50 cm.
Flowers, inflorescences: Flowers in several pieces together.
flowering time: July - September.
Fruit: The fruits grow together, forming seedlings (balls).
plant history: The homeland of the beet is the Mediterranean, where it has been widely cultivated since ancient times. It penetrated into Kievan Rus from Byzantium in the 10th century and immediately became the most popular vegetable and famous medicine. Beetroot became a habitual garden crop in the 14th century, and its subspecies began to be used as a source of sugar only by the end of the 18th century.
Spreading: Cultivated in all agricultural regions of Russia and Ukraine as a vegetable plant.
garden care: Beet seeds are sown in early May under a film, after soaking them for 2-3 days in warm water. In the phase of 2-3 true leaves, thin out and feed 2-3 times per season. By autumn, a root crop grows, which, depending on the variety, is burgundy, purple, and so on, usually weighing from 200 to 500 grams. In autumn, the leaves are cut off and root crops are stored in the basement, using medicinal raw materials throughout the long Russian winter.
medicinal parts: Roots and leaves. Root crops retain their nutrients and medicinal properties until next harvest.
Useful content: Root crops contain sucrose, glucose, fructose, pectins, fiber, organic acids, proteins, amino acids, minerals - salts of potassium, calcium, iron, manganese, cobalt, phosphorus. Beets are very rich in vitamins B1, B2, B6, C, P, PP, pantothenic and folic acids, and in terms of iodine content, they are among the vegetables most provided with this element. how food product it has a high calorie content. Beet tops are much richer than root crops in vitamin C and folic acid, but poorer in fiber.
Despite the fact that the actual content of iron in red beet is not high, yet because of its high quality, it is an excellent food for red blood cells. The most positive feature of the chemical elements in beets is that they contain more than 50% sodium and only 5% calcium. As a result, the solubility of the latter is maintained, and this is very important when, due to the consumption of a large amount of boiled food, inorganic calcium has accumulated in the blood vessels - with the expansion and hardening of the veins or thickening of the blood, causing hypertension and other disorders of the cardiovascular system.
The 20% potassium content of beets is valuable for all bodily functions, while the 8% chlorine content makes it an excellent cleanser for the liver, kidneys and gallbladder, also stimulating lymphatic activity throughout the body.
Beet cobalt is used to form vitamin B12, which is synthesized by the intestinal microflora in the body. In its turn, folic acid and vitamin B12 are involved in the formation of branded blood elements - erythrocytes.
Due to the presence of betaine and betanine, beets help strengthen capillaries, lower blood pressure, remove cholesterol from the body, improve fat metabolism, and activate the liver. Beetroot enhances intestinal motility and effectively helps with constipation and obesity.
Pectin substances and organic acids of beets contribute to the strengthening motor activity intestines, so beets are used to treat spastic inflammation of the colon and liver diseases.
The complex of vitamins in combination with iron, cobalt, folic acid and amino acids makes it possible to use it as a remedy for the treatment of anemia, as an anti-sclerotic and antiarrhythmic agent.
Actions: Common beet juice has antispasmodic, diuretic and anti-sclerotic effect. It stimulates hematopoiesis, gastric secretion and intestinal peristalsis, inhibits the development of microorganisms in the intestines, promotes the excretion of cholesterol, improves the condition of blood vessels, relieves vascular spasms, exhibits antitumor properties, regulates metabolism in the body, positively affects the functions of the sex glands, improves vision. Anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties of common beet juice are also known.
Common beet is successfully used in the treatment of spastic colitis, atherosclerosis, thyrotoxicosis, arrhythmias, hypertension, liver diseases, intestinal atony, chronic constipation. Raw and soaked beets - effective remedy for the treatment of scurvy. Grated beets can be applied to wounds, and the juice can be instilled into the nose with a runny nose.
If the microflora in the large intestine is healthy, then the beetroot juice does not stain the urine. If the anti-cancer protection is somehow broken, then the beetroot juice will turn the urine red!
Use restrictions: THE USE OF BEET IN LARGE QUANTITIES IS CONTRAINDICATED IN KIDNEY STONES (PRIMALLY WITH OXALURIA) AND OTHER METABOLIC DISORDERS. DO NOT DRINK FRESH BEET JUICE, IT CAUSES HEART RHYTHM DISTURBANCES. BEFORE USE, IT SHOULD BE KEEPED IN AN OPEN VESSEL FOR NOT LESS THAN HALF AN HOUR.
