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Daucus carota

Authority	L.
Family	Magnoliopsida:Rosidae:Apiales:Umbelliferae
Synonyms
Common names	cenoura brava, devil's plague, gelbe ruebe, gulerod, gulrot, karotte, mohrruebe, morot, porkkana, Queen Anne's-lace, wild carrot
Editor
Ecocrop code	871

Notes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION A herb with a slender, swollen orange or reddish taproot. The root varies in length from 5-25 cm. In the second year the plant may produce an inflorescence and reach 20-100 cm in height. The inflorescence is a compound umbrel and the small flowers are white or pink. USES The roots are eaten fresh, cooked, or pickled as a vegetable and pressed for juice, canned, or dehydrated. They are a good source of carotene, vitamins, and sugar. An essential oil is extracted from the seeds and used for flavoring and in perfumes. GROWING PERIOD Biennial, normally grown as a cool-season annual. Carrot seeds are small and germinate slowly, and the tiny seedlings require some time to become established. Baby carrots can be harvested after 60-80 days, while full-size carrots require 70-150 days. It requires two seasons to produce seed. COMMON NAMES Carrot, Queen Anne`s lance, Carotte Potagere, Zanahoria, Mohre Karotte, Peen, Gajar, Bortol. KILLING T Leaves will not tolerate -1.5°C. FURTHER INF Carrot is native of Europe and parts of Asia. In the tropics, carrot should be grown at altitudes above 500 m for commercial production. Humidity should be moderate. Optimum temperature for germination is 15-25°C, maximum is 35°C. In the seedling stage the plants are sensitive to both high and low temperatures. Many young plants may be injured or killed on hot, sunny days. Long periods of hot weather often cause a strong flavor and cause root texture. Temperatures below 10°C tend to cause longer, more slender, and paler roots. Pale roots are also produced at temperatures above 25°C. Heavy clay soils tend to cause restricted root development and forked roots. Short days may reduce the ·-carotene content of the roots. Photosynthesis pathway C3.
Sources
SOURCES (Daucus carota L.) Sims D (pers. comm.) Duke J 1979 pp 105 [PH, RAIN, TEMP] Dube P 1982 pp 24 Eswaran H 1986 Roecklein J 1987 pp 480 [USE, DRA, TEXT, FER, TEMP] Rice R 1990 pp 292-294 [DRA, FER, PH, TEMP] Tindall H 1983 pp 406-408 [DRA, TEXT, FER, DRA, PH, TEMP, RAIN, DES, CUL] Maas E 1990 pp 277 [SAL] Hartmann T 1981 pp 574-575 [TEMP, KTMP, DEP, TEXT, RAIN, MAN, PEST, CUL] Kernick M 1961 pp 412-415 [PHO, TEMP, RAIN, TEXT, DEP, DRA, FER] Langer R 1991 pp 148-150 [TEXT, DRA, PH] Huei-mei Li 1995 (pers. comm.) Hockings E 1961b pp 380-384 [TEXT, DRA, DEP, USE, FER]