Black varieties are healthy to eat and can also make money when grown
Editor's note: "Black" varieties produce "black" crops, and "black" crops yield "black" foods. Likewise, the hot sale of black foods requires more black crop raw materials and calls for more black crop varieties. The smooth operation of this chain in both directions shows that growing black crop varieties is truly a good choice. To help more farmers understand black crop varieties, dare to introduce and grow them, and be good at managing them, today's New Variety Showcase introduces a few of them, hoping that after reading, you will have a goal when choosing, confidence when planting, and money to earn when harvesting.
Black potato、Black Rose No. 1, with anthocyanin content comparable to blueberries
In December 2015, the medium-maturing purple potato variety Black Rose No. 1 (Xisen No. 9) passed the approval of the Shanxi Provincial Crop Variety Approval Committee. The variety was systematically bred by Leling Xisen Potato Industry Group Co., Ltd. and the National Potato Engineering Technology Research Center using hybridization technology, and takes about 95 days from emergence to harvest.
The potato is a healthy food with rich nutritional value. It is rich in high-quality protein, minerals, vitamins, dietary fiber and other nutrients needed by the human body, and is low in calories and low in fat. It has long been known as the "king of nutrition," and can also effectively prevent obesity, diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, depression, tumors and many other diseases.
Ji Qingyun, deputy director and extension researcher of the Shanxi Provincial Potato Virus-Free Center, introduced that Black Rose No. 1 has relatively strong plant growth vigor. The tuber shape is long oval, with purple skin and purple flesh, smooth skin, relatively shallow eyes, concentrated tuber setting, about 7 tubers per plant, and a marketable tuber rate of 65%. The tuber dormancy period is medium, and it is storage-tolerant. According to identification and analysis, the plant is not resistant to late blight and is moderately resistant to viral diseases. The anthocyanin content is 35.86 mg/100 g fresh tuber, the total phenol content is 114.538 mg/100 g fresh tuber, the starch content is 12%-14%, and the taste when steamed is excellent.
This means that, in addition to the carbohydrates, starch, protein and other nutrients contained in ordinary potatoes, Black Rose No. 1 also contains very rich pure natural anthocyanins and phenolic antioxidant phytonutrients. Its antioxidant active substances are 5-10 times those of ordinary varieties, and its anthocyanin content reaches or approaches the level of blueberries.
Anthocyanins can enhance the elasticity of blood vessel walls, improve circulatory system function, enhance skin smoothness, inhibit inflammation and allergic reactions, and have a clear inhibitory effect on human tumor cells, and can also act as antioxidants. Most phenolic substances in potatoes are chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid. One research assessment showed that potatoes are the third most important source of phenolic substances after apples and oranges.
Researcher Ji Qingyun said that the variety participated in the Shanxi Provincial Potato Special Group regional trial from 2013 to 2014. In the dryland experimental area, the two-year average yield per mu was 1,554.8 kg, an increase of 23.7% over the control Black Beauty; in 2015, it participated in the Shanxi Provincial Potato Special Group production trial, with an average yield per mu of 1,120.2 kg, an increase of 10.0% over the control Black Beauty, and all 5 trial sites increased in yield.
This variety can achieve high yields under relatively good water and fertilizer conditions. For example, in irrigated land in Yanggao County, Shanxi, the yield per plant exceeded 1.5 kg, and large tubers could weigh about 750 g; in Inner Mongolia, the average yield per mu was 2,500-3,500 kg. Against the background of the state vigorously implementing the industrialization and development of potatoes as a staple food product, the new purple-fleshed potato variety has achieved a perfect combination of high yield and high nutrition. At present, purple potato varieties have been promoted and planted on about 20,000 mu in Shanxi, Shandong and Inner Mongolia, with an average yield per mu of 2,750 kg.
Colorful potatoes have multiple functional uses such as food, cash crop and medicinal crop, and have good development prospects. Because the market price of colorful potatoes is higher than that of ordinary potato varieties, while the planting conditions, cultivation techniques and so on are no different from those of ordinary potatoes, developing the colorful potato industry in poor areas can increase agricultural production and farmers' income without increasing production costs.
