Practically everyone knows the taste of peanuts. These are small peanuts with a sweetish taste. This product is added to baking, peanut butter and a variety of snacks are made from it. This crop is valued as an agricultural crop in the United States, Africa and Asia. In the vastness of our country, there is little information about the peanut as a representative of the flora. For a long time, the peanut in Russia was equated with walnut and hazel, assuming that it grows on trees or shrubs. However, peanuts are much closer to beans, peas and lentils.
Short description
Peanuts strongly resemble pods, their length is from 1 to 6 centimeters. In such a pod there can be from 1 to 3 seeds, very rarely they are found with 6 fruits. The shell can have a variety of colors, from pink to purple.
This is a herbaceous plant, the maximum height of which canbe 70 centimeters. Peanuts well enrich the soil with nitrogen, tolerate weakly nutritious lands, are not afraid of the sun and lack of moisture.
The plant has a powerful taproot that can go deeper into the ground by more than 50 centimeters. The stems are crowned with paired leaves. The leaves themselves are slightly pointed at the end and have an oval shape. Flowers are yellow. The most important feature of the plant is the presence of self-pollinated cleistogamous flowers.
How do peanuts grow and fruit develop?
As a result of pollination, the lower part of the ovary grows and a gynophore is formed, that is, an escape. It penetrates into the soil, into the wettest layers, and pods with fruits are formed there. It is impossible to form seeds if the flowers are stretched to a height of more than 20 centimeters.
Seeds ripen in autumn. A good harvest requires a long and dry summer and autumn.
Historical background
The word "peanut" is of Greek origin. It means "spider" in translation. The plant received it for the way peanuts grow in nature. The pod has a web-like design.
In our country, it is often called "peanut", due to the fact that the plant ripens in the ground.
When peanuts appeared in China, the Philippines and Macau, they quickly liked the local population and saved them from starvation in the 16th century. The locals call the peanut "Chinese nut".
This plant is native to South America. Since the colonization of these territories by the Portuguese, peanut seedsbegan to appear in different parts of the world.
Very quickly, the peanut took root in Africa, despite the huge amount of barren land on the continent. Nuts have been exported from Africa for a long time.
How do peanuts grow? How did you get to Russia? To the vastness of the country - later than all the countries of the world.
In America, peanuts were most popular in the 19th century. At the end of the Civil War, the country's chief agrochemist proposed a crop rotation in the form of alternating cotton and peanuts. At first, farmers managed to get rid of the cotton weevil, and then the income from growing the peanut exceeded the income from cotton.
Chief Agricultural Chemist Carver D. went on to develop many new peanut-based foods, beverages and cosmetics, medicines.
Where does peanut grow, in which countries today? First of all, these are Africa, America and India.
Vitamin composition and calorie content
Peanuts are a high-calorie product and are not recommended for people who are prone to fullness, especially when fried. There are 551 kcal per 100 grams.
The plant belongs to the legume family, but its vitamin composition is closer to nuts. Over the entire period of growing peanuts, the following useful substances are formed in it:
- B vitamins;
- vitamins PP, C, E;
- fiber, starch and sugar;
- phosphorus;
- copper;
- magnesium;
- zinc;
- iron;
- potassium;
- selenium;
- linoleicacid;
- manganese.
Nutrients per 100 grams of product:
- protein - 26.3 g;
- carbs - 9.9g;
- fat - 45.2g
In total, nuts contain 12 essential and 8 non-essential amino acids. 100 grams of the product replenish almost the full daily dose of these elements that a person needs.
Benefit
Regardless of where peanuts grow, they all have beneficial properties and are very high in calories. First of all, these are antioxidants in the form of polyphenols. And this compound is an excellent prophylactic against heart disease, vascular diseases, and malignant neoplasms. According to its antioxidant properties, the peanut is next to the strawberry.
Peanuts have choleretic properties, useful in the presence of gastric ulcer, in the presence of a number of other pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. Allows you to improve memory, attention, indicated for use in severe emotional exhaustion.
