Black crop varieties: healthy to eat, profitable to grow

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, calling 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 has 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. This variety was developed by Leling Xisen Potato Industry Group Co., Ltd. and the National Potato Engineering Technology Research Center through systematic breeding using hybridization technology, and takes about 95 days from emergence to harvest.

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. After identification and analysis, the plant is not resistant to late blight and 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 steamed eating quality is excellent.

This means that in addition to the carbohydrates, starch, protein and other nutritional components contained in ordinary potatoes, Black Rose No. 1 also contains very rich 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, increase skin smoothness, inhibit inflammation and allergic reactions, and have a clear inhibitory effect on human tumor cells, and can also provide antioxidant effects. Most phenolic substances in potatoes are chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid. A study evaluation showed that potatoes are the third most important source of phenolic substances after apples and oranges.

Researcher Ji Qingyun said that this variety participated in the regional trial of the potato specialty group in Shanxi Province from 2013 to 2014. In the dryland experimental area, the two-year average yield was 1554.8 kg per mu, an increase of 23.7% over the control Black Beauty; in 2015, it participated in the production trial of the potato specialty group in Shanxi Province, with an average yield of 1120.2 kg per mu, an increase of 10.0% over the control Black Beauty, and all 5 trial sites increased in yield.

This variety can achieve high yield 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 the weight of large tubers could reach about 750 g; in Inner Mongolia, the average yield was 2500-3500 kg per mu. Against the background of the country's vigorous implementation of industrial 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 of 2750 kg per mu.

Colored potatoes have multiple functional uses such as food, economic and medicinal crops, and have good development prospects. Because the market price of colored potatoes is higher than that of ordinary potato varieties, while planting conditions, cultivation techniques and other aspects are no different from ordinary potatoes, developing the colored potato industry in poor areas can increase agricultural production and farmers' income without increasing production costs.

At the same time, with the continuous improvement of people's living standards and the continuous strengthening of health concepts, 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 an additive and filler for various foods, purple potatoes are also increasingly attracting consumers' attention and welcome.

At present, Shanxi has developed foods from colored potatoes such as whole flour, steamed buns, noodles, bread, pastries, snack foods, functional beverages, fresh-pressed juice and a variety of delicious dishes. Because purple potato varieties are specialty varieties and are relatively rare on the market, the sales price of these potatoes rich in natural anthocyanins, chlorogenic acid and other polyphenolic antioxidant active substances is nearly double that of other varieties (an average of 10 yuan per kg), and each mu can increase net income by 5000 yuan.