Research Concerning Biochemical Composition and Storage Capacity of Different Local Varieties of Carrot (Daucus Carota L.)
Preservation of genetic variability at crop plants is of maximum importance for sustainable agriculture. Local varieties of crop plants can hold some unique genes that encode important characteristics for the present and future of humanity’s nutrition: resistance at stress factors, biotic and abiotic, nutritional and therapeutic qualities, excellent sources of genes for improving varieties, and so on. Ex situ conservation of local varieties in gene banks is a measure designed to save them from extinction. During 2007-2009, at UASMV Cluj-Napoca have been studied more than 400 cultivars of vegetables for their characterization, production and for conservation of their eeds in seed gene banks. For carrot 84 cultivars from 21 counties of the country were collected, among these 38 proved to be authentic local varieties, which represents 45.2%. This paper presents biochemical characteristics (dry matter, total carbohydrate and total carotenoid) and the resistance to preservation of the local varieties taken into study, in comparison with five homologated carrot varieties. Regarding biochemical analysis, mean values are the following – dry matter: 12.7% at local varieties and 9.4% at homologated varieties; total carbohydrate: 6.3% at local varieties and 3.7% at homologated varieties; total carotenoid: 10% at local varieties, with a minimum of 1.9% and a maximum of 23.2 mg/100 g. Average degree of attack by E. carotovora was 7.2% at local varieties, and 8.3% at homologated varieties.