Healing recipes:
beet juice
very useful for women if you drink at least 0.5 liters per day mixed with carrot juice. It is especially useful during menstrual cycle if taken 50 ml 2-3 times a day. This technique is especially effective in menopause, when it helps better than any medicine.
Beetroot juice can be obtained both from root crops and from young tops. But if you drink only beetroot juice, it can cause slight dizziness or nausea. Therefore, at the beginning of treatment, it is better to use a mixture where carrot juice, and then gradually increase the dose of beetroot juice, first 1/5-1/4 cup to 1 cup of water or other juice and bring to 1/3 cup, but no more, until the body gets used to its beneficial cleansing action. Usually 1 glass of beetroot juice per day is sufficient.
It must be remembered that when taking fresh beet juice, a strong spasm of blood vessels occurs. Therefore, freshly squeezed juice should be allowed to stand for 2-3 hours, preferably in the refrigerator, to separate volatile, harmful fractions. Remove the foam and after this procedure apply without restrictions.
Everyone has heard about the amazing properties of beets, about its benefits for the body. But what are the biological features of this plant, what is the uniqueness of its healing properties? What are the rules for growing a root crop?
Definition
Beets are a vegetable, not a herb, not a fruit, not a tuber. It is a representative of the amaranth family (previously belonged to the haze family).
Appearance and photo
The lower underground part is a root crop that comes in different colors (white, red, dark brown). There is a tail on the bottom of the root crop. The upper part of the vegetable is represented by tops connected in a bundle.
Botanical description
The plant has petiolate, erect leaves with a solid plate, as well as a fleshy root crop of burgundy, black or Brown. The tops of the plant are collected in a rosette, the leaves may have a different color, which depends on the plant variety. The color of the vegetable is different: from green with raspberry veins to dark green with purple splashes. Petioles are fleshy, juicy and long. Stem branched, straight. The fruit of a compressed form, representing a one-seeded nut, fused with a perianth. Wild-growing beets have a thin root, while cultivated beets are fleshy.
Biological features
Beet is a plant of a two-year development cycle, in the first year a root crop and a rosette of leaves are formed, and in the second cycle flowering shoots and a leafy stem are formed. But often the cycle can be disturbed, it depends on the temperature after sowing, as well as on the length of daylight hours. Cross-pollination occurs with the help of small insects. Blossoms in July-August, fruit ripening occurs in August-September.
The plant is thermophilic and light-loving, unlike other root crops. The optimal humidity for the plant is 75-80%, i.e. the need for moisture is higher than that of carrots. Beet germination begins at +5, the vegetable can withstand frosts down to -1. To date, the sugar content of beets is 18-20%, which is twice as much as a hundred years ago.
Structure
Beetroot consists of a root, leaves and root system.
The leaves are represented by a leaf blade penetrated by vascular bundles. The flowers of the plant are bisexual, consist of a green cup-shaped perianth.
The structure of the root crop is represented by the following parts:
- head - a shortened stem, the upper part bearing leaves;
- the neck, which does not have leaves and roots, its size does not exceed 1 cm;
- root, from which small roots extend. The root is characterized by the presence of spiral and vertical furrows. The conical part of the root passes into the tail.
Root crops are flat, conical and cylindrical.
IMPORTANT! The time of root formation depends on many factors, the main of which are: climatic conditions and variety.
What is a beetroot
In the southern regions of Russia and Ukraine, beets are often called beetroot.
But a beetroot is a beet with a pink root crop, i.e. borsch beet, which is the main component of borscht. That is, some varieties of beets are called beetroot.
History of occurrence
Beets have been known since ancient times, when our ancestors ate them. The cultivation of Swiss chard begins in the 1500s BC. A written source containing information about beets dates back to the 8th century. BC. and belongs to the Sumerians who lived in Mesopotamia.
The root form of the beet spread in Asia Minor and the Mediterranean in the last centuries BC. The most widespread beet is in the Middle Ages, this is due to the need to carry out the preparation of fodder for livestock.
In the 19th century, most countries considered beets to be among the primary plants needed for the economy.
