When was the carrot introduced to China?

The carrot is a crisp, tasty and nutritious everyday vegetable, also known as red radish, ganxun, etc. It is a variety of the wild carrot, a plant of the genus Daucus in the family Apiaceae. It is nutritious and rich in sugars, fats, volatile oils, carotene, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, anthocyanins, calcium, iron and other components. Now let us take a look together at when the carrot was introduced to China!

When was the carrot introduced to China?

At first glance, the “hu” in its name tells you that the carrot is certainly not a crop of the Central Plains. It originated in southwestern Asia, and its ancestor is the purple carrot of Afghanistan, with a cultivation history of more than two thousand years. Around the 10th century AD in the Afghanistan area, the wild carrot was domesticated into a vegetable carrot, and afterwards the domesticated carrot began to travel the world. It reached China around the 13th century, and soon adapted to local customs, gradually becoming today's long-rooted Chinese carrot.

The spread history of the carrot

1. The carrot originated in southwestern Asia, with Afghanistan as the earliest center of evolution.

2. The carrot was introduced from Iran to the European continent in the 10th century AD.

3. The carrot was introduced from Iran to China around the 13th century, developing into the Chinese ecotype.

4. The carrot was introduced to Britain in the 15th century, developing into the European ecotype.

5. The carrot was introduced to the United States in the 16th century.

6. The carrot was introduced from China to Japan in the 16th century.

Cultivated varieties of the carrot

1. Hongying No. 2: Hongying No. 2 is an excellent early-maturing F1 hybrid carrot variety introduced from Japan. It can be harvested 95 days after sowing, has an especially strong bolting resistance, and is suitable for film-covered sowing in early spring. It grows vigorously, and its fleshy root enlarges quickly. Under low-temperature conditions it has a strong ability to take shape and color, with the skin, flesh and core all red, an orderly root shape, a good tapered tip, and an attractive appearance.

2. Super Red Core: Super Red Core is a super variety with late bolting, an early tapered tip and a high three-red rate. It has strong growth vigor, strong heat tolerance and disease resistance, a well-tapered root, and a long cylindrical shape. The root is 18-22 cm long, and a single root weighs 250-300 g. It colors well, enlarges quickly and has a high marketable rate. The growth period is about 100 days, and the yield is about 5000 kg per mu.

3. Seoul Six Inch: Seoul Six Inch grows quickly and vigorously, is not prone to bolting, has a uniform and consistent root shape and good marketability. The growth period is about 100 days, the root shape is a long cylinder, the root is 18-23 cm long, a single root weighs about 250 g, and the root diameter is 4.0-4.6 cm. It has strong disease resistance and is a high-yielding variety, with a yield of more than 5000 kg per mu.

4. French Aya: French Aya is a large, early-maturing, high-yielding variety with outstanding early maturity, a good root shape and a good core color. It is harvested 90 days after sowing, the root is 19-20 cm long, the shoulder width is 5.5-6 cm, the root shape is good with a gradually tapering tip, the root skin is orange-red, and it has good heat tolerance and resistance to shrinkage disease and leaf spot.

5. Red Core No. 6: Red Core No. 6 is a hybrid. Its aboveground part grows strongly but not excessively, and its leaves are dark green. The growth period is 105-110 days, and its bolting resistance is extremely strong. The fleshy root is smooth and orderly, and the skin, flesh and core are a deep bright red, with a thin core column and good taste. The fleshy root is 22 cm long, a single root weighs about 200 g, and the yield is about 4000 kg per mu.

6. Chunhong No. 2: Chunhong No. 2 has a growth period of about 90 days and is an early-maturing variety. Its root shape is an orderly column, its surface is smooth, and the skin, flesh and core are all bright red. The root is 18 cm long and 5-6 cm in diameter, and the yield is about 3500-4000 kg per mu. It is suitable for spring sowing cultivation in most parts of China.