Carrot

CARROT (DAUCUS CARROTA)

Carrots belong to the Umbelliferon family native to Europe and southwestern Asia. The plant has a thick, fleshy, deeply coloured root, which grows underground, and feathery green leaves that emerge above ground. Carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple ,red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh. The most commonly
eaten part of a carrot is a tap root.

Ecological Requirements
Altitude
For economic yields, carrots should be grown in tropical regions at altitudes above 700m
above sea level. Early-maturing carrot cultivars may grow in the lowlands, but yields will
give low and poor root colour formation
Rainfall
A total of 450-600 mm of water is required.
Soils
Carrots perform in well drained, deep, friable, fertile soils free from lumps. They require pH
of 5.5-6.8. Deep sandy loams and clay loam soils are most desirable. Soils that compact
easily or have a high water table at any time during the growing season are unsuitable for
production. Heavy soils produce short, forked roots.
Temperature
Carrots are cool season crops that can tolerate light frost. Good quality roots (judged by
length, shape and colour) develop when the temperature is between 15- 22 0 C. At warmer
temperatures, the roots will be shorter and internally the colour will be lighter orange.