Beta vulgaris

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. Vulgaris, Altissima Group)

The beet ( Beta vulgaris), also called Common turnip, is a flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae ( Amaranthaceae ). This type includes both the Wild turnip as well as the cultural forms chard, sugar beet, fodder beet and beetroot.

• 5.1 Nahrungspflanze
• 5.2 dye plant
• 5.3 forage plant
• 5.4 Medicinal plant
• 5.5 ornamental plant
• 5.6 Renewable Resource

• 6.1 Notes and references

Description

Vegetative characteristics

The turnip grows as a one-, two-year or perennial herbaceous plant with plant height of 20 to 120 (rarely to 200) centimeters. The cultural forms ( subsp. vulgaris) are almost always two year. Its roots can be a strongly thickened, rounded or spindle-shaped turnip of red, white or yellow color, or they may be thin, fibrous and branched. The branched stem has at the wild forms are often prostrate, with cultural forms always upright branches that are striped edged Grooves and green or red.

The basal leaves have a long petiole, the strongly thickened in some forms of culture and white, can be colored yellow or red. The simple leaf blade is often slightly fleshy, glossy, green to dark red, and has prominent veining on. The leaf margin is wavy flat or slightly. The leaf blade is oblong - ovate or ovate- cordate, blunt tip, at the base of it is gradually narrowed to the petiole. The leaf blade of basal leaves reached in wild forms a length of about 10 cm, with cultural forms 20 to 30 cm. The change-constant stem leaves are smaller and shaped rhombic to ovate - lanceolate.

Inflorescence and flower

The inflorescence is erect or protruding, clearly separated from the leafy part of the extended branches. The flowers are single or in tangles of two or three ( or eight ) in the underarms short bracts. The hermaphrodite flowers have an urn-shaped perianth of five fused tepals below. These are oval to elongate a length of 3 to 5 mm and a width of 2 to 3 mm. There are five stamens present. The semi - permanent under ovary bears two to three basal associated scars.

Fruit and seeds

The capsule fruit is a " cap capsule ." It is enclosed by the perianth whose leathery lobes are bent inward. Often the spreading unit ( diaspore ) consists of several intergrown fruits. The lens-shaped seed is embedded horizontally in the base of the perianth. Its surface is reddish brown and smooth, its diameter reaches about 1.5 to 3 mm. The annular surrounds the embryo abundant endosperm.

Chromosome number

The chromosome number is 2n = 18 In the subspecies subsp. vulgaris also occur 27 or 36 chromosomes.

Biology

Beet need a cool period below 10 ° C, to go to flower ( vernalization).

The development ( ontogeny ) of the flowers begins with a plant inflorescence in the axil of a supporting sheet. This is a short axis, the side carrying two against permanent flower primordia each in the axil of a Vorblatts and ends with a flowering plant. In the flowering plants form from outside to inside tepals, stamens and carpels. Since the tepals are raised during growth through a tube, resulting in a semi- under constant ovary. Similar growth processes lead to the ring ( discus ) at the base of the stamens. The bloom of the terminal flower and one of the neighboring flowers often grow together.

Pollination of flowers is usually carried by the wind ( anemophily ).

Occurrence

The wild varieties of turnip are spread from the coasts of western Europe and the Mediterranean on the Middle East and India. Introduced they also occur on other continents. They can not bear the deep frosts. They grow in full sun, fertile salt plant corridors of the coasts or, especially in the southeastern area of ​​distribution, even on nitrogen-rich waste places in Germany.

The cultivated forms are grown worldwide in regions with suitable climate. It is best to grow the beets forming species in cool - temperate climate of about 15 to 19 ° C. The chard varieties can also be used in warmer regions. As descendants of coastal plants cultivated forms of beet salty soils, and intermittent drought better tolerated than other crops. They prefer a pH - neutral to slightly alkaline soil, which should include not only the usual plant nutrients and sodium and boron.

System

Beta vulgaris belongs to the subfamily Betoideae within the family of Amaranthaceae ( Amaranthaceae ). Previously it was put to the Gänsefußgewächsen ( Chenopodiaceae ), these are now included in the fox tail plants.

The first release of Beta vulgaris L. was carried out in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum, Linnaeus introduced S. 222 the same time so that the genus Beta on. Wild turnip, chard and beetroot he looked at first as three different varieties of Beta vulgaris to (at that time there was no sugar beet and fodder beet). In the second edition of Species plantarum of 1762, S. 322, Linnaeus separated from the wild form as a separate species and grouped them under Beta vulgaris only the cultural forms together. Today, wild and cultivated forms are considered subspecies of a common nature, as they cross each other and form fertile offspring. The taxonomic position of each cultural forms as varieties or subspecies has been changed numerous times. Meanwhile, one is agreed that cultivars subsp only in groups within Beta vulgaris. vulgaris summarize.

Synonyms for Beta vulgaris L. are: Beta cicla L., Beta crispa Tratt, beta esculenta Salisb. . (nom. illeg. ), beta sulcata Gasp. and Beta vulgaris subsp. esculenta Cout.

Beta vulgaris is subdivided into three subspecies:

• Beta vulgaris subsp. adanensis ( Pamukç. ex Aellen ) Ford - Lloyd & JTWilliams ( Syn: Beta adanensis Pamukç ex Aellen. ): It is a wild form found in Greece, Cyprus, Israel, western Syria and Turkey.
• Wild beet ( Beta vulgaris subsp. Maritima (L.) Arcang. ), Also sea - beet, wild beet, sea -Mangold, sea beet or chard called Wilder. She is the wild form of the cultivated beet output. Their range extends from the coasts of Western Europe, around the Mediterranean through the Middle East to India.
• Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris (syn.: Beta vulgaris subsp cicla (L.) Arcang, Beta vulgaris subsp rapacea ( Koch) Doell. .. ). These include numerous cultural forms, which can be summarized into five groups: Called sugar beet, also known as white Silesian sugar beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. Vulgaris, Altissima Group)
• Called beetroot, also Beetroot, Beet, Beetroot, Salad beet ( Beta vulgaris subsp. Vulgaris, conditiva Group)
• Fodder, and fodder beet, Runkeln, Burgunderrübe, beet chard, called cattle - chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. Vulgaris, Crassa Group)
• Swiss chards, also known as Swiss chard or leaf beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. Vulgaris, cicla Group)
• Called Swiss chard, and beet greens, chard ribs, Roman chard, stems Mangold, Card Onen- Pray Pray Roman or Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. Vulgaris flavescens group)

History and Development of the cultural forms

The oldest archaeological finds of the fruit of turnip come from a Neolithic settlement in the northern coast of Holland. Notes for cultivation there is not, one suspects the use of the leaves of the wild type.

Since the beginning of historical records, the turnip was in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East as valued food plant. Were consumed at that time only the leaves and petioles. The first forms of culture are probably originated in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East by human selection. An Assyrian text which is dated about 800 years before Christ, mentions SILGA ( an early form of Swiss chard ) as one of the species that were planted in the Hanging Gardens of Semiramis in Babylon.

In ancient Greece called the plant teutlon or teutlion. Aristotle described a red variety. Theophrastus distinguished a black or dark green variety, and a white or pale green variety, which was named according to their origin from the island of Sicily sicula. In the Middle East, the plant was also Selg SilQ, silig, cowardly or salk called. This root word can be found today in the scientific name of Mangold ( cicla group).

The ancient Romans called the plant beta, and they knew a white and black varieties. The Romans were the first to use the roots of medical and occasionally as a food. The black variety of the Romans beta is an early forerunner of today's beetroot.

Until the 16th century, however, the leaves of the turnip as food mainly served. Their roots were rarely eaten, because they were then still mostly long, hard and thin. It was only after the 16th century meatier beets were grown in many varieties and varieties and thus the beetroot in use as a food plant.

In contrast to the beetroot cut chard and Swiss chard have been breeding changed little. The colored varieties were known since antiquity. In the 18th century, more compact varieties have been bred.

As a forage plant Beta vulgaris is used at least since ancient times. Until the 18th century there was no distinction between food and fodder beet. From about 1750 came from the Rhineland special yellow-fleshed varieties that could store well over the winter, known as fodder or fodder beet.

In the 16th century it was recognized that from the fleshy beet Beta vulgaris a sweet syrup can be won. Andreas Sigismund Marggraf The chemist proved in 1747 that the sugar crystals from the beet are identical with cane sugar and are made of pure sucrose. After yielding varieties had been grown, could begin in 1801, sugar production from beet. Today the sugar beet is the most important cultural form of this kind

Use

Food plant

When vegetables or salad leaves, leaf veins of cut - chard and Swiss chard as well as the roots ( beet) of beetroot are eaten. From the roots of the sugar beet sugar (sucrose ) is obtained.

Dye plant

The intensely colored roots or petioles of some cultivars of Beta vulgaris are rich in betalains. The purple dye betanin ( Betenrot ) is used as a food color ( E162 ), for example, ice cream and desserts. Yellow or orange-colored parts of the plant have a high content of Betaxanthinen. Previously, beetroot was used as a dye plant for dyeing fabrics. This required the water soluble dye but be fixed and its purple color changed to brownish tones.

Forage plant

Both the roots and the leaves of the fodder to be used as animal feed.

Medicinal plant

Already the Romans valued white and red cultivars of turnip as a valuable medicinal plant for fever and constipation. After the Middle Ages, the plant was considered a cure for the blood, the heart and the digestive system. It was used as a laxative, as a remedy for bad breath, coughs and headaches, menstrual promotion and as an aphrodisiac.

Traditionally, the plant juice to heal ulcers was applied. Mixed with vinegar, the juice for dandruff, scabs and alopecia should help. The whole plant has been used effectively against feline roundworms.

Seeds and other plant parts of the beet were popular medicine used against tumors. According to recent studies, may the content of betacyanin, choline and betaine affects the metabolism of cancer cells. Therefore beetroot for the prevention of cancer is recommended.

Due to their content of minerals, and micronutrients Betalain the beetroot is especially true today as a healthy vegetable with a positive effect on the immune system. Their high nitrate content increases detectable the performance in athletes.

Ornamental plant

Some red or gelbstielige chard varieties (Beta vulgaris cicla group) are sometimes planted as foliage in gardens.

A renewable resource

Sugar beets are increasingly used as a renewable raw material for the production of bioethanol and biogas.