Turnip
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Sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris subsp. Vulgaris ) |
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The beet ( Beta vulgaris ), also known as the common beet , is a species of plant from the foxtail family (Amaranthaceae). This species includes the economically important cultivars sugar beet , beetroot , Swiss chard and fodder beet , which belong to the subspecies Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris can be summarized. They come from the wild beet ( Beta vulgaris subsp. Maritima ), which occurs on the coasts of Western Europe and the Mediterranean as far as Western Asia.
description
Vegetative characteristics
The beet grows as an annual, biennial or perennial herbaceous plant with heights of 20 to 120 (rarely up to 200) centimeters. The cultivated forms (subsp. Vulgaris ) are almost always biennial. Its root can be a strongly thickened, rounded or spindle-shaped turnip of red, white or yellow color, or it can be thin, fibrous and branched. In the wild forms, the branched stem often has prostrate, in cultivated forms always upright twigs that are angular, grooved and striped with green or red.
The basal leaves have a long petiole, which in some cultivated forms can be strongly thickened and colored white, yellow or red. The simple leaf blade is often fleshy, shiny, green to dark red, and has protruding leaf veins. The leaf margin is flat or slightly wavy. The leaf blade is oblong-ovate or oval-heart-shaped, with a blunt tip, at the base it is gradually narrowed into the petiole. The leaf blade of the basal leaves reaches a length of about 10 cm in wild forms and 20 to 30 cm in cultivated forms. The alternate stem leaves are smaller and rhombic to ovate-lanceolate in shape.
Inflorescence and flower
The inflorescence consists of upright or protruding, elongated branches clearly separated from the leafy part. The flowers sit individually or in clusters of two or three (up to eight) in the axils of short bracts . The hermaphroditic flowers have an urn-shaped flower envelope made up of five tepals that have grown together below . These are oval-elongated with a length of 3 to 5 mm and a width of 2 to 3 mm. There are five stamens . The semi-subordinate ovary bears two to three basally connected scars.
Fruit and seeds
The capsule fruit is a "lid capsule". It is enclosed by the flower cover, the leathery tips of which are bent inwards. The spreading unit ( diaspore ) often consists of several fruits that have grown together. The lenticular seed lies horizontally embedded in the base of the flower envelope. Its surface is red-brown and smooth, its diameter reaches about 1.5 to 3 mm. The ring-shaped embryo is surrounded by the perisperm , the abundant nutrient tissue.
Chromosome number
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 18. In the subspecies subsp. vulgaris also have 27 or 36 chromosomes.
biology
The beet needs a cool period below 10 ° C in order to flower ( vernalization ).
The development ( ontogenesis ) of the flowers begins with an inflorescence system in the axilla of a bract. This forms a short axis, which laterally carries two opposite flower systems in the axilla of a cover leaf and ends with a flower system. Tepals, stamens and carpels form in the flower systems from the outside in. Since the tepals are lifted up by a tube during growth, a semi-underneath ovary results. Similar growth processes lead to the ring (discus) at the base of the stamens. The bracts of the terminal flower and one of the neighboring flowers often grow together.
The flowers are mostly pollinated by the wind ( anemophilia ).
Occurrence
The wild forms of the beet are distributed from the coasts of Western Europe and the Mediterranean Sea through the Near and Middle East to India. They are also introduced on other continents. They do not tolerate deep frosts. They grow in full sun, nutrient-rich salt plant corridors of the coasts or, especially in the southeastern distribution area, also in nitrogen-rich ruderal places inland.
The cultivars are grown worldwide in regions with a suitable climate. The beet-forming varieties grow best in a cool, temperate climate of around 15 to 19 ° C. The Swiss chard varieties can also be used in warmer regions. As descendants of coastal plants, the cultivated forms of the beet tolerate salty soils and temporary drought better than other cultivated plants. They prefer pH neutral to slightly alkaline soil, in addition to the usual plant nutrients and sodium and boron should contain.
