Ewedu (Corchorus olitorius)
Ewedu -The genus Corchorus was first described by a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist named Carl Linnaeus, who derived the name from an Ancient Greek word Korkhorus or Korkoros, the word reffered to a wild plant of uncertain identity. It’s a genus within the familyMalvaceae, under the subfamily Grewiodeae,it has about 100 species which have a pantropical distribution (i.e. across the tropics which are tropical and subtropical regions). Corchorus olitorius has different common names in different places such as in North Africa and the Middle East its called malukhiyah, in Turkey and Cyprus, its known as molohiya or molochas, while in Nigeria to the Yorubas it is known as Ewedu and to the Hausas it is known as Rama
DESCRIPTION
Corchorusolitoriusgrows tall and could reach a height of 2-4m, it can be either unbranched or with only a few side branches, the leaves are alternate, simple, lanceolate, 5-15cm long, with an acuminate tip and a finely serrated or lobed margin, while the flowers are small (2-3cm diameter) and yellow, with five petals; the fruit is a capsule which has many seed and can be grown throughout during the year.
Corchorus as a Food (Ewedu)
Corchorus olitorius leaves are consumed in the cuisines of various countries. It is used mainly in southern Asia, Middle East, North Africa and West Africa. When cooked, Corchorus olitorius has a mucilaginous (slimy) texture similar to Okra. Its seeds are used as flavour, while the leaves are dried and are used to make herbal tea. It is usually cooked into a kind of chicken stew in Turkey and Cyprus but in Egypt Corchorus olitorius has been one of their staple foods since the time of Pharaohs, in the Middle East one of the species of Corchorus (mallow-leaves) is used as stew with rice.
In Nigeria, amongst the Yorubas, it is cooked as a stew called Ewedu, the stew is a condiment to other starchy food such as amala, eba, semolina, foofoo etc. while in Hausa it is called Rama, which is used in making a soup called Taushe, it also forms a dish called Kwado(using groundnut cake). In Northern Ghana it’s called Ayoyo mostly eaten with Tuozaafi (food prepared with corn flour). Corchorus olitorius is known as Saluyot in Phillipines and consumed as a leafy vegetable with bamboo shoots while in Thailand its known as Bai powhich is eaten blanched (to whiten i.e. partial cooking), together with plain rice congee.
Benefits of taking Corchorus
The leaves of Corchorus olitorius contains Vitamins A, C and E, which are antioxidants and protects the body from degenerative diseases, Vitamin A helps in repairing body cells and improves eyesight, Vitamin C aids circulation, lowers the risk of eye orders, and fast wound-healing, while Vitamin E slows down the aches and pains associated with aging and increases stamina, these vitamins helps to beautify the body by increasing collagen production to keep the skin firm and looking radiant, this why most people believe that Corchorus olitorius was Cleopatra’s beauty secret. In Japan, the leaves of Corchorus olitorius are dried and made into pills which women take as beauty supplements. Corchorus olitorius is also rich in beta-carotene which is good for eyesight, iron for healthy red blood cells, calcium for strong bones and teeth, for those trying to lose weight; Corchorus olitorius is also a good option.
Cultivation of Ewedu
Corchorus olitorius prefers a very fertile soil and a hot humid climate; it can tolerate very wet conditions but not waterlogged soil. It can tolerate an annual precipitation between 40 and 429m, an annual average temperature range of 16ºc to 25ºc and a pH in the range of 4.5 to 8.2. Corchorus olitorius can be grown annually.
Propagation
Corchorus olitorius is propagated by seed (To read more on how to cultivate your vegetables during dry season click here
Pre-Planting Operations
- Land Clearing- This involves slashing of grasses and shrubs on the allocated plot. Thereby opening the top soil, the land should also have a good drainage system to enable easy flow of water in order to prevent erosion and flooding there by causing the soil to be waterlogged.
- Tilling- This operation is necessary in vegetable production to ease preparation of beds and allow clear aeration of the soil, it can be carried out using basic farm equipment such as hoe, spade or garden fork by turning and breaking of top soil to smaller and finer soil particles.
- Preparation of Bed- The bed should be about 1.0m with a furrow of 0.5m, the essence of the furrow is to allow easy passage when carrying out post planting activities such as watering, weeding, fertilizer application, spraying etc.
