Examination of the Characteristics of Small-Sized Carrot cv. Amusu Derived from Nantes Line

Abstract

There has been an increasing demand for “small-sized (mini) vegetables” in recent years because “they prevent even small families from wasting food”, and the present study focused on small-sized carrots. Although the demand for small-sized carrots is expected to increase further, it is difficult to distinguish them from processing carrots and “thinned-out carrots”, which are produced by harvesting gosun (six-inch) carrots earlier than the appropriate harvest period. In the present study, a survey was conducted to compare the forms and quality of small-sized and gosun carrots in their appropriate harvest periods and examine the characteristics of small-sized carrots; thinned-out carrots were distinguished from small-sized ones. A survey of their forms and yields was also conducted to determine the optimal planting densities. The lower the planting density of thinned-out carrots, the larger the size of the underground parts. On the other hand, the underground parts of small-sized carrots were not influenced by the planting density. Whereas the form of the roots of thinned-out carrots was conical, the roots of small-sized carrots were cylindrical, and the diameters of the roots were the same. The roots of small-sized carrots were softer than those of thinned-out ones. There was a significant correlation between the hardness and diameter of the roots of small-sized carrots, which suggests that the hardness of small-sized carrots is homogeneous and they can be consumed raw. In a comparison of carrots planted a intervals of 10 and 20 cm, there were no significant differences in the total yield, yield of high-quality products, or high-quality-product rate. However, the mean weight of the underground parts of carrots planted at intervals of 10 cm was lower than that of carrots planted at intervals of 20 cm, and within the shipment specification for small-sized carrots (20 to 30 g), which suggests that high-density cultivation is effective for small-sized carrots.