Systematics
Beta vulgaris belongs to the subfamily Betoideae within the foxtail family (Amaranthaceae). It used to be part of the goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae), these are now included in the foxtail family.
The first publication of Beta vulgaris L. was in 1753 by Carl von Linné in Species Plantarum , p. 222. At the same time Linnaeus established the genus Beta with it. He initially saw wild beet , chard and beetroot as three different varieties of Beta vulgaris (at that time there were no sugar beets and fodder beets ). In the second edition of Species plantarum from 1762, p. 322, Linnaeus separated the wild form as a separate species and summarized only the cultivated forms under Beta vulgaris . Today, wild and cultivated forms are viewed as subspecies of a common species because they interbreed with one another and produce fertile offspring. The taxonomic position of the individual forms of culture as varieties or subspecies has also been changed numerous times. In the meantime, according to the ICNCP, it has been agreed that cultivars will only be used in groups within Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris .
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 divided into three subspecies:
- Beta vulgaris subsp. adanensis (Pamukç. ex Aellen) Ford-Lloyd & JTWilliams (Syn .: Beta adanensis Pamukç. ex Aellen ): It is a wild form that occurs in Greece , Cyprus , Israel , western Syria and Turkey . There it grows in disturbed places and in steppes.
- Wild beet ( Beta vulgaris subsp. Maritima (L.) Arcang. ), Also called sea beet, wild beet, sea chard, sea chard or wild chard. It is the wild starting form of the cultivated beet. Their distribution area extends from the coasts of Western Europe, around the Mediterranean Sea through the Near and Middle East to India .
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Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris (Syn .: Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla (L.) Arcang. , Beta vulgaris subsp. rapacea (WDJ Koch) Döll ). These include numerous cultivars that can be grouped into five cultivar groups:
- Sugar beet , also called White Silesian Sugar Beet ( Beta vulgaris subsp. Vulgaris Altissima Group)
- Beetroot , also known as beetroot, beetroot, beetroot, salad beet ( Beta vulgaris subsp. Vulgaris conditiva Group) - a hellfleischige variety is yellow beets (Goldrübe)
- Fodder beet , also called beetroot, Runkeln, Burgunderrübe, beet chard, cattle chard ( Beta vulgaris subsp. Vulgaris Crassa Group)
- Swiss chard , also known as Swiss chard or leaf chard ( Beta vulgaris subsp. Vulgaris Cicla Group)
- Stalk mangold, also known as Swiss chard , rib chard, Roman chard, stem chard , cardoon beet, Roman beetroot or cabbage stalk ( Beta vulgaris subsp. Vulgaris Flavescens Group)
History and origin of cultural forms
The oldest archaeological finds of beet fruits come from a Neolithic coastal settlement in northern Holland. There are not yet any indications of cultivation here, it is assumed that the leaves of the wild form were used.
Since the beginning of historical records, the beet has been a valued food crop in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East . At that time only the leaves and petioles were consumed. The first forms of culture probably arose in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East through human selection. An Assyrian text dated about 800 BC mentions silga (an early form of Swiss chard) as one of the species planted in the Hanging Gardens of the Semiramis in Babylon.
In ancient Greece the plant was called teutlon or teutlion . Aristotle described a red variety. Theophrast differentiated a black or dark green variety, as well as a white or light green variety, which was called sicula after its origin from the island of Sicily . In the Middle East the plant was also called selg , silq , silig , seig or salk . This stem can still be found today in the scientific name of Mangold ( Cicla group).
The ancient Romans called the plant beta , they also knew a white and a black variety. The Romans were the first to use the roots medicinally and occasionally as food. The black beta variety of the Romans is an early forerunner of today's beetroot .
Until the 16th century, however, it was mainly the leaves of the beet that served as food. Their roots were rarely consumed because they were mostly long, hard and thin back then. It was not until after the 16th century that meatier beets were bred in many varieties and varieties, and thus beetroot was used as a food crop.
In contrast to beetroot, cut chard and stem chard have only been slightly changed in terms of breeding. The colored varieties have been known since ancient times. More compact varieties were bred in the 18th century.
