Agrihortico strana 3 z 7

Mulberry plant is a woody perennial plant. Scientific name of mulberry is Morus spp.. White mulberry is known as Morus alba, red mulberry is known as Morus rubra, and black mulberry is known as Morus nigra. Mulberry belongs to the family Moraceae. Mulberry plants are mainly grown for their fruits and for sericulture purposes. Sericulture is the culture of silk worms where mulberry leaves are used as fodders for silk worms.

Berries are considered as the most nutritious plant-based foods as all types of edible berry fruits are excellent source of easily digestible dietary fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. In fact, several scientific studies have confirmed the fact that berries such as strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, cranberries and blueberries are the most nutritious antioxidant rich foods available today. Since these berries are antioxidant rich, they have anti-cancer properties as well. Antioxidants are capable of scavenging the free radicals present within our body and thus capable of reducing free radical damage of our body cells. That is how regular berry consumption prevents lifestyle diseases such as cancer, obesity, and diabetes

Recent scientific studies reveal one important fact regarding our nutrition: Cruciferous vegetables, dark leafy greens, citrus fruits, berries, and of course, our humble sweet potatoes are the most nutritious foods on the planet Earth. Isn’t it surprising that sweet potatoes are also featured in the list as one of the nutrient-dense foods? A tuber vegetable that we all ignored so far...

Scientific name of Papaya is Carica papaya. It belongs to the family of Caricaceae. Papaya plants are short-lived perennial tropical fruit plants. These plants are dioecious, i.e. both male and female flowers are borne on the same plant. Papaya is also known as tree melon, papaw or pawpaw. Other members of Caricaceae family are Babaco (Carica pentagona), Mountain Papaya (Carica pubescens), and Chamburo (Carica stipulata).

There are always some exceptions found in the nature. For example, there are a group of plants called ‘parasitic plants’ which are unable to perform photosynthesis, a characteristic function of majority members of the plant kingdom. These parasitic plants depend on other living plants for their food and nutritional requirements. Parasitic plants that depend totally on other plants for their food and nutritional requirements are known as total parasites or holoparasites or obligately parasitic plants. Parasitic plants that depend partially on other plants for their food and nutritional requirements are called partial parasites or hemiparasites.

Passion fruit is a popular tropical fruit. Scientific name of Passion fruit is Passiflora edulis. It belongs to the family of Passifloraceae. Passion fruit is originated in Brazil. Now, passion fruits are distributed and cultivated in several tropical regions of the world including South Africa, Kenya, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Indonesia, Florida, Sri Lanka, and India. There are two types of passion fruits based on fruit color. These are yellow passion fruits and purple passion fruits.

Pineapple is a popular tropical fruit. Scientific name of pineapple plant is Ananas comosus. It belongs to the family of Bromeliaceae. Pineapples are a native to southern Brazil and Paraguay. Pineapples are an important commercial fruit crop of the tropics. Major commercial-scale producers of pineapples are Hawaii Islands, Brazil, Malaysia, Taiwan, Mexico, the Philippines, South Africa, India and Puerto Rico. There is a high demand for canned pineapples and other processed pineapple products worldwide. Pineapple is an important fruit plant in tropical kitchen gardens.

Pomegranate is a highly nutritious tropical fruit. Pomegranate plant is an evergreen medium-sized perennial tree. Pomegranate is believed to be originated in the region comprising of Iran to northern India. Pomegranate is a long-lived perennial plant cultivated for its delicious, nutritious fruits. It is a deciduous shrub with multiple spiny branches. The plant may grow into small tree under good growing conditions. Sometimes the plant reaches up to 10 meters in height. Leaves are opposite and glossy, narrow oblong, with entire margin.

Potato is one of the most ancient and the oldest domesticated food crops. Today, potato is the most important and the largest vegetable crop of the world (both production-wise and consumption-wise). Potato is also used as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potato is a starchy tuberous perennial vegetable; however for vegetable purposes, potato plants are grown as annual plants. Potato plants are considered as cool season crops because of the low temperature requirement for tuber formation. The edible portion or tuber is a modified underground stem.