Chemical composition
The plant contains a large number of vitamin C, fiber, glucose and pectins, the composition also contains vitamins of group B. The content of sucrose is 6%, and glucose is 14% of the total composition. The components are also: malic, citric, oxalic acids; arginine, betaine, lysine. The composition contains the following chemical elements: sulfur, manganese, iron, potassium, iodine, etc.
REFERENCE! 100 g of beets contain: 1.6 g of protein, 0.17 g of fat, 9.55 g of carbohydrates.
The benefits of the root crop are as follows:
- It has pronounced antioxidant properties: it removes toxins and toxins, helps to keep the body young;
- Reduces pressure, so hypertensive patients are recommended to include it in their diet;
- Beetroot juice has anti-inflammatory properties, promotes effective treatment infectious diseases;
- Improves memory;
- Increases the level of hemoglobin;
- Improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system, strengthening and cleansing blood vessels;
- Promotes healing of the liver, relieving it of harmful substances;
- Strengthens the immune system, because it contains a large number of trace elements and vitamins.
Do not forget about harmful properties ah, which are directly related to chemical composition plants:
- Irritates the walls of the stomach with peptic ulcer;
- Increases the risk of increasing stones in the genitourinary system;
- It has a strong laxative effect, so the use of beets is prohibited for diarrhea;
- May cause distress digestive system, bloating.
The presence of a number of harmful properties of a vegetable is not the reason for the complete rejection of it, a couple of tablespoons will not harm the body.
Contraindications to the use of this root crop should be highlighted:
- Duodenal ulcer and gastritis, this is due to the content of various acids in the composition of the vegetable, which can significantly increase the acidity in the digestive tract;
- Diabetes mellitus, because the plant contains a large amount of sugar;
- Osteoporosis, the reason for this is poor absorption of calcium in the body due to beets;
- Hypotension, because the plant lowers blood pressure;
- Heartburn;
- Problems with metabolic processes in the body;
- Individual intolerance and allergic reactions.
IMPORTANT! You should not use the root crop in large quantities, even absolutely healthy person, the optimal daily rate is 300-400 g.
Beetroot can be consumed by pregnant women, because it can solve a number of emerging problems, including: fatigue, constipation. The composition contains folic acid, which is necessary for the normal development of the fetus. It is also allowed to eat a vegetable when breastfeeding, but you need to observe the measure and do not eat it raw.
Allergy
When eating a vegetable, you need to monitor the reaction of the body. One of the most common occurrences is allergic reaction manifested in:
- Rash, itching;
- Liquid stool;
- edema;
- Difficulty breathing.
The main reason why allergies occur is the individual characteristics of the body, manifested in hypersensitivity to specific components of the product. Most often, allergies develop in children than in adults. Therefore, it is especially important to observe the reaction of the baby's body with the introduction of this complementary food.
Allergies can also be caused by:
- hereditary predisposition;
- The use of sweets in large quantities;
- Hormonal changes.
For a long time, our ancestors used beetroot, its juice and pulp to treat many diseases:
- Cold;
- Weakened immunity;
- Rheumatism;
- Hypertension;
- skin diseases;
- constipation;
- Hormonal disorders in menopause;
- Runny nose.
and types
Beets happen different types: fodder, sheet, sugar, table.
For the diet of farm animals. This type of vegetable is significantly inferior not only in taste, but also in the content of trace elements. It is easy to distinguish fodder beet: it has a pale color, the root crop is yellowish, and the size is large. The most high-yielding varieties are: "Marshal", "Kyiv pink", "Northern orange", "Titan".
Used to make ethanol and sugar. Such a vegetable has an unattractive appearance, has a white-yellow color. Bright green socket. Such a beet is very thermophilic; black earth is most preferable for it. The most popular are varieties of German selection: "Nancy", "Bona", "Sphinx", "Clarina".
Summer residents grow sugar beet for use as a sweetener in syrups, compotes, jams.
Sugar beet harvesting Swiss chard does not have a root crop, but differs in developed leaves. They are shiny, wavy, large. The color range is diverse: the leaves are pink, scarlet, silver, milky white, purple. Often this type of vegetable is used as an ornamental plant.
Chard (leaf beet) differs in shape, so they distinguish leaf and petiole. The most popular varieties of chard: "Scarlet", "Beauty", "Belavinka", "Green".
