Almost everyone knows the taste of peanuts. These are small sized peanuts with a sweet taste. This product is added to baking, made from peanut butter and a variety of snacks. This crop is valued as agricultural in the United States, Africa and Asia. In the vastness of our country, there is little information about peanuts as a representative of the flora. For a long time, peanuts in Russia have been equated with walnuts and hazel, suggesting that it grows on trees or shrubs. However, peanuts are much closer to beans, peas, and lentils.
Short description
Peanuts are very similar to pods, its length is from 1 to 6 centimeters. In such a pod can be from 1 to 3 seeds, very rarely found with 6 fruits. The shell can have a variety of colors, from pink to purple.
This is a herbaceous plant whose maximum height can be 70 centimeters. Peanuts enrich the soil well with nitrogen, tolerate poorly nutrient lands, are not afraid of the sun and lack of moisture.
The plant has a powerful core root, which can go deeper into the ground by more than 50 centimeters. The stems are crowned with paramorous leaves. The leaves themselves are slightly pointed at the end and have an oval shape. The flowers are yellow. The most important feature of the plant is the presence of self-pollinated Cleistogamous flowers.
How does peanuts grow and fruit formation?
As a result of pollination, the lower part of the ovary grows and a gynophore forms, that is, an escape. It penetrates the soil, into the wettest layers, and there pods with fruits are formed. The formation of seeds is impossible if the flowers are stretched to a height of more than 20 centimeters.
Seed ripening occurs in the fall. A good harvest requires a long and arid summer and autumn.
Historical reference
The word peanuts is of Greek origin. Translated means "spider." The plant got it for the way peanuts grow in nature. The pod has a web-like design.
In our country, it is more often called "peanut", due to the fact that the plant ripens in the ground.
When peanuts appeared in China, the Philippines, and Macau, the local population quickly liked them and saved them from starvation in the 16th century. Locals call peanuts "Chinese walnut."
The birthplace of this plant is South America. Since the Portuguese colonized these territories, peanut seeds began to appear in different parts of the world.
Very quickly, peanuts took root in Africa, despite the huge amount of badlands on the continent. Nuts are exported from Africa for a long time.
How does peanuts grow? How did you get to Russia? To the expanses of the country - later than all countries of the world.
In America, peanuts gained the greatest popularity in the 19th century. At the end of the Civil War, the country's chief agricultural chemist 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 peanuts exceeded the income from cotton.
The chief agrochemist Carver D. later developed many new foods, drinks, and cosmetics and medicines based on peanuts.
Where does peanuts grow, in which countries today? First of all, it is Africa, America and India.
Vitamin composition and calorie content
Peanuts are a high-calorie product and are not recommended for use by persons prone to fullness, especially when roasted. There are 551 kcal per 100 grams.
The plant belongs to the legume family, but in terms of vitamin composition it is closer to nuts. For the entire period, as peanuts grow, the following beneficial substances are formed in it:
- B vitamins;
- vitamins PP, C, E;
- fiber, starch and sugar;
- phosphorus;
- copper;
- magnesium;
- zinc;
- iron;
- potassium;
- selenium;
- linoleic acid;
- manganese.
Nutrients per 100 grams of product:
- proteins - 26.3 g;
- carbohydrates - 9.9 g;
- fat - 45.2 g.
In total, the nut contains 12 essential and 8 essential amino acids. 100 grams of the product make up for the almost complete daily dose of these elements that a person needs.
Benefit
No matter where the 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 diseases, vascular diseases, malignant neoplasms. By its antioxidant properties, peanuts are next to strawberries.
Peanuts have choleretic properties, is useful in the presence of gastric ulcer, in the presence of a number of other gastrointestinal pathologies. Allows you to improve memory, attention, is indicated for use in severe emotional exhaustion.
When is it better to stop eating peanuts?
Even the most wholesome product should be used exclusively for its intended purpose and dosage, so peanuts should not be abused.
First of all, when purchasing nuts, make sure that they are not moldy, that there should be no extraneous odors. In particular, if you acquire peanuts in the shell, it quickly accumulates toxic substances in itself, which can lead to an allergic reaction.
In the presence of arthritis or arthrosis, the use of this product is a contraindication. Chinese nut is not recommended in the presence of varicose veins, as it is able to thicken blood.
Growing technology
How does peanut grow , what conditions does it require? First of all, the ideal atmospheric temperature for a plant is 20-27 degrees above zero.
Pre-sowing soil treatment with fertilizers should be carried out. In no case should there be abundant watering, much less there should be stagnation of moisture. In such cases, root decay occurs, spots may appear on the leaves, and in the future there is a complete death of the plant. Light watering should be carried out during the flowering period.
In areas where peanuts grow in Russia, where it is possible to grow it, planting is carried out in June. In any case, work is carried out at a time when any possibility of the appearance of frost is excluded.
For planting, dried seeds are used. First, holes are made with an average depth of 10 centimeters, in which 3 to 6 nuts are placed. Between the holes should be a distance of at least 1 meter. If the soil is moist, it is recommended to make the holes shallow, about 3 centimeters.
It takes about 3-4 months for the plant to mature. Late varieties may take about 6 months. It is recommended to clearly calculate the ripening date, but, of course, you need to try a few nuts before harvesting.
The collection is carried out exclusively in dry weather. Since peanuts are an annual plant, they are completely pulled out of the ground. Do not allow the freezing to start already, in this case you can remain completely without a crop.
You can prepare seeds for processing directly where peanuts grow in Russia, on the field itself. The plant is cleaned from the ground and left to warm 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 the Epina solution. As a rule, after one night, the root is already visible at the bean.
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 peanuts grow 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, shoots should not hang down. After some time, as the flowering ends, the branches with fruits will begin to gradually sink to the ground. As soon as the beginnings of the bean fall into the ground, the formation of the fetus begins immediately.
In no case should you use tight 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 peanuts grow at home? Yes, there are no more special requirements for its cultivation. Only a plant does not like drafts.
Just as in the fields where peanuts grow in Russia and other countries, the bush, along with the roots, is dug from the ground and examined the root system. Usually around the root-shaped processes there are several fruits in the membrane.
If the cultivation is carried out in greenhouse conditions, it is recommended to choose tomatoes for it as a “neighbor”. Beans should be planted closer to the glass, as they love light, and will not create a shadow for other plants, being low-growing crops
Varietal variety
Even if everything is clear with the question of how peanuts grow, what conditions are required for obtaining 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. Best of all, we grow peanuts in the following varietal groups:
- Runner. It has a high yield, the fruits have an excellent taste, are suitable for cooking oil.
- Valencia It has large leaves and large fruits - three in one pod. Ideal for use in cooking, but nuts are only suitable for consumption after frying.
- Spanish. Nuts of these varieties are an excellent material for cooking oil.
- Virginia Large fruits grow.
Such a unique culture 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.