Scientific name of common pumpkins, which are rounded with smooth skin and yellow colour, is Cucurbita pepo. Scientific name of large cultivars of pumpkins and squashes (giant pumpkins) is Cucurbita maxima. Scientific name of winter cultivars of pumpkins and squashes is Cucurbita moschata. Pumpkins are actually a group of squash plants, fruits of which may be small-, medium- or large-sized with round or elongated shape and with smooth or ribbed skin. Fruit colour varies from green to greenish yellow to deep yellow to orange to red color. Fruit has a thick shell which contains seeds and pulp. Numerous pumpkin cultivars are available in the market that varies in shape, size and colour of flesh. Most parts of the pumpkin are edible, including the fleshy shell, pumpkin seeds, the young leaves, and the pumpkin flowers.

Radishes are a popular root vegetable of Brassicaceae family and are grown for their fleshy edible tubers, which are actually modified tap roots. Radishes can be grown as annuals or biennials depending upon the growing purposes. For vegetable purposes, it is grown as an annual and for seed production, it is grown as a biennial. Tubers may be eaten raw as a salad vegetable or cooked as a vegetable dish. Just like other Brassica vegetables, radishes are also a powerhouse of nutrients. Radishes are among the top 50 plant-based nutrient-dense foods. Radish is believed to be originated in the Mediterranean region. Rutabagas are neither turnips nor cabbages. It is actually a hybrid between cabbage and turnip. Rutabaga plants are grown for its leaves and roots. Rutabaga roots are used as a root vegetable while Rutabaga greens are used as a leafy vegetable. Rutabagas are one of the most important nutrient-dense foods available today. Rutabaga plants are a crop of temperate climates. It is believed to be originated in the Mediterranean region. Common names of rutabagas are Swedish turnip and yellow turnip. Turnip plants are grown for its leaves and roots. Turnip roots are used as a root vegetable while turnip greens are used as a leafy vegetable. Turnip greens are one of the most important nutrient-dense foods available today. Turnip plants are a crop of temperate climates. It is believed to be originated in the Mediterranean region.

Sapota is a highly popular tropical fruit. Scientific name of sapota or sapodilla is Manilkara zapota or Achras sapota. It belongs to the family of Sapotaceae. Sapodilla is believed to be a native of Mexico and other tropical countries of South America. Sapodilla trees are perennial, slow-growing, evergreen fruit trees. These plants are of tropical growth habit and can grow to more than 15 meters tall with a trunk diameter of 1 meter under good cultural conditions. Grafted cultivars of sapota are dwarf and suitable for home gardens.

Scientific name of spine gourd or teasle gourd is Momordica dioica. Spine gourd is a cucurbitaceous vegetable which is closely related to bitter gourd. However, it is not bitter in taste as bitter gourd. As in case of other cucurbitaceous vegetables (cucurbits) which mainly include melons and gourds, spine gourd is also grown as a summer vegetable in tropical and subtropical countries. Spine gourd is called Kantola or kakrol in Hindi, mada hagalakai in Kannada, kadu peere in Tulu, and paagila in Konkani. 

Recent scientific studies reveal one important fact regarding our nutrition: Cruciferous vegetables, dark leafy greens, citrus fruits and berries like strawberries and blackberries are the most nutritious foods on the planet Earth. Yes, these fruits and vegetables are nothing but only nutrients and water. Among the fruits, citrus fruits and berries provide a wholesome nutrition to human body. So if you are looking for a healthier lifestyle, start today to include one or more of these foods in your daily diet.

Tamarillo is a subtropical vegetable crop grown for its egg-shaped bright red-or yellow-coloured edible fruits. Whole fruits are consumed raw or after cooking. Scientific name of tamarillo or tree tomato is Cyphomandra betacea and synonym is Solanum betaceum.

Taro or colocasia is a popular tropical tuber crop grown for its edible root tubers and succulent, tender shoots and young leaves. Colocasia tubers are used as a staple food and as a vegetable in many countries. Colocasia leaves are used as a tropical leafy vegetable. There are many varieties of colocasia that are cultivated for edible purposes. Tubers of some varieties of colocasia may contain considerable amounts of an acrid compound called calcium oxalate which can be destroyed by proper cooking. Yams are a group of monocot plants, precisely speaking, a group of perennial herbaceous vines grown for their starch-rich, edible tubers. They belong to the family Dioscoreaceae and genus Dioscorea. Yams are widely grown in both temperate and tropical parts of the world and considered as an important food crop in the tropical areas of America, Asia and Africa. Yams are a rich source of carbohydrates. There are white yams, purple yams and yellow yams, depending on the colour of the tuber flesh.