Table beets There are two types: white and red, differences in the color of the root crop. White beets have a light root and a green rosette. Red beets can be of different shades: burgundy, brown, pink.
Table beets fall into three categories:
- Atrorubra - a group that includes dark-colored roots with bright green leaves on pink or red petioles. The most popular category;
- Vindifolia - beets of these varieties have green petioles and leaves, conical root crops of pink color;
- Rubrifolia - the color of the leaves and root is red. Fruit different shapes: flat, round, elongated.
Beets can be planted on the same bed with carrots.
Acid soil is not suitable for growing.
Vegetable whimsical to heat and moisture.
Seeds are sown in two terms: after sowing of cereals and in the first days of May.
Seeds are sown in wide-row (50-60 cm) or broad-band (10-12 cm) methods. You can use a tape (distance 20-50 cm). The seeding rate for single-sprouts is 8-10 kg per 1 ha, multi-sprouts - 12-16. If multi-germ seeds are sown, then it is necessary to thin them out (in the phase of two leaves).
From one hectare, the yield of table beet is 40-50 tons, sugar - 18-30 tons, fodder - 30-60 tons.
This vegetable has great amount pests (about 250!), the most common are:
- root aphid;
- Beet aphid;
- Beet flea;
- Weevil;
- Mining fly;
- Nematode.
Diseases are also distinguished:
- Phomosis;
- Downy mildew (peronosporosis);
- Root eater;
- Cercosporosis;
- Cage rot.
How to give a vegetable to children?
Pediatricians recommend introducing beets into baby food no earlier than 8-10 months. For those who have high sensitivity - not earlier than 1 year. This is due to the high amount of nitrates that can cause "blue baby syndrome".
To begin with, you need to give no more than 1-2 teaspoons per day, while the vegetable should be thoroughly chopped. The child should be given only pureed beets. It would be advisable to mix beetroot puree with zucchini, potato, apple.
- The vegetable grows on all continents (except Antarctica);
- In ancient times, beets were used as an aphrodisiac;
- The weight of the heaviest beet in the world is 23.4 kg;
- Sugar beets appeared in the 18th century;
- As a sacrifice to Apollo, the Greeks brought this vegetable;
- The Romans exacted tribute in the form of beets from the Germans;
- On the Ancient Russia the root crop was a dessert: it was baked for tea.
How to give beets to animals?
- Beetroot leaves are good for rabbits. But you need to introduce them into the diet gradually. From the age of one month, you can offer no more than 25 grams of the plant. The maximum daily dose for an adult rabbit is 300 grams, this amount should be divided into several doses. It is strictly forbidden to give beets to decorative and dwarf rabbits;
- Dogs are encouraged to give beets, both boiled and raw. But you should carefully monitor the reaction of the animal's body, because. an allergic reaction may occur. The root crop must be cut and mixed with meat or cottage cheese;
- Chickens can be given beets, but not in large quantities. The trace elements included in the composition are very useful for birds. Beets need to be crushed, you can give both a raw vegetable and a boiled one;
- Guinea pigs are recommended to give beets, but not more than 100 g per day. You can mix it with bran, feed or grain;
- Experts do not recommend giving this vegetable to hamsters, because. it harms their organs.
- Cats should be offered boiled beets, this will serve as a prevention of urolithiasis.
ATTENTION! Often, animals have food poisoning due to beets, it is important to avoid further consumption and contact your veterinarian immediately.
Getting sugar
- The first stage is the beet harvest, which begins in August-September;
- After that, the root crops arrive at the plant, where the tops and debris are cleaned, the vegetable is thoroughly washed;
- The next stage is the cutting shop, where the beets are processed into small pieces, after which they enter the diffusion apparatus, where the water is saturated with sugar beet chips;
- Juice processing continues, and the cake is sent to livestock. Milk of lime is added to the juice, unnecessary impurities are removed under the influence of heat, which precipitate;
- The juice is evaporated, a syrup is obtained, which is subjected to thickening. After that, the resulting sand is divided into fractions, separated from molasses;
- The resulting sugar is washed, and then dried and packaged.
Thus, beetroot is a vegetable rich in vitamins and microelements, which is recommended not only for humans, but also for some animals. Knowing the characteristics of cultivation, the main types and varieties, you can be sure of getting a good harvest, which can be used not only in cooking, but also for the treatment of certain diseases.