- Manuring- Organic manure like dried poultry dropping can be used
- Spraying of Insecticide- This should be done with a knapsack sprayer before planting so as not to contaminate the plants.
Planting
- Drilling method- This is a method for planting small seeded vegetables in rows. Shallow furrows are made at the spacing recommended for the crop and the seed drilled along the furrows (for Corchorus olitorius draw rows on the bed with spacing of 30cm and planting depth of 0.2m) is preferably used when planting Corchorus olitorius, because it reduces overcrowding of the crop and ease all other post-planting operations. The seeds should be mixed in wood ash (sieve the wood ash before mixing it with the seeds) before broadcasting, this helps to prevent root knot in young plants.
Post-Planting Operations
- Watering of Beds- Wetting of bed should be done twice daily, early in the morning and in the evening; this should be done into harvesting period.
- Weeding- The seeds starts germinating 3 or 4 days after planting, weeding would start 2 weeks after germination.
- Thinning and Supplying- Thinning is the process whereby you reduce plants in overcrowded area to give or to make room for the growth of others and Supplying is the practice of providing missing stands of vegetables planted by direct sowing as a result of poor emergence or when seedlings are damaged by pests. The essence of seed supply is to maintain correct plant population. Supplying of seeds has to be carried out as early as possible after emergence; both operations should be carried out after first weeding.
- Supply of Wood Ash- It should be applied to prevent root-knot by nematodes.
- Mulching- A mulch is a layer of plant residue or other materials which is applied to the surface of the soil in order to reduce evaporation, run-off or to prevent weed growth. The purpose of mulching is to conserve soil moisture. Mulching also ensure clean fruit, hasten maturity and increase yields. This operation should be done 3 weeks after planting.
- Fertilizer Application- Fertilizers like Urea is best for leafy vegetables, but its best one makes use of both Fertilizers and organic manure.
Harvesting
- The Corchorus olitorius should be ready to be harvested 3 to 4 months after Planting, harvesting stops when no new leaves are formed or when there is no stand. Harvesting can either be manual by hand picking the fresh leaves or cutting the tender shoots.
Pest and Diseases
- Leaf spot disease
- Root-knot nematode
- Wilting
- Stem girdling beetle
- Grasshoppers (Zonocerus variegatus)
Constraints
- Low accessibility to latest high yielding varieties
- Wrong use of fertilizer dose
Storage
- Mostly the product is sold on the harvest day and it is constantly kept wet, if cooled to 20ºC, it can be kept for a week.
- If the leaves are dried and pounded to powder, the products can be kept for at least half a year.
Economic Importance of Ewedu
- The demand for Corchorus olitorius and its products is growing both at the national and international levels, in excess of 2 million tonnes annually; it is the second largest vegetable fibre. India and Bangladesh are by far the largest producers, Nigeria has a great potential for the production of Corchorus olitorius for domestic and export market and due to nutritional value and economic importance. The yield of the crop is still critically low as compared to other vegetable crops. Increased production of the crop is hampered by several factors such as lack of improved varieties and low fertilization rate (Akpabio 2000)
Profitability
- Corchorus olitorius is not just a leafy Vegetable known to West Africa, but to the whole of the world it serves as a great content of fibre, it also use for weight loss, beauty practices amongst other things, if these Vegetable is highly cultivated (it grows extremely well in Nigeria), it can be exported to other parts of the world, thereby generating more income not just for the farmer but as a revenue also for the Nation.
Refrences
Fasinmirin J. T. and Olufayo A. A. (2009), Yield and water use efficiency of jute mallow Corchorus olitorius under varying soil water management strategies
Gbadamosi I. T. Alia A. E. and Okolosi O (2004), In-vitro Antimicrobial Activities and Nutritional Assessment of Roots of Ten Nigerian Vegetables Retrieved from https://www.sciencepub.net/
OgundareO.k,(2012), A Report on the Practical Year Training Programme ( Vegetable production Pg 5-9)
Olasantan F. O.,Makinde E. A. and Salau E. A., VEGETABLE CROPS PRODUCTION (HRT 501), Retrieved from https://www.unaab.edu.ng/(Pg12- Pg15)
Vegetables, Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2 Retrieved from https://books.google.com.ng (Pg. 220-Pg. 221)
wikipedia.org/wiki/Corchorus
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