As a food plant is Beta vulgaris used at least since ancient times. Until the 18th century there was no distinction between food and fodder beet. It was not until around 1750 that special yellow-fleshed varieties that could be easily stored over the winter were known as fodder beet or beetroot from the Rhineland .
In the 16th century it was recognized that a sweet syrup could be made from the fleshy beets of Beta vulgaris . The chemist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf proved in 1747 that the sugar crystals from the beets are identical to cane sugar and consist of pure sucrose . After higher-yielding varieties had been bred, sugar production from beets could begin in 1801. Today the sugar beet is the most important form of cultivation of this species.
use
Beta vulgaris is the economically most important plant species within the species-rich order of the carnation-like (Caryophyllales).
Food plant
Sugar ( sucrose ) is extracted from the roots of the sugar beet . The leaves and leaf veins of cut chard and stem chard as well as the roots ( beets ) of beetroot are consumed as vegetables or salad .
Dye plant
The intensely colored roots or petioles of some cultivated forms of Beta vulgaris are rich in betalains . The purple color betanin (beetroot) is used as a food coloring (E162), for example for ice cream and desserts. Yellow or orange colored parts of the plant have a high content of betaxanthines. In the past, beetroot was also used as a dye plant to dye fabrics. To do this, however, the water-soluble dye had to be fixed and its purple-red color changed to brownish tones.
Fodder plant
Both the roots and the leaves of the fodder beet are used as animal feed.
Medicinal plant
Even the Romans valued white and red cultivars of the beet as a valuable medicinal plant for fever and constipation. After the Middle Ages, the plant was considered a remedy for the blood, heart and digestive system. It was used as a laxative, as a remedy for bad breath, for coughs or headaches, to promote menstruation and also as an aphrodisiac.
The sap was traditionally used to heal ulcers. Mixed with vinegar, the juice should help with dandruff, scabs, and hair loss. The whole plant has been used effectively against cat roundworms.
Seeds and other parts of the beet plant were used in traditional medicine against tumors . According to recent studies, the levels of betacyanin , choline and betaine may influence the metabolism of cancer cells . Therefore, beetroot is recommended for cancer prevention.
Due to its content of minerals, betalain and micronutrients, beetroot in particular is now considered a healthy vegetable with a positive effect on the immune system . Their high nitrate content demonstrably increases the performance of athletes.
Ornamental plant
Some varieties of chard with red or yellow stems ( Beta vulgaris Cicla group) are occasionally planted as leaf decorations in gardens.
Renewable raw material
Sugar beet is increasingly being used as a renewable raw material for the production of bioethanol and biogas .
Common names
For the turnip, the other German-language trivial names also exist or existed, in some cases only regionally : Aengerschen ( Swabia ), Angerschen (Swabia), Beete ( Northern Germany ), Bete, Betha, Biese ( Middle High German ), Bietekohl ( Middle Low German ), Bieza ( Old High German ), Bioza (Old High German), Blijt (Middle High German), Chrut ( St. Gallen ), Magold, Manegolt (Old High German), Mänglet ( Switzerland near Toggenburg , Middle High German), Mangolt, Manichel ( Würzburg ), Payscheln (Middle High German), Paischol (Middle High German), Piesse (Middle High German), Piessen (Middle High German), Pizenkraut (Middle High German), Plateysske (Middle High German), Pyessen (Middle High German), Rande (Switzerland), Randich ( Augsburg ), Rangersen (Würzburg), Riepp ( Transylvania near Schäßburg ) , Rid (Transylvania near Schäßburg), Rihmesch (Transylvania), Römischkraut (Middle High German), Römische Knolle (Middle High German), Römisch Köl, Römischkohl ( Hunsrück , Darmstadt ), Romeskol (Mittelni Ederdeutsch), Romesche Kol (Middle Low German), Roners ( Austria ), Ronersen (Austria), Rumischelkohl (Middle High German), Rummel ( Eifel ), Runkel, (Thuringia), Steyr (Middle High German), Stier (Middle High German), Stir (Middle High German), Stur (Old High German), Sturbete (Old High German) and Speis (Eifel).
literature
- Ferdinand Orth : Turnip. In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume IA, 1, Stuttgart 1914, Sp. 1180-1182.