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Biological features
biological features. Food beets are heat-loving. Germination is possible at +5C, optimal - +20C, +15... +18C - before the formation of the root crop, and after - +20...+25C.
If the weather is cool throughout the entire growth (0 ... + 10C), then there is a high probability of a rapid formation of flowering.
The plant is photophilous. Beets respond well to moisture, with abundant irrigation gives a good weight gain.
Table beet prefers moderate irrigation. So it will not become fibrous or loose. Sandy or loamy soil rich in humus is suitable for planting.
Beets do not like acidic soil. Even with low acidity, the yield drops sharply. Experts in this case advise the soil to lime.
History of occurrence
The modern food beet comes from the wild beet that grew in the Far East and India. She was known as far back as 2000 BC. and used as a vegetable and medicinal plant. The cultivation itself took place only after almost 1000 years. It is interesting that at first the tops were eaten, and the root was used as a medicine.
It is also mentioned that the ancient Greeks sacrificed it to Apollo. Since then, quite a bit of time has passed and 500 years BC. In Asia, beet root was first eaten. Only at the beginning of AD. cultivated forms of the common root beet began to appear. In our area (Kievan Rus), it appeared only by the X-XI centuries.
Chemical composition
- proteins;
- fats;
- carbohydrates;
- fiber;
- vitamins (B 1, B 2, P, PP);
- sugar (glucose, and fructose, and up to 25% sucrose);
- acids (ascorbic, pantothenic, folic, oxalic, citric and malic);
- mineral salts (magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, iodine, manganese, cobalt, sodium, phosphorus);
- dyes (betaine (alkaloid-like substance), corotinoids, pectins, pigments);
- amino acids (valine, lysine, arginine, histidine, etc.).
The tops contain ascorbic acid, carotene, dyes, betanin and betaine.
Benefit and harm to humans
- Beets are the first assistant for chronic constipation. It not only affects the intestines, but destroys putrefactive bacteria.
- It is an excellent regulator in the metabolism of fats, liver function and blood pressure (hypertension).
- The vegetable perfectly helps not only the health of the body (pain reliever, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, antispasmodic, anti-sclerotic, antiscorbutic, wound healing, tonic), but also the psyche, as it copes with depression perfectly.
- The plant helps the body in blood formation.
- Folic acid in beets is very good for those who are just planning a baby. It helps build a healthy nervous system still a small fetus.
- The high content of iodine helps to make up for its lack in the human body.
- Betanin contained in beets prevents the development of a malignant tumor.
- The low calorie content of the vegetable will please any dieter.
Harm:
- Beetroot does not allow the absorption of calcium, and the sugar it contains can raise blood sugar.
- Oxalic acid can worsen the situation with urolithiasis.
- The pronounced laxative effect will harm those suffering from diarrhea.
Contraindications for use
Exclude the use of a vegetable when:
- Kidney stones.
- diabetes mellitus.
- Diarrhea.
- Some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Hypotension.
- Renal failure.
- Allergies.
During pregnancy, beets are a must. It has everything for mom and baby. Unless, of course, there are no problems listed above.
Allergy
Application in medicine
Diseases that beets can help cure:
- Hypertension.
- Constipation.
- Obesity.
- Scurvy.
- Sclerosis.
- Anemia.
- Hangover.
- Depression.
- Thyroid iodine deficiency.
- Tuberculosis.
- Ulcers.
You can find detailed information about beet treatment in.
Types of beets with a photo
There are 4 types of beets: 3 according to the ripening period (early, medium, late) and 1 according to the structure (here we mean leafy). Let's show how each looks in the photo.
Early maturing
This type of table beet includes:
Pablo F1
A round, crimson-colored, medium-sized root crop with a thin skin and sweet flesh.
Detroit
A small ball-shaped fruit of red color without rings, pleasant to the taste.
Bordeaux 237
Round, medium-sized root crop with red, pleasant-tasting flesh.
modana
Neat in shape and pleasant to the taste without rings of burgundy-cherry color.
Boltardi
Rounded root crop of dark red color with radial rings.
Mona
A dark red cylindrical vegetable.
Egyptian flat
Rounded, slightly flattened at the poles, the color is burgundy with a purple tint and light rings.
red ball
Rounded root crop of dark red color with juicy pulp.
