I have just cut and pasted this from Wikipedia. But it does not help me with the growing here in the UK. The pictures did not copy either.
Roselle in Malaysia
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A roselle variety planted in Malaysia (var. Terengganu). Roselle fruits are harvested fresh, and their calyces are made into a pro-health drink rich in vitamin C and anthocyanins.
A roselle variety planted in Malaysia (var. Terengganu). Roselle fruits are harvested fresh, and their calyces are made into a pro-health drink rich in vitamin C and anthocyanins.
Right - Another roselle variety planted in Malaysia (var. Arab)
Right - Another roselle variety planted in Malaysia (var. Arab)
A refreshing roselle drink
A refreshing roselle drink
Roselle calyces can also be processed into sweet pickle
Roselle calyces can also be processed into sweet pickle
Contents
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* 1 Introduction
* 2 Refreshing Drink
* 3 Medicinal uses
* 4 Production
* 5 Crop research
o 5.1 Crop genetic resources & improvement
o 5.2 Mutation Breeding
o 5.3 Natural outcrossing under local conditions
* 6 Some References
[edit] Introduction
Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) from the Malvaceae family is a relatively a new crop in Malaysia. The origin is not fully known but it is believed its origin was from West Africa, although the plant is found native from India to Malaysia. Sudan is a presently the major producer of roselle as a source of Sudanese tea. In some countries, leaves are eaten as vegetables, and used in various cuisines such as those of Myanmar/Burma, Lao PDR and Vietnam.
To some people in Malaysia, roselle is known locally as asam paya or asam susur. The calyces and leaves are acid in flavour.
[edit] Refreshing Drink
The bright red succulent calyces (singular calyx) are edible and they are the most useful part of the plant. Fresh calyces produces a red colour extract for making drink. To obtain calyces from fruits, seed capsules need to be removed (decored) within 2 days of harvest using a simple hand-held gadget.
Some flowers of roselle
Some flowers of roselle
Calyx - collective term for sepals of a flower; Epicalyx - calyx-like structure outside, but close to, the true calyx, also called false calyx.
Calyx - collective term for sepals of a flower; Epicalyx - calyx-like structure outside, but close to, the true calyx, also called false calyx.
Decorring - removal of a seed capsule from the roselle using a simple hand-held gadget to obtain its calyx (plural calyces)
Decorring - removal of a seed capsule from the roselle using a simple hand-held gadget to obtain its calyx (plural calyces)
To date, roselle has achieved as an important position as a pro-health drink in Malaysia due to its high contents of vitamin C and anthocyanins. To a small extent, the calyces are also processed into sweet pickle, jelly and jam.
Anthocyanins, belonging to the family of water-soluble flavonoid pigments, are responsible for the red to purple colour of the calyx and other parts of the roselle plant, and for the red, blue and purple colours in many other fruits and vegetables.
[edit] Medicinal uses
Many parts of the plant are also claimed to have various medicinal values. They have been used for such purposes ranging from Mexico through Africa and India to Thailand. Roselle is associated with traditional medicine and is reported to be used as treatment for several diseases such as hypertension and urinary tract infections.
[edit] Production
It was introduced into Malaysia in early 1990s. Its commercial planting was first promoted by the Department of Agriculture in Terengganu in 1993 and has now spread to other Malaysian states.
At one time, roselle had been thought to be a suitable crop to replace tobacco on bris (sandy) soils, and could be established as a major new crop in the East Coast states where most bris soils are found.
Today, the planted area is still small, around 1.5 kmē annually, planted with two main varieties. Growers usually call these varieties as 'Terengganu' and 'Arab'.
Although the involvement of private sector is considered essential in promoting the crop, only a handful of companies had been involved in planting, processing, product development and marketing.
Harvesting roselle planted on bris (sandy) soils in Terengganu
Harvesting roselle planted on bris (sandy) soils in Terengganu
[edit] Crop research
In the initial years, limited research work were conducted by UM and MARDI. Research work at UKM was initiated in 1993. To date, the amount of research work is still considered small.
[edit] Crop genetic resources & improvement
Genetic variation is important for plant breeders to increase the crop productivity. Being an introduced species in Malaysia, there is a very limited number of germplasm accessions available for breeding. At present, UKM maintains a working germplasm collection, and also conducts agronomic research and crop improvement.
[edit] Mutation Breeding
Conventional hybridisation is difficult to carry out in roselle due to its cleistogamous nature of reproduction. Because of this, a mutation breeding programme was initiated to generate new genetic variability. The use of induced mutations for its improvement was initiated in 1999 in cooperation with MINT, and has produced some promising breeding lines. *Workshop on Mutation Breeding [FNCA 2005]
Some lines developed from the breeding programme at UKM
Some lines developed from the breeding programme at UKM
1. REDIRECT [[]]tiputiputipu
[edit] Natural outcrossing under local conditions
A study was conducted to estimate the amount of outcrossing under local conditions. It was found that outcrossing occurred at a very low rate of about 0.02%. However, this rate is much lower in comparison to estimates of natural cross-pollination of between 0.20% and 0.68% as reported in Jamaica.
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