When is the best time to stop eating peanuts?
Even the most useful product should be used exclusively for its intended purpose and dosed, so peanuts should not be abused.
First of all, when purchasing nuts, check that they are not moldy, there should be no foreign smells. Especially if you buy shelled peanuts, they quickly accumulate toxic substances in themselves, which can lead to an allergic reaction.
In the presence of arthritis or arthrosis, the use of this product is a contraindication. Chinese walnut is not recommended in the presence of varicose veins, as it can thicken the blood.
Growing Technology
How does a peanut grow, what conditions does it require? First of all, the ideal atmospheric temperature for the plant is 20-27 degrees above zero.
It is imperative to carry out pre-sowing treatment of the soil with fertilizers. In no case should there be abundant watering, especially since there should be no stagnation of moisture. In such cases, rotting of the roots occurs, spots may appear on the leaves, and in the future, the complete death of the plant occurs. Light watering should be carried out during flowering.
In areas where peanuts grow in Russia, where it is possible to grow them, planting is done in June. In any case, work is carried out at a time when any possibility of frost is excluded.
Dried seeds are used for planting. First, holes are made with an average depth of 10 centimeters, in which 3 to 6 nuts are placed. There should be a distance of at least 1 meter between the holes. If the soil is wet, it is recommended to make the holes shallow, about 3 centimeters.
It takes about 3-4 months for a plant to mature. Late varieties may take about 6 months. It is recommended to clearly calculate the date of ripening, but, of course, it is necessary to try a few nuts before harvesting.
The collection is carried out exclusively in dry weather. AsThe peanut is an annual plant, it is completely pulled out of the ground. You should not allow frosts to already begin, in this case you can be left completely without a crop.
You can prepare seeds for processing directly where peanuts grow in Russia, on the field itself. The plant is cleared of soil and left to warm up in the sun for several weeks.
Home and greenhouse growing conditions
To grow a peanut at home, it will first need to be soaked in a solution of "Epin". As a rule, after one night the spine is already visible on the bean.
The soil requires careful preparation, it must be loose so that water does not stagnate in it. In addition to ordinary garden soil, sand and humus should be added to the mixture. After the seeds give more or less strong roots, the plant is planted in pots. When the peanut grows a little, it can be planted in a permanent place of growth.
If you grow at home, it is better to use wide containers. In the process of growth, the shoots should not hang down. After some time, as flowering ends, the branches with fruits will begin to gradually descend to the ground. As soon as the beginnings of the bean fall into the ground, the formation of the fruit immediately begins.
In no case should you use cramped containers. In this case, the plant is likely to die. Containers with peanuts should be in places where there is a lot of light. How does peanut grow at home? Yes, there are no more special requirements for its cultivation. Onlythe plant does not like drafts.
Just like in the fields where peanuts grow in Russia and other countries, the bush, along with the roots, is dug out of the ground and the root system is examined. There are usually several shelled fruits around the rhizomes.
If the cultivation is carried out in greenhouse conditions, it is recommended to choose tomatoes as a “neighbor” for it. Legumes should be planted closer to the glass, as they love light, while they will not create a shadow for other plants, being undersized crops
Variety variety
Even if everything is clear with the question of how peanuts grow, what conditions are required to obtain a crop, it is still very important to choose the right variety.
Today, there are about 700 varieties, but not all of them are suitable for our latitudes. Peanuts of the following varietal groups grow best with us:
- Runner. It has a high yield, the fruits have an excellent taste, and are suitable for making oil.
- Valencia. It has large leaves and large fruits - three in one pod. Ideal for use in cooking, but the nuts are only usable after roasting.
- Spanish. Nuts of these varieties are excellent material for making butter.
- Virginia. Large fruits grow.
Such a unique crop as peanuts can be grown in our country, but it will take a little work, but in the end you can get a universal product.
