The assortment of sparely distributed crops should grow!

The purpose of the study is to fill the gap in information about the enormous importance of a large group of sparsely distributed crops for human life, popularization of their cultivation in conditions of small forms of management. The relevance of such topics is increasing due to the sanctions announced to our country, which makes it difficult for many species from the group of sparsely distributed vegetable crops to enter the Russian market. Informative material is offered about the sparsely distributed crops, undeservedly displaced from our vegetable gardens and rapidly conquering the Russian and European markets today after scientific reports about their importance in human life. The author considers the growth in the volume of plant-growing products consumed by Russians from among the conventionally called rare crops to be a positive manifestation that offers great prospects. The current situation can be viewed as an increase in the culture of nutrition of the population, on the one hand, on the other – the expansion of the assortment of vegetables consumed. Such an achievement is extremely important to consolidate during the period of widespread increase in environmental and social burden on a person, when a full diet is required, where vegetables should be considered as the richest source of antioxidants, biologically active substances, essential amino acids and other important nutrients. Confidence in the possible expansion of the production of rare crops is based on their suitability to the soil and climatic conditions of most regions of the country, the availability of varieties of domestic breeding, uncomplicated agricultural techniques of cultivation, as well as their ecological plasticity. Morpho-botanical characteristics and biological features of crops, biochemistry of food organs, agricultural engineering are given. The preparation of this article is an attempt to familiarize the population with rare crops, to involve it in the work of expanding the range of vegetable crops grown in Russia. In order to expand the range of nutritionally high-value green crops, owners of small farms and small forms of farming are recommended to practice widespread cultivation of Chinese cabbage, mizuna, and eruka in the temperate zone of Russia. By gradually improving the technology of growing crops, it is necessary to give commercial interest to their production.

Key words: assortment, Chinese cabbage, mizuna, eruka sowing, arugula, cultivation