Carrot "Berlicum 2"

Carrot "Berlicum 2".
High-yielding late-ripening variety. The period from germination to harvest is 125-130 days. Root crops are cylindrical. Length 20-24 cm, weight 150-200 g.
The surface and core are red-orange. The pulp is juicy, very sweet, of excellent taste. Recommended for fresh consumption, processing and storage.

* Why are carrots bitter before and during storage?
Two main reasons:
1. Diseases.
In rooms with high humidity during storage, carrots are often parasitized by white, black, gray and dry rot (phoma).
The causative agent of these diseases are fungi, which feel great on damaged root crops (during harvesting, transportation) and lead to the oxidation of sugars, the destruction of carrot tissues and the deterioration of taste.
2. Exposure of the upper part of the root crop: when, during the growth of carrots, when thinning young plants, their tops were exposed and turned green in the sun.
In this case, the alkaloid solanine accumulates in carrots (slightly toxic and of little use to human health).
Solanine penetrates deeper and deeper into such a "green-headed" carrot, therefore, such a root crop cannot be eaten (as well as green potato tubers).
Control measures:
1. Hilling of root crops, accidentally exposed when loosening the soil.
2. Harvesting carrots in dry weather, cutting the tops short without damaging the head.
3. Culling of diseased, damaged and green root crops.
4. Treatment of root crops before storage with infusion of onion peel (100 g per 5 liters of warm boiled water), aged for 24 hours, or dusting with chalk (150-200 g per 10 kg of carrots).
5. Storage of carrots in containers with dry river sand at 0..+2°C and air humidity of 80-82%.
6. Growing disease-resistant varieties of carrots.