Growth and Productivity of Tropical Leaf Vegetables in the Virgin Islands

Abstract

<jats:p>Four tropical leaf vegetables commonly used as pot herbs for “kallaloo,” a local West Indian dish, were grown in replicated plots during the fall season of 1996 to determine growth and productivity. Leaf vegetables included green malabar spinach (<jats:italic>Basella alba</jats:italic> L.), red malabar spinach (<jats:italic>Basella rubra</jats:italic> L.), sweetpotato (<jats:italic>Ipomoea batatas</jats:italic> L.), and bush okra or jute mallow (<jats:italic>Corchorus olitorius</jats:italic> L.). Plants were harvested periodically and data on number of stems or vines, fresh weight of stems and leaves, leaf area, and leaf area index (LAI) were recorded. Except for leaf fresh weight, cultivars or species did not differ significantly in all parameters measured. Leaf fresh weight ranged from 27 g for jute mallow to 198 g for red malabar spinach. LAI was highest for sweetpotato (2.90) and lowest for jute mallow (0.86). Among the species, productivity (fresh weight) was highest (6.78 g/m<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> per day) for green malabar spinach and lowest (3.22 g/m<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> per day) for jute mallow.</jats:p>

Fish polyculture system integrated with vegetable farming improves yield and economic benefits of small-scale farmers

“…The higher yields of integrated vegetables compared with fishes alone are due to the shorter production period of vegetables compared with fish culture (Idris et al 2011). B. rapa chinensis has a high growth rate and it matures in a short period of time, specifically within 30-45 days after planting depending on environmental conditions (Palada & Crossman 1999). In the present study, B. rapa chinensis was grown only for 45 days compared with 270 days for the fishes.…”

“…B . rapa chinensis has a high growth rate and it matures in a short period of time, specifically within 30–45 days after planting depending on environmental conditions (Palada & Crossman ). In the present study, B .…”

Nutrition facts and functional attributes of foliage of Basella spp.

“…There are two common species such as Basella rubra L. (red stem and leaves) and Basella alba L. (green stem and leaves), which are twining herbaceous vines, perennial, succulent, branched, smooth, annual, found in tropical and sub-tropical areas (Khare, 2004). The tender stem oozes gelatinous or mucilaginous substances especially when cooked (Palada & Crossman, 1999). The circular to ovate succulent young and mature leaves are almost tasteless and eaten along with tender stems (Palada & Crossman, 1999), however there is a limited quantitative data reported on the consumption of Basella spp.…”

“…The tender stem oozes gelatinous or mucilaginous substances especially when cooked (Palada & Crossman, 1999). The circular to ovate succulent young and mature leaves are almost tasteless and eaten along with tender stems (Palada & Crossman, 1999), however there is a limited quantitative data reported on the consumption of Basella spp. (Haskell et al, 2004).…”

“…In B. rubra, the tender leaves, petioles and fruits are in red-violet due to the presence of betalains (Winters, 1963). B. rubra is mainly grown as a backyard plant for easy access during food preparation, however, organized cultivation of B. alba is common in southern states of India and to some extent in rest of India (Palada & Crossman, 1999). Recently, a method for red-violet pigment extraction and functional attributes of B. rubra fruit extracts against human cervical carcinoma cells (Kumar, Manoj, Giridhar, Shrivastava, & Bharadwaj, 2015) were reported.…”