At the same time, as people's living standards continue to improve and health concepts continue to strengthen, purple potatoes containing anthocyanins better meet people's demand for health foods, and after being processed into whole flour, they can be stored for a long time. As a filling and additive for many kinds of foods, purple potatoes are also attracting more and more consumer attention and becoming increasingly popular.
At present, Shanxi has developed foods from colorful potatoes such as whole flour, steamed buns, noodles, bread, pastries, snack foods, functional beverages, fresh-pressed juice and various delicious dishes. Because purple potato varieties are specialty varieties and are relatively scarce on the market, the selling price of these potatoes rich in pure natural anthocyanins, chlorogenic acid and other polyphenolic antioxidant active substances is nearly double that of other varieties (an average of 10 yuan per kg), which can increase net income by 5,000 yuan per mu.
Two "black" varieties, equally good results
Black wheat No worries selling at 4 yuan per jin
"This newly launched stone-mill pure natural flour production line of mine was specially prepared for Lüfeng No. 2 black wheat. With it, I not only have the confidence to expand the black wheat planting area, but can also increase the added value of agricultural products." Not long ago, when the author met Zhang Xingmin, a black wheat grower, in Qianzhi Village, Zhaozhaizi Town, Gaotang County, Shandong Province, he was processing black wheat flour.
Zhang Xingmin, 52 this year, is a bona fide farmer. For decades he has dealt with the land, and he is especially fond of wheat cultivation. His planting area has expanded year by year, and he has become a locally somewhat famous grain king. In the spring of 2012, he first saw black wheat at the Jinan Famous and Excellent Agricultural Products Exhibition. According to Zhang Xingmin's understanding, black wheat is a new special-purpose high-quality wheat variety with advantages such as tolerance to late cropping, tolerance to cold and freezing, fast greening, high tillering rate, neat heading, lodging resistance, disease and pest resistance, resistance to dry hot wind, and drought resistance.
Upon learning that black wheat is a nutritional, functional and high-benefit variety, Zhang Xingmin decided to develop black wheat cultivation. However, after asking around, he found that there were very few black wheat planting bases in the province. In the end, he obtained a small amount of black wheat seed through a friend - Lüfeng No. 2 - and sowed it in his own farmland after the autumn harvest that year. "Because there was little seed, I only planted 7 fen of land the first year, but growing black wheat is not difficult; it is sown and harvested at the same time as ordinary wheat," Zhang Xingmin said. The first year of planting was fairly successful, with a yield per mu of more than 800 jin. When sowing in autumn the next year, Zhang Xingmin expanded the black wheat area to 3 mu.
Black wheat is a rare variety, and even at 4 yuan per jin it is hard to buy on the market. After repeated consideration, Zhang Xingmin made a bold decision: to set up his own flour production line and process black wheat into flour, targeting high-end consumer groups. Once decided, he acted. Before this year's wheat harvest, Zhang Xingmin invested more than 100,000 yuan to add a stone-mill pure natural flour production line, further enhancing the added value of black wheat.
Zhang Xingmin plans to expand the black wheat planting area to 30 mu when sowing this autumn, and at the same time lead cooperative members to develop this industry, so that more people can eat safe and healthy flour.
Black peanut，Someone supplies seed, someone buys the harvest
In another town in Gaotang County - Qingping Town - there is also a black crop being grown, namely the Black King Kong peanut introduced and planted by farmers in Xincun. When the author came to the black peanut planting base, the peanut leaves were a dark green, and the peanut plants were growing vigorously under the care of tall trees on both sides. The farmer said that in another 10 days to half a month they could be harvested.
Xiao Jinying, a grower from Nanjie Village who was tending peanuts in the field, said that to ensure peanut yield and quality, he had to weed the field once a week, and could not use pesticides either. Judging from the current growth, the hard work had not been wasted, and an income of 3,000 yuan per mu should be a sure thing.
