Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
acea
and have pointy seeds that are unpleasant to handle during harvest and cleaning. Gloves can be of
help.
SELECTION CHARACTERISTICS
• true-to-type leaf form and size
• robust development of leaf rosette
• winter spinach: winter hardiness
• spring spinach: earliness
• resistance to downy mildew
• bolt resistance
DISEASES AND PESTS
The most common disease of spinach is downy mildew (fungus:
Peronospora
farinosa
ssp.
spinaciae
). It typically appears with wet weather or in greenhouses. Overwintering plants
are at highest risk. This fungus affects only spinach. Symptoms: lightly colored bulges on top side of
leaf, gray/violet patches of fungal growth on bottom of leaf. This disease is not seed-borne. Remedies:
crop rotation (waiting at least three years to grow spinach in the same spot again), sufficient plant sep-
aration, removal of diseased plants, and proper composting.
CULTIVATION HISTORY
The wild ancestor of cultivated spinach is unknown. It was presumably do-
mesticated in Iran and spread through Asia via India. In the 12th century, Arabs brought spinach to
Spain, where it then spread to other countries. It was first documented in central Europe by Albertus
Magnus but was not widely grown there until the end of the Middle Ages. Since it could be grown in a
wide variety of soils, had high yields, and delicious leaves that grew rapidly, spinach has been historic-
ally more popular than sorrel, orache, good King Henry, Swiss chard, and other leaf vegetables; in-
deed, it has become the favored leaf vegetable in many areas.
Spinach is dioecious, and the male flowers bloom just before the female flowers do. Female flowers are found in the leaf ax-
ils (right).
