CGN black salsify collection

History

Black salsify is a so-called ‘forgotten vegetable’. Before World War II, it was a common vegetable in the Netherlands, but its popularity declined due to its labor-intensive preparation—the sticky latex released during peeling makes it difficult to handle. For historical and cultural reasons, CGN started collecting and conserving this crop.

The collection was established by acquiring accessions from European genebanks and working collections of breeding companies. CGN obtained fifteen Dutch and seven Belgian varieties, along with several varieties from Eastern Europe. In addition, accessions of Scorzonera hispanica and related species such as Tragopogon porrifolius ssp. porrifolius (salsify) were collected in the Netherlands in 2014 and 2015. After successful regeneration, the material is made available for research and breeding. The collection currently consists of over 30 accessions.

Composition

The genus Scorzonera comprises approximately 175 species, with Scorzonera hispanica being the only one cultivated for food.

Black salsify is native to Southern Europe and the Near East and has been cultivated in Western Europe since the 17th century. Today, Belgium has the largest acreage of black salsify. In the Netherlands, the number of available varieties is limited, and no commercial cultivars have been bred. As a result, the CGN collection remains relatively small.

In addition to black salsify, the collection also includes Tragopogon porrifolius ssp. porrifolius (salsify), a closely related species that was historically cultivated under the names “haverwortel,” “boksbaard,” and “paarse morgenster.”

Regeneration and maintenance

Black salsify is a biennial cross-pollinating crop, meaning that plants develop roots in the first year and flower and set seed in the second year. Regeneration begins in April, when seeds are sown in trays in the greenhouse. After about five weeks, the seedlings are transplanted into the field to continue their growth. To maintain genetic diversity within each accession, approximately 50 plants per accession are used. Since flowering typically does not occur in the first year, isolation is not required at this stage. In November, the roots are harvested and stored at 4°C over winter to ensure successful vernalization.

In March of the second year, the roots are replanted in isolated plots with a minimum distance of 50 meters between accessions, often using triticale as an isolation crop. Pollination occurs through insects in the field, but when using isolation cages, bumblebees are introduced once 50% of the plants are flowering.

Seed production starts around June and can continue until October. Ripe seed heads (capitula) are manually harvested and stored in gauze bags, as the seeds disperse easily by wind. After harvest, the seeds are dried in a controlled environment and cleaned using sieves and air-based methods. To ensure high seed quality, germination tests are conducted before the seeds are added to the collection.

Characterisation & evaluation

Part of the accessions have been characterised for 12 phenotypic traits. For most accessions, photos of flowers and roots are available online. No evaluation trials have been conducted yet.