For sugar beets:
Saplitsa
A conical root crop of white color and medium weight with a high sugar content.
Mid-season
Mid-season varieties of table beets include:
Borschevaya
Round red fruit.
Opolskaya
Red color, oblong shape with thin skin.
Mulatto
The fruits are spherical in shape with a pleasant dark shade.
Incomparable A 463
Large flat-round root crop of dark cherry color.
Delicacy
Rounded small shape with dark cherry-colored flesh without rings.
For sugar:
pingus
The root crop is conical in shape, white in color and high in sugar.
Crystal
Cone-shaped white root.
Typhoon
Cone-shaped white root.
late mature
Renova
Root crop of a cylindrical form of red-violet color.
single-growth
Flat-round shape, maroon color with juicy pulp.
Cylinder
A small root crop of a cylindrical shape of red color.
citadel
A small cylindrical fruit of burgundy color.
sheet
Chard
Type of leaf beet. Only leaves that look like lettuce or spinach are eaten. In terms of taste and quality, chard surpasses them.
Fodder beets cannot be attributed to any species in terms of ripening, although some of them are close to mid-ripening.
Lada
Oval-cylindrical fruit of white or pinkish-white color.
Hope
It has a red oval-elongated root crop, white flesh.
Milan
White oval root crop.
Vermont
Cylindrically-conical fruit of white color of average size.
Jamon
Yellow-orange fruit of a cylindrical-conical shape.
Starmon
The fruit is yellow and conical in shape.
centaur
Root crop of a semi-sugar type, white color, oval shape.
Ursus
Semi-sugar type with a cylindrical fruit of yellow-orange color.
Record
Cylindrical-conical fruit of pink color.
Kyiv Pink
Orange root crop of a cylindrical-oval shape.
Brigadier
An oval-cylindrical orange-green root vegetable with a high sugar content.
Growing step by step instructions
- Variety selection.
Varieties are selected depending on the soil and needs.
- Site preparation for planting.
A warm sunny place is good to loosen. Fertilize soil poor in minerals in the fall.
- The best predecessors: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, pumpkin, zucchini, greens, legumes, cereals, onions, garlic.
- The worst are potatoes, cabbage, radish, carrots, celery, chard, fodder, sugar, table beets.
- seed processing.
Soak them in water room temperature for a few hours. Then discard the ones that pop up. After draining the water, wrap in gauze and immerse in a solution of Epin, Zircon or others for a period of 0.5 to 4 hours. After the solution, let the seeds lie down in a warm place for 12-24 hours so that they swell and hatch. Now you can get started.
- Planting beets in open ground.
Seeds must be placed in warm soil to a depth of 2 cm at an interval of 4-10 cm from each other and covered with earth.
The distance between rows for small fruits is 10-15 cm, for large ones - 20-30 cm. The seeding rate is approximately 8-12 kg of seeds per 1 ha.
- Beet care.
Irrigation is required moderately. You can use mulching (sawdust, straw, humus), which will reduce the amount of watering, loosening and weeds.
Thin out in 2 stages: 1 after the appearance of 2 true leaves on the plant; and 2 when the root reaches a diameter of 1.5-2 cm. At the same time, the distance between the roots for the first time is left up to 5 cm, in the second - at the required distance for the selected variety.
On poor soil, the culture requires a little top dressing (mullein infusion or chicken manure), it is also recommended to use complex fertilizer several times (potassium, boron, copper, molybdenum). At proper care the yield of table beet in Russia is approximately 40-50 tons per 1 ha, fodder and sugar - 900-1100 centners per 1 ha.
.AT ancient rome beets were considered a symbol of quarrels, discord and gossip. If a person wanted to communicate his dislike for another, then he threw a vegetable into his house. In many cultures, it was believed that if a man and a woman took a bite from the same beet fruit, they would fall in love with each other.
Historical fact: in 1975, during the Apollo-Soyuz test project, Soviet cosmonauts treated their American colleagues to beetroot soup. The Delphic Oracle claimed that the beets had mystical powers. "Accept a favor in the beet fields" - this phrase meant visiting brothels in the beginning. 20th century
Acidity can be measured using beetroot juice: added to an acid solution, the liquid will turn pink, and in an alkaline solution, it will turn yellow.
Can it be used to feed animals?
