Corchorus olitorius facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Corchorus olitorius |
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Corchorus
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olitorius
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Jute mallow, also called nalta jute (Corchorus olitorius), is a plant known by many names. Some common names include "Jew's mallow" and "Mulukhiyah". It belongs to the Malvaceae family, which also includes cotton and hibiscus. This plant is a main source of jute fiber. People also eat its leaves and young fruits as a vegetable. Dried leaves can be used for tea or to thicken soups. Even its seeds are edible!
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Where Jute Mallow Comes From
It's a bit of a mystery where jute mallow first grew. Some experts think it came from India or nearby areas in Asia. Others believe it started in Africa. This is because Africa has many different types of Corchorus plants. No matter where it began, people have been growing it for a very long time. Today, you can find it growing wild or on farms in almost every tropical country in Africa.
Long ago, in ancient times, people in Ancient Egypt used jute plants for food. The Jews in the Near East might have also grown it. This is why it's sometimes called "Jew's mallow."
What the Plant Looks Like
Jute mallow is a straight, bushy plant that grows about 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall. If grown for its fiber, it can reach up to 4 meters (13 feet)! It has a strong main root and a smooth stem. The stem is usually green with a reddish-brown tint.
Its leaves are jagged and pointed. They are about 6 to 10 cm (2.4 to 4 inches) long and 2 to 4 cm (0.8 to 1.6 inches) wide. The plant has small yellow flowers. These flowers grow alone or in pairs. Each flower has 5 petals and 10 yellow stamens.
The fruit of the jute mallow looks like a spindle. It is 2 to 8 cm (0.8 to 3 inches) long. The color can be grayish-blue, green, or brownish-black. Each fruit has five sections. Inside, there are 25 to 40 seeds per section. This means one fruit can hold 125 to 200 seeds!
How to Grow Jute Mallow
Jute mallow is an annual crop, meaning it grows for one season. It thrives in warm, tropical areas. The plant needs about 400 to 4290 mm (16 to 170 inches) of rain each year. About 1000 mm (40 inches) is best. Some types don't like too much water, especially when they are young.
The best temperature for growing is between 16.8 and 27.5 °C (62 to 81 °F). The soil should have a pH of 4.5 to 8.2. Jute mallow prefers rich, fertile soil that drains well. However, it can also grow in less ideal soil.
Before planting, farmers prepare the soil carefully. Seeds are soaked in hot water for 10 seconds. This helps them sprout. Mixing the tiny seeds with sand makes them easier to sow. If the soil is wet, the seeds will sprout in two to three days. Sometimes, young plants are moved when they are about 10 cm (4 inches) tall.
Farmers grow the plants in rows, spaced 20–50 cm (8–20 inches) apart. They also weed the plants and add natural fertilizers. These can include cow dung or wood ashes. The plant grows best with enough water and rich soil.
Protecting the Plants
Jute mallow plants can be attacked by tiny worms called nematodes. Leaf-eating beetles and caterpillars are also common pests. If it's dry, tiny bugs and spider mites can cause problems. They make the top shoots wilt.
Farmers can use crop rotation to reduce nematode damage. This means planting different crops in the same field each season. Insecticides can also be used, but carefully, since the leaves are eaten. Other pests include weevils, semiloopers, and yellow mites.
Diseases are not as big a problem as insects and nematodes. Seedling damp-off can happen, but good drainage helps. This disease makes young plants rot. Fungi like Sclerotium rolfsii can cause wilting in dry weather. Spots from Colletotrichum gloeosporioides can be controlled by spraying copper oxychloride.
Harvesting and Yield
You can start harvesting jute mallow after about six weeks. For fiber, the whole plant is cut down. For food, the leaves are picked many times during the growing season. How much the plant grows back depends on the type of plant, soil, water, and how well pests are controlled.
The amount and quality of leaves decrease with each harvest. On farms, you can usually get about 2.5 tons of edible leaves per hectare (about 1 ton per acre). In special experiments, yields of about 28 tons per hectare have been reported!
After Harvest
For fresh eating, jute mallow leaves should be kept cool. Store them between 8 and 15 °C (46 and 59 °F). If it's too cold (1-8 °C), the leaves turn brown. If it's too warm, they turn yellow.
To get seeds, the fruits are harvested six weeks after flowering. The dried fruits are threshed to get the seeds. These seeds can be stored for 8 to 12 months in sealed jars. They should have about nine percent moisture.
Plant Nutrients
Leaves
Jute mallow leaves are full of good things for you! They have 17 important nutrients. These include protein, fat, and carbohydrates. They also contain fiber, calcium, potassium, iron, and sodium. Plus, they are rich in vitamins like beta-carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C).
Seeds
Studies show that the protein in jute mallow seeds increases after they sprout. At the same time, the sugar level goes down. This means the nutrients in the seeds change as they germinate.
Future Ideas
Scientists are looking into new ways to grow jute mallow. It might be grown in floating systems with nutrient water. This could produce "baby leaves" for the fresh vegetable market, especially in Europe.
How Jute Mallow is Used
Fiber and Fabric
Jute fiber comes from the bark of C. olitorius and C. capsularis plants. This is especially true in South Asia. The fiber from C. olitorius is a bit less strong. The finished fibers are golden and silky. They can be up to 3 meters (10 feet) long!
To get the fiber, the plant stalks are cut. Then they are processed through several steps. These include pulling, rippling, and a process called retting. This separates the fine fibers from the woody parts. Finally, the fibers are dried.
Many fabrics are made from jute. These include yarn, twine, and sacking. It's also used for carpet backing and other mixed textiles. Jute is also a raw material for making cords and strings.
In Africa and the Middle East, a different type of jute mallow is grown. There, people use the leaves and shoots for food. The fiber is not as important in these regions.
Cooking Uses
C. olitorius is grown in countries like Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt. People there use it as a leafy green vegetable. Its use in cooking goes back to the Ancient Egyptians! It's a very important vegetable in many African countries like Nigeria and Ghana. It's also eaten in the Caribbean, Brazil, India, and Japan.
In Nigeria, the leaves are boiled to make a sticky sauce. This sauce is served with balls of cassava. In Vietnam, it's called rau đay and made into a soup with shrimp.
Nutrition
The leaves of jute mallow are the part people eat. They are rich in potassium, vitamin B6, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C. This makes them very important where people eat a lot of foods that don't have many nutrients. This vegetable is mostly eaten in Africa and Asia. A famous dish made from C. olitorius leaves is mulukhiyah. It's popular in Syrian, Lebanese, and Egyptian cooking.
Health Benefits
Eating jute mallow leaves is believed to have many health benefits. It is said to help with aches, pains, and fevers. It's also used as a folk remedy for problems like dysentery and tumors. In traditional medicine, the leaves are used for swelling, pain, and certain growths. Some believe it can help restore appetite and strength. It may also help reduce inflammation and protect the stomach.
Gallery
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Young leaves of jute prepared by cooking in Taiwan
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Jute field
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Jute plantation
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Cultivation and processing
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Retting
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Drying the cane
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Drying hanks
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Transporting jute fibres by bicycle cart in Bangladesh
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A soup containing mushroom and Corchorus olitorius leaves, served in Malolos, the Philippines, where the latter vegetable is known as saluyot.
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Fruits and seeds
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Botanical illustration of Corchorus olitorius
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Edible leaves of Corchorus olitorius
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See also
In Spanish: Corchorus olitorius para niños
