On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. This article is about the cultivated vegetable. Not to be confused with Karat. The carrot is a biennial plant in the carrot juice family, Apiaceae.

At first, it grows a rosette of leaves while building up the enlarged taproot. A depiction labeled “garden” carrot from the Juliana Anicia Codex, a 6th-century AD Constantinopolitan copy of Dioscorides’ 1st-century Greek pharmacopoeia. The facing page states that “the root can be cooked and eaten. Both written history and molecular genetic studies indicate that the domestic carrot has a single origin in Central Asia.

When they were first cultivated, carrots were grown for their aromatic leaves and seeds rather than their roots. Three different types of carrots are depicted, and the text states that “the root can be cooked and eaten”. Another copy of this work, Codex Neapolitanes from late 6th or early 7th century, has basically the same illustrations but with roots in purple. The plant was introduced into Spain by the Moors in the 8th century. In the 10th century, roots from West Asia, India and Europe were purple.

The modern carrot originated in Afghanistan at about this time. There are many claims that Dutch growers created orange carrots in the 17th century to honor the Dutch flag at the time and William of Orange. Outwardly purple carrots, still orange on the inside, were sold in British stores beginning in 2002. Daucus carota is a biennial plant. In the first year, its rosette of leaves produces large amounts of sugars, which are stored in the taproot to provide energy for the plant to flower in the second year. Soon after germination, carrot seedlings show a distinct demarcation between taproot and stem: the stem is thicker and lacks lateral roots. At the upper end of the stem is the seed leaf.

High-quality carrots have a large proportion of cortex compared to core. Individual flowers are borne on undivided pedicels originating from a common node. Flower development begins when the flat meristem changes from producing leaves to an uplifted, conical meristem capable of producing stem elongation and a cluster of flowers. Individual flowers are small and white, sometimes with a light green or yellow tint. Flowers consist of five petals, five stamens, and an entire calyx. Flowers change sex in their development, so the stamens release their pollen before the stigma of the same flower is receptive.

The arrangement is centripetal, meaning the oldest flowers are near the edge and the youngest flowers are in the center. Flowers usually first open at the outer edge of the primary umbel, followed about a week later on the secondary umbels, and then in subsequent weeks in higher-order umbels. The distinctive umbels and floral nectaries attract pollinating insects. The paired mericarps are easily separated when they are dry. Carotene is responsible for the orange colour of carrots and many other fruits and vegetables. Polyacetylenes can be found in Apiaceae vegetables like carrots where they show cytotoxic activities. 70 to 80 days under the right conditions.

They grow best in full sun but tolerate some shade. Fertilizer should be applied according to soil type because the crop requires low levels of nitrogen, moderate phosphate and high potash. Irrigation is applied when needed to keep the soil moist. There are several diseases that can reduce the yield and market value of carrots. The most devastating carrot disease is Alternaria leaf blight, which has been known to eradicate entire crops. A bacterial leaf blight caused by Xanthomonas campestris can also be destructive in warm, humid areas. Physical damage can also reduce the value of carrot crops.