Solanum Nigrum seed

LATIN NAME: SOLANUM NIGRUM

COMMON NAME: Black Nightshade, Garden Nightshade

The Solanum nigrum, or black nightshade, is one of the most widespread and adaptable of the weeds and the leafy vegetables, and its spreading, branching habit, its oval, bright-green leaves and its clusters of the small, white flowers, followed by the black berries, have made it a plant of the disturbed ground and the gardens across the temperate and the warm regions of the world, while the unripe berries and the green parts are considered toxic. It grows as an upright or spreading, annual herb of the nightshade family, reaching up to a metre or more, with the branching, green or purplish stems bearing alternate, oval, bright-green, wavy-margined leaves, and bearing, through the warm months, the clusters of the small, white, star-shaped flowers with the yellow centres, followed by the clusters of the small, round, black, juicy berries when ripe. It is a species of the flowering herb, native to the regions of the Eurasia and the Africa, while it has spread widely across the world and is sometimes used as a leafy vegetable when cooked, and it is known as the black nightshade or the garden nightshade.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The black nightshade has a real and distinguished place in research. It has been studied in the chemistry and the natural-products science, since the Solanum nigrum contains a range of compounds including the solanine and the other glycoalkaloids, and the researchers have examined the leaves, the berries, their constituents and their composition, while the study of the nightshade family plants and their chemistry has drawn attention in the international natural-products press, and the plant is best appreciated as a subject of study and a cooked leafy vegetable rather than a casual raw remedy, as the green parts are toxic. The plant has also been studied in the horticulture and the weed science, since the black nightshade is a widespread weed of the disturbed ground and the gardens, and the researchers have examined its growth, its spread and its management, while the study of the agricultural weeds has been of continuing interest. The species has also been studied in the ethnobotany, since it is used as a leafy vegetable and a traditional material in some regions, and the researchers have examined its uses and its properties, while the small, white flowers and the black berries of the black nightshade have been of interest to the botanists and the ethnobotanists. For a plant of such adaptability, the Solanum nigrum has a rich and distinguished record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

To grow the Black Nightshade from seed, the black nightshade is an upright, annual herb of the disturbed ground, bearing the oval, bright-green leaves and the clusters of the small, white flowers, followed by the black berries. Its black berries are a food for the birds, and its spreading, branching habit gives a quick cover on the disturbed ground, while its tolerance of the poor soil and the disturbance makes it a hardy plant of the gardens and the fields. Its economic value is real but complex: the black nightshade is studied as a widespread weed and as a leafy vegetable in some regions, and its value has drawn attention in the international agricultural and ethnobotanical press, while the adaptability and the widespread distribution have made it a plant of interest to the botanists and the agronomists, and the plant is best appreciated as a subject of study rather than a garden ornamental. To raise the black nightshade, sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a sunny, warm place, keep them gently watered, and grow the little plants on in the sun.

sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a sunny, warm place, keep the young nightshade gently watered, and grow the little plants on in the sun.

Scientific name of BLACK NIGHT SHADE (B.Name : Solanum nigrum) Family : Solanaceae: European black nightshade (Solanum nigrum) or locally just black nightshade, duscle, garden nightshade, garden huckleberry, hound’s berry, petty morel, wonder berry, small­fruited black nightshade, or popolo) is a species in the Solanum genus, native to Eurasia and introduced in the Americas, Australasia, and South Africa. Parts of this plant can be toxic to livestock and humans, and it is considered a weed. Nonetheless, ripe berries and cooked leaves of edible strains are used as food in some locales, and plant parts are used as a traditional medicine. A tendency exists in literature to incorrectly refer to many of the other “black nightshade” species as “Solanum nigrum“. Solanum nigrum has been recorded from deposits of the Paleolithic and Mesolithic era of ancient Britain and it is suggested by the botanist and ecologist, Edward Salisbury, that it was part of the native flora there before Neolithic agriculture emerged. The species was mentioned by Pliny the Elder in the first century AD and by the great herbalists, including Dioscorides. In 1753, Carl Linnaeus described six varieties of Solanum nigrum in Species Plantarum. Solanum nigrum Leaves, Fruits & Flowers In India, the berries are casually grown and eaten, but not cultivated for commercial use. In South India, the leaves and berries are routinely consumed as food after cooking with tamarind, onion, and cumin seeds. The berries are referred to as “fragrant tomato”. Although not very popular across much of its growing region, the fruit and dish are common in Tamil Nadu (மணதத்க்காளி in Tamil), Kerala, southern Andhra Pradesh, and southern Karnataka.In Ethiopia, the ripe berries are picked and eaten by children in normal times, while during famines, all affected people would eat berries. In addition, the leaves are collected by women and children, who cook the leaves in salty water and consumed like any other vegetable. Farmers in the Konso Special Woreda report that because S. nigrum matures before the maize is ready for harvesting, it is used as a food source until their crops are ready. The Welayta people in the nearby Wolayita Zone do not weed out S. nigrum that appears in their gardens since they likewise cook and eat the leaves.In Ghana, the unripe green berries are called kwaansusuaa or abedru, and are used in preparing various soups and stews, including the popular palm nut soup commonly eaten with banku or fufu’.In South Africa, the very ripe and hand­selected fruit (nastergal in Afrikaans and umsobo in Zulu) is cooked into a beautiful but quite runny purple jam. The plant comes up very well in tropical and subtropical climate upto 2000m altitude. They can be raised on a variety of soils good in organic matter. The plant grows in different kinds of soil including dry, stony, shallow or deep soils. It usually grows in moist habitat in wastelands or as weed. It can be cultivated in tropical and sub­tropical agro­climatic regions. Propagation is by seeds. The seedlings are first raised in the nursery and transplanted to the main field 30-­45 days after sowing when the plants attain 8­-10 cm height. During rainy season, planting is done on ridges while during summer in furrows, at a spacing ranging from 30-­90 cm depending upon the stature and spreading habit of the plant. The transplanted seedlings should be given temporary shade for 2­-4 days during summer. Manures and fertilizers: FYM or compost at 20-­25t/ha is applied at the time of land preparation. A moderate fertilizer dose of 75:40:40 N, P2O5, K2O/ha may ne given. P is given as basal dose, N and K are applied in 2­3 split doses. Irrigation: The nursery beds and plantation should be irrigated periodically as and when required weekly or fortnightly. The plants are irrigated till it flowers. Interculture : One or two intercultural operations are needed to control weeds. The plants need earthing up after weeding and topdressing. Irrigation is needed at 3­4 days interval during summer and on alternate days during fruiting period. Plants need staking to avoid lodging due to heavy bearing. Plant protection: Shoot borers, mealy bugs, leaf Webbers and miners are noted on the crop, which can be controlled by spraying mild insecticides. Root knot nematode, wilting and mosaic diseases are also noted on the crop. Field sanitation, crop rotation and burning of crop residues are recommended. Harvesting and yield: The crop is usually ready for harvesting after 4-­6 months depending upon the climate and soil. The plants are collected and dried in shades. Uses: The whole plant is useful for rheumatalgia, swellings, cough, asthma, bronchitis, wounds, ulcers, flatulence, dyspepsia, hepatomegaly, otalgia, hiccough, opthalmopathy, vomiting, cardiopathy, leprosy, skin diseases, fever, splenomegaly, emollient, antiseptic, anti­inflammatory, expectorant, anodyne, vulnerary, digestive, laxative, diuretic, cardiotonic, depurative, diaphoretic, febrifuge, rejuvenating, sedative, alterant and tonic.