Can Goji Berries Be Grown in the South? Climate Conditions Are Key
Goji berries contain a variety of nutrients beneficial to human health. The cultivation area of Ningxia goji in China is the largest, mainly distributed in the northwest region of China. So, can goji berries be grown in the south?
1. Can goji berries be grown in the south?
Goji berries can be grown in the south, but because the quality of the fruit produced is relatively poor, they are mainly grown for their leaves for use as a vegetable. Varieties include fine-leaf goji and large-leaf goji. For medicinal use they are mostly found in the north, with the main varieties being Tianjin goji and West goji.
2. Nutritional Components of Goji Berries
Zhongning goji contains betaine, zeaxanthin, physalien, goji polysaccharides, carotene, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin C, and more. The fruit contains about 0.1% betaine; analysis of dried fruit shows it contains 107 mg/g calcium, 10.1 mg/g iron, and 208 mg/g phosphorus; high-quality fruit contains less than 13% water, 8.72% lipids, 34.83% reducing sugars, and 37.95% total sugars; it contains 277.06 IU/g vitamin A, 23.1% vitamin C, 0.23 mg% thiamine, 0.33 mg% riboflavin, 1.7 mg% niacin, and also contains various amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, valine, tyrosine, proline, alanine, glycine, lysine and glutamic acid, and goji amine and trimethylglycine have also been found.
3. Edible Value of Goji Berries
Its tender leaves can be used as a vegetable. In Guangdong, Guangxi and other places, goji sprout vegetables are already very popular, and goji sprout vegetables can be bought in vegetable markets, but in the south they are basically Chinese goji, not Ningxia goji. In Ningxia and other northwestern regions, using goji tender leaves as a vegetable is relatively rare.
Goji berries are listed by the Ministry of Health as a “medicinal and edible” variety. Goji berries can be processed into various foods, beverages, health wines, health products, and so on. Goji berries are also often added when making soup or cooking porridge.
The seed oil can be made into lubricating oil or edible oil, and can also be processed into health products, goji berry oil.