Yacon
Latin scientific name: smallanthus sonchifolius
English name: Latin scientific name: smallanthus sonchifolius
English name: It looks like a sweet potato, and it is also produced in the soil, but this thing is a chrysanthemum potato, which is very different from sweet potatoes in botanicals, and sweet potatoes are magnolia.
Asteraceae has 13 subfamilies, 1689 genera and 32913 species, and the same family of plants close to this chrysanthemum include chrysanthemum, artemisia, wormwood, dandelion, sunflower, etc., the common characteristics of plants in the Asteraceae family are: the head inflorescence is star-shaped.
The origin of chrysanthemum is the Andes Mountains of South America. Located on the west coast of South America, the Andes Mountains are the longest mountain range in the world with a total length of more than 8,900 kilometers from north to south. The climate of this region is complex and diverse, in addition to changing latitude and different altitudes.
Below 1600 meters is the tropical climate, 1600-2500 meters is the ** zone climate, 2500-3500 meters is close to the subarctic climate, 3500-5000 meters is the plateau climate, and more than 5000 perennial snow, similar to the polar climate.
The growing area of chrysanthemum is in the range of 1600-2500 meters, and it belongs to the most climatic species. The suitable temperature for growth is 20 30, it is not cold tolerant, and the growth is stagnant below 15.
According to the average annual temperature in Metro Vancouver, the outdoor growing period is from June to September, and it can be planted in the ground in mid-April and harvested in October and November. Then at least in March to start raising seedlings indoors or in the cold shed, the earlier the seedlings, the longer the growth time, the larger the size of the chrysanthemum, the higher the yield.
The trade name of chrysanthemum potato is "yacon", probably because chrysanthemum potato is shaped like a sweet potato, its appearance is not good, but it is sweet and juicy, and the taste is like a pear, and it is eaten as a fruit, so it is given such an icy and jade name, which seems to have something to do with snow lotus. Later, it was called "Tianshan yacon fruit". However, it is indeed much closer to the snow lotus than to the sweet potato, which is also a plant of the Asteraceae family.
perennial herbaceous plant with a plant height of 1-3 meters; The underground stems are lumpy, spindle-shaped, oval, spherical or irregularly noduled, with yellow, white or purplish-red skin. The stems on the ground are thick and erect, the bark of the stems is blue-gray-green, some of the bases are purple-red, and the stems and branches are hollow. The pubescence on the upper part of the stem is soft, and the bristles at the base of the stem are hard, grayish-white or silvery-white.
In fact, the leaves are the most valuable part of chrysanthemums, and the end of the article will tell you why.
Leaves opposite, ovate or nearly equilateral triangular, off-base three veins distinct; The front of the leaf is dark green, the back is pale green, and there are microhairs on both sides. The leaves are 15-21 cm long, 15-23 cm wide, the leaf margins are wavy and serrate, the apex of the leaf is acute, and the base is broadly wedge-shaped. The petiole is 7-13 cm long, the petiole is flanked by narrow wings, and the narrow wings of the two lobes on both sides of the same node are joined together.
Blooms in autumn, each branch has a capitate inflorescence at the end, and the flower diameter is 15-2 cm, with golden-yellow white-tongued flowers on the periphery, each with 14-15 petals. Calyx 5-lobed, tapering, green. Poor fruiting, achenes.
Temperature: The suitable temperature for growth is 20 30, not tolerant to cold, and growth is stagnant below 15. Compared to tomatoes, which are less cold-tolerant, tomatoes are at 10 years of growth stagnation.
Sunshine: Likes sunlight and is resistant to strong light.
Altitude: There is an article that chrysanthemum is suitable for planting on cultivated land at an altitude of 1000-2300 meters, in fact, this is only its growing area in the Andes Mountains of origin, this altitude area indicates the temperature, and this area is the ** zone area. As long as the temperature conditions are suitable, there is no special requirement for the altitude of the chrysanthemum.
Due to the low fruiting ability of chrysanthemum, the seeds are often sterile or difficult to germinate, so the production is often propagated by tubers.