According to Xiao Congzhong, head of the Qingping Town Agricultural Technology Station, black peanuts are also called selenium-rich black peanuts and belong to a type of colorful peanut. They are rich in trace elements such as selenium, iron and zinc and 19 kinds of amino acids needed by the human body. Compared with ordinary red peanuts, black peanuts have nearly double the selenium content and also have a high oil content. They are deeply welcomed among modern people pursuing health and wellness, and the market prospects are bright.
"Black peanuts are nutritious and simple to manage, but they also have their own set of cultivation techniques. When sowing, seed dressing agents cannot be used; during management, spraying pesticides must be avoided; and all weeding must be done by hand. Only in this way can they be pure natural, pollution-free and have zero pesticide residue. There are no major difficulties in managing black peanuts. Aside from using ridge planting at sowing, other aspects are the same as traditional peanut management. The most critical thing is that black peanuts are harvested half a month earlier than ordinary peanuts, because this variety is early-maturing; the shell may look fine on the outside, but when cracked open the inside may already have sprouted." Xiao Congzhong introduced.
It is understood that the sowing and recovery of black peanuts are entirely handled by Xiaohehei E-Commerce Co., Ltd. Farmers only need to buy peanut seed at 3 yuan per jin, and at harvest time the company sends machinery and vehicles to the field edge to directly receive and load the crop. Xiao Jinying said: "When harvesting peanuts last year, the peanut pods still had a little mud on them, and the company loaded them up and took them away. The purchase price was 2.6 yuan per jin, the yield per mu reached 1,300 jin, and the benefit per mu was about 3,300 yuan, which was 1,300 yuan more per mu than before. This year, with my 10 mu of black peanuts, an income of 30,000 yuan is no problem."
What are black foods
Black foods refer to animal and plant foods that contain natural melanin. Because they contain natural melanin, their color is all black or deep purple or deep brown. Some varieties have black outer skins; some varieties are black all the way through. Abroad, black foods refer to two aspects: first, foods that are black in color; second, foods with relatively high crude fiber content.
Common black foods
Black rice Black rice is a processed product of black rice paddy and is non-glutinous rice. The brown rice is black or black-brown, nutrient-rich, and of high edible and medicinal value. In addition to being used for porridge, it can also be made into various nutritional foods and used for brewing wine. It has long been known as the "black pearl" and the "king of the world's rice." The most representative black rice from Yang County, Shaanxi, has been called "medicinal rice," "tribute rice" and "longevity rice" since ancient times.
Black soybean Black soybean is also known as lubao, black large soybean, etc. Black soybean has the characteristics of high protein and low calories, with a black outer skin and a yellow or green interior. Those with large, plump grains and a black, glossy color are considered best. According to a study by Chinese scientists, black soybean skin extract can improve the body's absorption of iron, and eating black soybeans with the skin can improve symptoms of anemia.
Blueberry Blueberry fruit contains rich nutritional components and has functions such as preventing brain nerve aging, protecting eyesight, strengthening the heart, fighting cancer, softening blood vessels, and enhancing human immunity. Among these, because blueberries are rich in anthocyanins and have the effect of activating the retina, they can strengthen eyesight and prevent eye fatigue, and therefore attract much attention. They are also one of the five healthy fruits recommended by the World Food and Agriculture Organization.
Water chestnut The water chestnut is a perennial herbaceous plant with overwintering roots. Its surface is smooth and glossy, purple-red or black-brown, and it grows in ponds and marshes. Because its shape resembles a horse's hoof, people also call it horse hoof. Its appearance resembles a chestnut, and not only in shape but also in nature, components and functions it is similar to the chestnut. Because it sets fruit in the mud, it is also called "ground chestnut." The water chestnut has purple-black skin, white flesh, is sweet and juicy, crisp and delicious, and has the reputation of "underground snow pear." Northerners call it "Jiangnan ginseng." It can be eaten raw as a fruit and also used as a vegetable, and is a seasonal product loved by the public.