Table beets are highly discouraged for animals. In exceptional cases, it can be given in small quantities: to a piglet, cows, sheep in a raw or freshly brewed (only not boiled and not long brewed) form. Hamsters and rabbits boiled or raw the size of a marigold.
The use of beets has a beneficial effect on human and animal health. People prone to chronic diseases can consume the vegetable in small quantities and carefully. Animals are recommended to give special (fodder or sugar) beets, especially since it is not only healthy for them, but also tasty. We wrote in more detail about beets in the diet of animals.
Related videos
You can find useful information about beets in this video:
Beetroot (not beetroot!) is a herbaceous biennial plant belonging to the Amaranth family (beetroot used to belong to the Marev family). There are also annual and perennial representatives of this family. Of the 13 species included in the beet genus, only two are grown in culture - common beet and leaf beet.
Leaf beet (chard) is annual and biennial. It does not form root crops, it has a taproot or fibrous highly branched root. All the strength of the plant goes into the formation of a powerful rosette of succulent leaves on thick, strong petioles.
The common beetroot is a biennial plant. In the first year, it forms a large fleshy root crop, and in the second year, a flower stalk on which seeds are tied and ripen. However, beetroot is usually grown as an annual crop for the sake of a tasty and healthy root crop. To obtain seeds, only small special uterine plots are left.
Ordinary beets are divided into three subgroups:
- dining room;
- sugar;
- stern.
Table beets
It can be divided into two categories: red and white. Red-fruited varieties are the most common, it is them that we habitually call "beets".
White varieties are less popular and not even always known to the general consumer. The taste of white beet is very similar to its red relative. It has a green color of the leaf rosette and small elongated roots with light skin and pulp. It is used in salads, marinades, and also in dishes where coloring of other ingredients is not desirable. The most popular all over the world is the white-fruited variety "Albina Vereduna".
Do not confuse table white beet with sugar and fodder. Sugar and fodder beets also have light flesh, but are not eaten.
Red varieties of beets have the color of the pulp and skin of root crops from carmine red to maroon, almost black. On the transverse section, light concentric rings are clearly visible. The shape of the root of the red beet can be the most diverse: flat, round, elongated-conical, cylindrical and spindle-shaped. Varieties with a rounded and flat root crop are the earliest ripening, productive, good presentation. They are grown for summer consumption. Mid-season and late varieties have more elongated roots and a well-developed root system. Such root crops are well stored in the winter.
Red table beet is usually divided into three varieties:
- Vindifolia is a group of varieties with green leaves and petioles. Petioles may be faintly colored pink. Root crops have an elongated-conical shape, with powerful roots.
- Rubrifolia - this group of varieties from the very seedlings has a dark red color of leaves and roots. The fruits are quite diverse in shape: elongated-conical, round, flat. Varieties do not tolerate heat well and do not have the highest productivity.
- Atrorubra - this group includes the most common varieties of table beets. Characterized by dark-colored root crops, bright green leaves on red or pink petioles, high productivity. The leaves have prominent red veins.
The group includes the following well-known varieties:
- Bordeaux. It has oval or round dark red mid-season root crops. Light rings on the cut are almost invisible. The leaves are erect, green, on pink petioles, turning red by autumn.
- Egyptian. It has a pronounced flat shape of root crops. They are medium in size, very dark in color, sometimes with a purple tint. The leaves are dark green, with red veins and petioles. By autumn, the red color intensifies. Varieties are usually early, low-flowered.
- Eclipse. The leaves of this cultivar are very reminiscent of Egyptian, but have a more powerful rosette and a lighter color. Root crops are oval-round and rounded, dark in color. Varieties are early, low-flowering, some are resistant to drought.
- Erfurt. Combines late-ripening drought-resistant varieties. The root system is highly branched, which makes harvesting difficult. Root crops are large, elongated-conical and cylindrical. On the cut, characteristic rings are clearly visible.
Varieties of this type are intended for winter storage. This group includes the famous Dutch "Cylinder", which has a spindle-shaped root crop, immersed in the ground only a third of the length.
AT last years breeders have bred new varieties of table beets: yellow and striped. These beets have retained the taste qualities and the entire set of useful substances of the usual red beets. The advantages of these new varieties are in their high decorativeness.
The most famous yellow-fruited varieties are Burpee`s Golden and Golden Surprise. Of the striped varieties, the Chioggia variety is the most popular.