The tubers used for the propagation of chrysanthemums are called chrysanthemum seed bulbs, which can be broken into one by one, each with multiple bud points, and each bud point can grow into a tree.
Some bulbs have too large roots and many bud points on them, which can be cut into many small pieces with a knife like planting potatoes, and 1-2 bud points are retained on each piece, which can improve the utilization rate of seed bulbs.
After cutting, put it in a cool and ventilated place to dehydrate and dry the surface layer of the incision site, so as to avoid rapid rotting and burning of roots. You can also dip the incision position into 0A 25% carbendazim or chlorothalonil solution, followed by replanting, can also prevent the incision site from rotting too quickly and affecting the growth of new shoots.
After planting, don't water too much, just keep the soil slightly moist. This is also to prevent too much moisture from accelerating root rot.
If conditions permit, the earlier the seedlings are raised, the better, so that the chrysanthemum potato has a longer growth time, which is conducive to improving the yield and sweetness.
The cultivation of Jerusalem potato is very simple, similar to artichoke (Jerusalem artichoke), there are no excessive requirements for soil, fertilizer, and watering. It is enough to take it with you when you water and fertilize flowers and vegetables.
It is better than artichoke (Jerusalem artichoke) in that it does not leave its own seeds in the ground, does not grow everywhere, and is difficult to remove. Chrysanthemum potatoes are not cold-tolerant, and the undug rhizome bulbs will freeze as soon as the frost period arrives, making it difficult to overwinter.
Of course, if you want to harvest more and have a high sweetness, you still need to strengthen fertilizer and water management.
The fruit of yacon is an asexual trophite, there is no obvious maturity standard and harvest period, but the harvest is close to the yield of yacon, seed retention, storage, processing and utilization, crop rotation, harvest too early will reduce the yield, too late to be affected by low temperature chilling injury, the harvest of yacon is generally the plant stem tip begins to wither, the leaves begin to yellow after frost, the aboveground part of the dry part begins to dig the fruit, the north should be harvested before the frost.
There are two kinds of yacon roots, the lower one is the fruit, which is used for eating, and the top is the bulb, which is used for propagation.
These bulbs are not hardy and are dried after harvest to dehydrate the fractures before being buried in sand or mixed with coir and stored indoors at temperatures between 3-10 for the winter.
The main pests of yacon are root-knot nematodes and grubs. For more information on how to control these two pests, see Pest Control.
The main benefit of yacon is the inulin-like substance it contains, fructooligosaccharides. It cannot be fully absorbed by the body and can also be consumed by diabetics. Fructooligosaccharides can also promote the proliferation of bifidobacteria in the intestine, improve the balance of microecology, and indirectly play a role in detoxification and prevention of constipation, so they belong to the category of "bifidogenesis" and "dietary fiber".
However, the fructo-oligosaccharides in yacon are easily decomposed into sucrose, fructose and glucose during storage, and studies have found that after 6 days of storage without avoiding light, fructo-oligosaccharides will be lost by more than 1 2. Therefore, if stored for too long, the benefits of fructo-oligosaccharides will be greatly reduced, and it can also raise blood sugar after consumption.
Supermarket-bought yacon fruit often goes through a long period of transportation and storage, and most of the fructooligosaccharides have been converted, and there is no special effect except for the edible value.
The real medicinal part of the chrysanthemum is not the underlying roots, but its leaves.
Its leaves are a medicinal herb highly prized by the ancient Incas, and the locals drank its leaves as medicinal tea. Studies have found that the leaves of YACON contain considerable amounts of minerals, especially potassium and calcium, as well as catechins, flavonoid glycosides, and vitamin C, vitamin B2, carotene, and inulin. However, these ingredients are not unusual, and many plants have them in their bodies. The special feature of chrysanthemum leaves is that they contain an insulin-like substance, which can help the body control blood sugar, as well as lower cholesterol and triglycerides.
The advantages of garden planting are reflected in yacon, which can only be eaten by growing it yourself, which is rich in fructooligosaccharides, and you can also collect the leaves of chrysanthemum potatoes and make homemade medicinal teas that control blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides.