Carrot

Carrot
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Genus: Daucus
Species:
Subspecies:
D. c. sativus
Trinomial name
Daucus carota sativus
Synonyms[1]
  • Carota sativa (Hoffm.) Rupr.
  • Daucus sativus (Hoffm.)

The carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) is a root vegetable, typically orange in color, though heirloom variants including purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist,[2][3][4] all of which are domesticated forms of the wild carrot, Daucus carota, native to Europe and Southwestern Asia. The plant probably originated in Persia and was originally cultivated for its leaves and seeds. The most commonly eaten part of the plant is the taproot, although the stems and leaves are also eaten. The domestic carrot has been selectively bred for its enlarged, more palatable, less woody-textured taproot.

The carrot is a biennial plant in the umbellifer family, Apiaceae. At birth, it grows a rosette of leaves while building up the enlarged taproot. Fast-growing cultivars mature within about three months (90 days) of sowing the seed, while slower-maturing cultivars need a month longer (120 days). The roots contain high quantities of alpha- and beta-carotene, lycopene, anthocyanins, lutein,[5] and are a good source of vitamin A, vitamin K, and vitamin B6. Black carrots are one of the richest sources of anthocyanins (250–300 mg/100 g fresh root weight), and hence possesses high antioxidant ability i.e. almost 20–35 times higher than red/orange carrots and five times higher than beetroot.[6]

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that world production of carrots and turnips (these plants are combined by the FAO) for 2020 was 41 million tonnes, with over 44% of the world total grown in China. Carrots are commonly consumed raw or cooked in various cuisines.

  1. ^ "Daucus carota subsp. sativus (Hoffm.) Arcang". theplantlist.org. The Plant List. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  2. ^ Iorizzo, Massimo; Curaba, Julien; Pottorff, Marti; et al. (7 August 2020). "Carrot Anthocyanins Genetics and Genomics: Status and Perspectives to Improve Its Application for the Food Colorant Industry". Genes. 11 (8): 906. doi:10.3390/genes11080906. ISSN 2073-4425. PMC 7465225. PMID 32784714.
  3. ^ Iorizzo, Massimo; Senalik, Douglas A.; Ellison, Shelby L.; et al. (2013). "Genetic structure and domestication of carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) (Apiaceae)". American Journal of Botany. 100 (5): 930–938. doi:10.3732/ajb.1300055. hdl:11336/7476. PMID 23594914.
  4. ^ Sifferlin, Alexandra. "Eat This Now: Rainbow Carrots". Time. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  5. ^ Singh, BK; Koley, TK; Maurya, A; Singh, PM; and Singh, B (2018) Phytochemical and antioxidative potential of orange, red, yellow, rainbow and black coloured tropical carrots (Daucus carota subsp. sativus Schubl. & Martens). Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants 24(5): 899-907 DOI 10.1007/s12298-018-0574-8.
  6. ^ Singh, BK; Singh, B and Singh, PM (2019) Kashi Krishna: Black carrot variety. ICAR News: A Science and Technology Newsletter 25(2):18-19