Posted on January 5, 2010.
Rediscover Certain of the Underused and Neglected Harvests of the World With a View for Elargir our Basis of Resource of Food: Cat moustache
Historic perspectives and origins.
This vegetable plant has its origins in Africa and Asia of the tropical Southeast, and spread itself to the countries more other, more tropical and more subtropical in the to the hemispheres of the north and south (Kokwaro, 1976). The dispersion is by the birds or the wind when the capsules dehisce. The cat moustaches widely are distributed in the parties more dry world as Asia, of Africa, and Americas (Iltis, 1960, 1967; Kuhn, 1988), where it grows and is considered as a bad grass. There is not nevertheless varieties or cultivars known so far.
The harvest
The natural habitat of C. gynandra is the vague land and the arable earth with the type just like the annual prairies. The plant has one C4 way photosynthedtique, that is an adaptation that renders capable plants it to survive in the dry and hot environments. It does well in the climates to dry half under humid and humid almost 1000 m above the sea level (asl). The harvest is adapted to a lot of types of ground, but does very well in the fertilized grounds with the organic manure.
Culture
The plants of gynandra of Cleome are propagated by the seeds, that could be sown on the semis or the transmission to 30 spacing out of cm. The emerging semis after 6-8 days and does not demand to transplant. Dilute can be done apreds three weeks and the thinnings could be consumed as the food.
The cat moustaches reply absolutely to the fertility of increased ground. The usage of manure of course of farm, where available, extremely is recommended, but the inorganic fertilizers also could be used. The generous application of delays of fertilizer of nitrogen blooming plants and spreads therefore the time leaf harvesting. A study on the effect to betray showed that it increased the yield of leaf and the quality of plants of gynandra of C. (Maumba, 1993). Betray the decreases plant the height and increase the number of branches by the plant and therefore the leaf yield. The yield of leaf of increases of moustaches of the cat with the plant age growing, even to seventh week, when the yield begins declining.
The plants have not dense foliage and are not therefore able to compete efficiently with the bad grasses. The this is thus necessary that to weed is done the all of the times. To weed is by the culture or the hand not very deep pulling and should not damage the plants as this unfavorably can reduce the yield of leaf and the quality.
When the plants attain a height of almost 15 cm, they can be harvested while surpassing, the return cutting to be founded the level or the leaves of individual that choose or the luxurious branches to the frequent intervals. Harvest begins 4-6 weeks apreds it appearance of semis and can last 4-5 weeks (Maundu and Al. not published). The twice-weekly abduction of tender leaves allows the branch regeneration increasing therefore the yield.
The cumulative yields of even to 30 tons by the hectare could be obtained, while to sow yields can be almost 500 kg by the hectare.
Plagues and diseases
C. gynandra is attacked by the plagues as pentatomids (Acrosternum gramineum and Agonoselis nubilis) and their parasitoids, the locustes (Schistocera gregaria), the nedmatodes (the type of Meloidgyne), the flea beetles (Phyllotreta mashonana), the insects of green vegetable (the type of Nezara), cabbage sawfly (the type of Athalia), cotton jassids (the type of Empoasca) and the hurricane insects (the type of Bagrada). The assault by these insects is more current during the periods dry, and efficiently can be checked while spraying with a fitting insecticide.
The young seeds could be eaten by weaverbirds (Quelea quelea) and the plant is also the host to make moldy myca¨te (the mildews poudreuses Sphaerotheca fuliginea, Oidiopsis taurica and Cercospora uramensis (Atheya and Mathur, 1966; Singh, 1983).
Usages
Several studies on the nutritious value of moustaches of the cat were directed and the results revealed that the leaves of this plant could be more nutritious than most of exotic luxurious vegetables. The results indicate more than the plant replies absolutely to the fertility of increased ground, although the harvest index is reduced. The nutritious value of the plant can change according to ground fertility, the environment, the plant type, the age of plant and the production techniques. The seeds of C. gynandra were analyzed for the protein brute and the content acid fatty (Chweya 1990). The composition brute of protein spread of 17.9% to 31.4%. The other nutriments that are contained in C. gynandra include of the moisturize carbon (1,3 ae" 1.4%), lipides (25.1% - 29.6%) and several amino acids as palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, valine, glutamine among of others. The leaves contain also a lot of elements minerals nutritious as the potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, zinc and the copper. These all is important for the various processes of the metabolism to work normal of the body.
Through Africa, the leaves or the young ones stretch pull are eaten boiled as a potherb, the dish of flavor or side. In the Africa of the East, fresh leaves are used as the ingredients in the other foods crushed, and the dried leaves are the ground and incorporated in to wean foods (Chigumira, 1995).
According to CAM (1990), C. gynandra is important as a luxurious vegetable in the African countries as Malawi, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Nigeria, Botswana, Namibie, Swaziland and South Africa. The leaves of this plant could be crushed to do a preparation that is drunk to heal diseases as the scurvy. In a lot of cultures, the boiled leaves are considered as a medicinal meal. In the other communities, the leaves are boiled and are marinated in tart milk for 2-3 days and eaten as a nutritious meal, that is believed to improve the view, furnish marasmus of energy and remedy. The this is an extremely recommended meal for the pregnant women and produce milk. In some communities, some vegetable consumption by the pregnant women is almost obligatory as his taken calm delivery and reduced the length of their work.
A lot of medicinal usages of C. gynandra exist in the different communities. To follow it is certain of the retrieved usages of moustaches of the cat; one) the leaf sap could be used as an analgesic for the headaches, b) the sap of the young hammered leaves is squeezed in the ears, the nostrils and the eyes to treat crises and the epileptic earaches, c) a brew or an infusion of ends leaves or the roots is managed Pregnant women, the pleasure conjunctivitis, relieve the pains of chest and treat the infection of harsh oxyure.
Otherwise that to have the medicinal usage in the human beings, C. gynandra also was observed to have insecticide, antifeedant and the characteristics pushing back (Chandel and Al., 1987). The leaves have property anti- notch that are pushing back and acaricidal for the larvae, the nymphes and the notch adults. The notches were observed to avoid C. gynandra and found to keep 2-5 m far of the plant. The extract of ethanol of the plant is toxic to the plagues of insect of cabbages and can thus be used as the vegetable insecticide. C. gynandra serves also affouragement for the animals of cattle and game that graze the leaves.
The a lot of usages of brand of gynandra of C. it a varied type with the characteristics that call his conservation and his usage. In the summary these characteristics are; one) the this is extremely nutritious, b) the this can be easily and cheap cultivated by the rural farmers to sell and consumption, c) it can soften problems of duty of under nutrition to lack vitamins, d) it has a lot of medicinal characteristics that can be exploited, e) it has insecticide effects, f) it uses the affouragement And of other g) its seeds are oleaginous and have the potential one for the usage As the oil and the animal food nourish. The list is unending.