- Leila M. Shultz: Beta vulgaris - the same text online as the printed work , In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (Hrsg.): Flora of North America North of Mexico . Volume 4: Magnoliophyta: Caryophyllidae, part 1 . Oxford University Press, New York / Oxford a. a. 2003, ISBN 0-19-517389-9 , pp. 265-267 (English). (Description)
- Gelin Zhu, Sergei L. Mosyakin & Steven E. Clemants: Chenopodiaceae : Beta vulgaris - online with the same text as the printed work . In: Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven, Deyuan Hong (Eds.): Flora of China . Volume 5: Ulmaceae through Basellaceae . Science Press / Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing / St. Louis 2003, ISBN 1-930723-27-X , pp. 354 (English). . (Description)
- Stephen Nottingham: Beetroot . 2004, online (occurrence, history of cultural forms, use).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chromosome number in Tropicos
- ↑ Hilda Flores Olvera, Erik Smets, Alexander Vrijdaghs: Floral and Inflorescence Morphology and Ontogeny in Beta vulgaris, with Special Emphasis on the Ovary Position . In: Annals of Botany Volume 102, No. 4, 2008, pp. 643-651, doi: 10.1093 / aob / mcn140 .
- ↑ First publication of Beta vulgaris , scanned at biodiversitylibrary.org .
- ↑ Beta vulgaris in the second edition of Species plantarum , scanned at biodiversitylibrary.org
- ↑ a b Scientific names and common names of Beta vulgaris in MMPND
- ↑ a b c Pertti Uotila: Chenopodiaceae (pro parte majore). - In: Euro + Med Plantbase - the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. 2011, Beta vulgaris at Euro + Med PlantBase
- ^ A b c Maria M. Romeiras, Ana Vieira, Diogo N. Silva, Monica Moura, Arnoldo Santos-Guerra, Dora Batista, Maria Cristina Duarte, & Octávio S. Paulo: Evolutionary and Biogeographic Insights on the Macaronesian Beta-Patellifolia Species ( Amaranthaceae) from a Time-Scaled Molecular Phylogeny . PLoS One. 2016; 11 (3): e0152456. 8 doi: 10.1371 / journal.pone.0152456 )
- ↑ Karl-Heinz Knörzer , History of the turnip ( Beta vulgaris L.) with contributions from large residual finds from the Lower Rhine. In: E. Hajnalová (Ed.): Paleoethnobotany and Archeology. 8th Symposium International Work Group for Palaeoethnobotany , 1991, pp. 159-164.
- ↑ a b Entry in Plants For A Future
- ↑ Doping in red . In: Image of Science. Issue 11, 2011, p. 37
- ↑ www.nachwachsenderohstoffe.de: Renewable raw materials again in 2009 on around 2 million hectares ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , October 21, 2009, accessed February 15, 2010
- ↑ Agency for Renewable Raw Materials (FNR): Conference proceedings “Biogas in Agriculture - Status and Perspectives.” In: Gülzower Expert Discussions. Volume 32, 2009, 458 pp., PDF file.
- ^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, page 56 f., Online.
Web links
- Turnip (sort of). In: FloraWeb.de.
- Distribution map for Germany. In: Floraweb .
- The distribution of Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima in the northern hemisphere according to Eric Hultén
- Thomas Meyer: Data sheet with identification key and photos at Flora-de: Flora von Deutschland (old name of the website: Flowers in Swabia )
- Avinoam Danin: Beta vulgaris in the Flora of Israel online.
- Avinoam Danin: Beta vulgaris subsp. adanensis in the Flora of Israel online.
- Distribution map of Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris
- Distribution map of Beta vulgaris subsp. adanensis
