It has potential for commercial vegetable farming: a new burdock variety has been developed in Ukraine
14 June 18:12
Common burdock, traditionally grown in Ukraine as a medicinal plant, has potential for commercial vegetable production thanks to its high inulin content and the emergence of the first domestically developed vegetable variety. This is reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing AgroTimes.
According to Oleksandr Poznyak, a junior research fellow at the Mayak Research Station of the Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing at the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences, demand for inulin-containing products is gradually growing due to the spread of diabetes and consumer interest in functional foods. At the same time, the segment for such vegetable crops in Ukraine remains virtually untapped.
Watch us on YouTube: important topics – without censorship
The situation may change with the new variety of true burdock, “Imeninnik,” developed at the “Mayak” Research Station. According to test results, it yielded 21.6 t/ha of marketable root crops, which is 35% higher than that of the standard variety. The average root weight is about 300 g, and the roots themselves are uniform and unbranched, which is important for commercial production.
“The content of high-molecular-weight inulin in the roots is 7.7%, which confirms its suitability for use in functional foods,” the authors of the article note.
Experts believe that burdock is unlikely to replace traditional vegetable crops, but it could become an effective diversification tool for farms operating in niche or organic market segments. Especially given that the crop allows for the production of several types of products within a single production cycle—roots, leaves, and raw materials for processing.
Read us on Telegram: important topics – without censorship