In Russia, early-ripening varieties of table beets are grown for summer consumption and mid-ripening varieties for winter storage. Late-ripening varieties have time to ripen only in the south of the country.
Table beets are used for fresh food and after heat treatment. A wide variety of dishes are prepared from it: soups, side dishes, salads, desserts. It is boiled, stewed, baked. Eat in combination with other vegetables or as an independent dish.
In addition to root crops, healthy beet tops are also used as food. They make delicious diet meals. The inclusion of beets in the daily diet contributes to the treatment and prevention of many diseases.
Swiss chard
Leaf beet (chard, Roman cabbage) in culture is grown as an annual. This plant does not set root crops. The leaves and petioles of the aerial rosette are eaten.
The leaves of the chard are large, wavy, shiny, resilient, from green to dark purple. Petioles also come in different lengths, thicknesses and colors. The color range of petioles is truly diverse: they are deep purple, scarlet, pink, green, milky white, silver. For high decorativeness in some European countries, chard is even used as a flower bed plant.
Chard is divided into two forms: petiole and leaf. Leaf varieties, along with petioles, are used as food in salads, soups, stews. Petiole varieties are considered the most delicious and are highly valued in European restaurants. Red-leaf varieties are more often used for dishes with heat treatment, green-leaf varieties - for salads.
In Russia, the following varieties of chard are best known:
- Krasnochereshkovye - "Red", "Scarlet" and "Beauty".
- Zelenochereshkovy - "Green".
- Silver stalked - "Belavinka".
The average term of ripening of leaf beet leaves is 2-2.5 months. Chard is harvested selectively, cutting off large leaves on thick petioles. With this method of collection, the plant continues to increase the leaf mass. Sometimes the rosette of chard is cut off completely. The leaves must be cut very carefully so as not to stain the ground.
sea beet
Another subspecies of edible beets is the wild sea beet. It belongs to the leaf group. Sea beet got its name because it grows on sea coasts close to water. It can be found in India, Africa, England, in the Crimea. Sea beet plants tolerate heat and salt saturation of the soil well, growing more than a meter in height.
Locals eat its fresh or dried leaves. Thanks to the sea beet, which is considered the forerunner of all cultivated varieties, ordinary table varieties, when grown, are watered with saline several times a season.
Sugar beet is an important industrial crop cultivated in large quantities for the production of sugar and ethanol. Its roots contain 8-22% sucrose. Received this species beets back in the 18th century by artificial selection of table varieties.
Sugar beet is a biennial plant, but cultivated as an annual for root crops. The mass of root crops, depending on the variety, ranges from 300 g to 3 kg. The root crop is unattractive in appearance, yellowish-white in color, white on the cut. Rosette of bright green leaves.
Sugar beet is thermophilic and demanding on soils. It grows best on black soil. The most popular all over the world varieties of German selection. In Russia, the varieties Bona, Bohemia, Nancy, Clarina, Sphinx, Mandarin are most often grown.
This type of beet, like table varieties, has many healthy substances in its composition. Modern summer residents have recently begun to successfully master the cultivation of sugar beets on their plots. It is used as a natural sweetener in compotes, jams, pastries, syrups, and salads.
If you are going to use sugar beets in cooking, be sure to peel them, as the peel of the root vegetable has an unpleasant aftertaste.
fodder beet
Fodder beets also belong to industrial crops and grown for animal feed. Also, like sugar, fodder beet was bred by breeders from ordinary table beet and is cultivated as an annual. In terms of composition, fodder beet almost does not differ from table beet, but contains more protein, coarse plant fibers and fiber.
Root crops of fodder beet grow very large, up to several kilograms. Individual specimens grew up to 30 kg.
They have a very diverse shape: oval, round, elongated-conical, cylindrical. No less diverse are the colors of root crops: white, pink, green, yellow, orange, burgundy. The flesh on the cut is usually white, but it can also be red. Fodder beet root crops do not go deep into the soil, many of them grow directly on the surface, which makes harvesting easier.
The variety of types and varieties of beetroot makes it one of the indispensable products in our lives. Beet roots contain a large amount of important vitamins and minerals. Therefore, we all just need to choose a variety to our liking and settle this unpretentious vegetable in our garden.
How to grow beets - video