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Carrot (Daucus carota L.)

Schematic diagram of a carrot	Different carrot varieties with xylem removed

Source: Becker J., Gemüsebau, Verlag Paul Parey 1956; Wolf-Garten

Distribution, Yield, Use:

Production (1000t) Yield (dt/ha)

Country	1979-81	1992	1979-81	1992
China	1790	2930	184	223
ex-USSR	1910	1990	140	131
USA	980	1440	298	336
Poland	600	670	210	210
Japan	600	640	248	278
UK	650	800	442	442
World	10410	14030	204	223

• Distribution:
  Grown world-wide in temperate and subtropical regions, mainly in Europe, Syria to Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, North America, Siberia and North Africa. Low soil requirements, sensitive to poor drainage.
• Use:
  Foodstuff
  (raw, cooked, as juice)
  Carotin extraction
  Fodder plant
  4-10% sugar, 8 mg carotin, 6 mg vitamin C/100 g in the root.

• Cultivation and Breeding:
  The carrot occurs in mid Europe as a wild plant with a thin whitish, woody tap-root. It is assumed that the garden carrot arose from a cross between the wild carrot and the giant carrot (Daucus maximus), found in the mediterranean area. The fleshy, fattened yellow-red root was a new characteristic. Through breeding, varieties arose which vary from about 20 cm long, through medium sized conical shapes to varieties with short, round roots. There are early, medium to early, late and perennial varieties.
• Breeding aims:
  In the forefront are yield and quality characteristics. Tenderness, a high amount of desirable contents (carotin, sugar), uniform colour of skins and flesh, shape and size of the root, and smooth peeling are important criteria.

Text by Wolfgang Schuchert
Adapted to HTML by R.Saedler