Leafy vegetables:

Leaf vegetables, also called potherbs, greens, or leafy greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. Although they come from a very wide variety of plants, most share a great deal with other leaf vegetables in nutrition and cooking methods.Nearly one thousand species of plants with edible leaves are known. Leaf vegetables most often come from short-lived herbaceous plants such as lettuce and spinach. Woody plants whose leaves can be eaten as leaf vegetables include Adansonia, Aralia, Moringa, Morus, and Toona species.

Shedding light on leafy vegetables

In East Africa, the renewed interest in nightshade and other indigenous vegetables including amaranth, African eggplant, Ethiopian mustard, cowpea, jute mallow and spiderplant, has been partially stimulated by a successful campaign in Kenya and Tanzania led by Bioversity International, Farm Concern International and The World Vegetable Center (AVRDC), who have worked to promote the nutritional benefits of the crops as well as encouraging improved production techniques.

Weed Control in Cole or Brassica Leafy Vegetables:

The Brassica leafy vegetables (cole crops) range from major crops such as cabbage to very minor ones including mustard and rape greens. Optimum production of these crops depends on successful control of weeds. Weeds reduce yields by direct competition for nutrients, water and light. Weed control is especially important early in the season when weed competition can substantially reduce vigor, uniformity and overall yield. In Florida, there are a large number of weeds that are also in the Cruciferae (mustard) family. These weeds in and around the field can breed and harbor insects and disease pathogens that can invade or spread to the crop soon after planting.

Green leafy vegetables may halve lung cancer risk:

The protective effects of the vegetables were possibly due to the antioxidant content of the food, known to be rich source of vitamins A and C, as well as flavonoids."In light of these findings, the protective effect detected for total greens, cabbage, turnip tops, lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, and potatoes, rather than being due to a specific nutrient, could be due to their combined effect and to interactions between the various component nutrients," wrote lead author Olga Dosil-Diaz from the Galician Public Foundation for Health Emergencies.The study adds to a rapidly expanding body of science linking an increased intake of vegetables to a reduced risk of certain cancers.

Leafy Vegetable Crops

Leafy vegetables contain more vitamins and minerals and fewer calories than any other vegetables. They are ideal for summer lunches when heat dulls the appetite and the desire to cook. Leafy vegetables do well under cool conditions and can be eaten at any stage of maturity, which makes them ideal for regions with a short growing season. With proper selection, culture and storage, leafy vegetables can be available most of the year.

What are dark green leafy vegetables?

Dark green leafy vegetables are good sources of many vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay healthy, like vitamin A, vitamin C, and calcium. They are also great sources of fiber. The darker the leaves, the more nutrients the vegetable usually has.