Abstract
This publication conveys some of the results from Florida researchers' investigation of the production of Chinese water chestnuts. The corm of this grass-like wetland plant is harvested and sold fresh or canned for use in Oriental cooking.
This publication
contains references to enclosures that are available in hard
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Table of Contents
Chinese Water Chestnut
Chinese water chestnut belongs to the family of grass-like wetland
plants, Cyperaceae, which includes the sedges (Cyperus Carex)
as well as the spike rushes (Eleocharis). It is cultivated
in much the same manner as paddy rice. The corm, a fleshy underground
bulb-like portion of the plant, is the part that is harvested and
sold to both fresh and canned markets for use in Oriental cooking.
In the late 1980s, researchers in Florida spent several years investigating
the production of Chinese water chestnuts in Florida. Enclosed are
two items from this effort:
Snyder, G.H., and C.A. Sanchez. 1989. Chinese Waterchestnut Production
on Shallow Organic Soils: Final Report. University of Florida Everglades
Research and Education Center, Belle Glade, FL. 19 p.
Morton, J.F., C.A. Sanchez, and G.H. Snyder. 1988. Chinese waterchestnuts
in Florida—past, present, and future. p. 139-144. In: Proceedings
of the Florida State Horticulture Society. Vol. 101.
Some of the interesting facts and conclusions from these reports:
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Over $25,000,000 of Chinese water chestnuts were imported into
the U.S. in 1988 as canned and frozen product. Chinese water chestnuts
were also imported as fresh produce. While a dollar figure is
not available, the USDA Economic Research Service reported that
imports of fresh Chinese water chestnuts were 152 metric tons
in 1983, increasing to 529 metric tons in 1987.
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The biggest source of imports comes from mainland China, with
the remainder coming from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Ports of entry
for imports included Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City,
and New Jersey.
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Chinese water chestnuts were introduced to the United States
in the 1930s. Historically, states with commercial production
include Florida, Georgia, and California.
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Seed corms or vegetative transplants can be used to establish
a crop. Establishment from seed takes too long—as much as two
years. Propagation from transplants can shorten the time to maturity
by six weeks.
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Muck soils, clay loam soils, and sandy loam soils with a hardpan
understructure are well suited to water chestnut production. Fields
are leveled and diked in a manner similar to commercial rice production.
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Sowing a one-hectare (2.54 acres) field requires 500 kg corms.
The field must be immediately flooded with at least 12.5 cm of
water, which is then allowed to drain off. Within a week after
planting, the field is re-flooded with 10 to 20 cm of water. This
level is maintained throughout most of the growing season.
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By late November, the tops turn brown. The field is then drained
after which time the tops (vegetative growth) are allowed to turn
brown, then burned or clipped off. Harvesting is begun 2 to 3
weeks later.
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Home gardeners or small-scale growers can raise water chestnuts
in water-tight containers or troughs. Yields of 9 kg of corms
per square meter can be realized.
-
A single plant can yield 2.3 kg per season. This translates
to a theoretical yield of 92,000
kg per hectatre. However, yields from growers in Georgia average
about 48,000 kg per hectare. Yields in Florida have ranged from
47,000 to 85,000 kg per hectare.
-
Despite its introduction to Florida over 60 years ago, there
has been little progress toward the establishment of a viable
industry. This may be due to lack of a suitable mechanical harvester
and the high labor costs involved with hand harvesting and peeling
the crop. Experimental harvesting and peeling equipment in Florida
and Georgia were mentioned in the reports, and these may be worth
investigating further.
-
Still, some hope was expressed for Chinese water chestnut as
a commercial crop in south Florida. It is well adapted to this
climate, has a proven history of production, produces large yields
with limited inputs, and from an environmental viewpoint is an
ideal aquatic vegetable crop for natural wetland areas such as
the Everglades region.
In addition to production as a wetland food crop raised much the
same way as paddy rice, there is some interest in Chinese water
chestnut as a minor hydroponic crop. For a glimpse into a simplified
method of hydroponic food production that can be done outdoors or
in a greenhouse using tubs and low-cost production methods, see
the Institute of Simplified Hydroponics
Web site.
Aquaponic greenhouse growers, especially those who use gravel as
an aggregate medium, sometimes raise Chinese water chestnut as a
companion crop.
There is also interest in the use of Chinese water chestnut as
an aquatic plant in constructed wetlands. (1, 2)
In a constructed wetland, wetland plants function as a biofilter
to remove nutrients from the wastewater. Chinese water chestnut
performs this function, while yielding a secondary food product
that can be fed to livestock. The enclosed information sheet by
Kingsley and Maddo addresses the use of Chinese water chestnut in
association with constructed wetlands and livestock waste facilities.
Seed corms are available in limited quantities from ornamental
aquatic plant nurseries. Growers thinking about raising Chinese
water chestnuts are advised to seek wholesale quantities and prices.
However, it may be necessary to obtain a few pounds of corms as
stock plants, raise a crop of seed corms, and establish a larger
planting in the second year. The tub method, as described by the
Florida researchers, may be appealing to small-scale growers and
home gardeners.
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Trapa natans, The European
Water Chestnut
To avoid confusion, growers looking into Chinese water chestnut
as a commercial crop should be aware that there is an invasive,
weedy wetland plant commonly known as water chestnut, Trapa
natans, that has become naturalized in parts of the Eastern
U.S.
T. natans, often called water chestnut or European water
chestnut in the U.S., belongs to the Trapaceae family (which happens
to be a monogeneric or single genus family). In contrast to the
Chinese water chestnut which is harvested for its corm, the harvestable
portion of T. natans is the seed or fruit—thus the common
name of Singhara Nut in India and the Ling Nut in other parts of
Asia. In India, Singhara Nut is considered a minor crop, and is
sometimes only harvested as survival food under severe conditions.
T. natans was introduced to North America from Eurasia
around 1874, and has since become a serious aquatic weed in much
of the eastern U.S. and Canada. T. natans is a prohibited
or restricted aquatic plant in states like South Carolina and Florida.
It is illegal to import or distribute or even transport this plant
through these states.
See Web Resources below for Web sites with more
information on T. Natans, as well as background information
on invasive wetland plants.
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References
- Maddox, J.J., and J.B. Kingsley.
1989. Waste treatment for confined swine with an integrated artificial
wetland and aquaculture system. p. 191-200. In: D.A. Hammer (ed.)
Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment. Lewis Publishers,
Chelsea, MI.
- Kingsley, J.B., J.J. Maddox, and
P.M. Giordano. 1989. Aquatic plant culture for waste treatment
and resource recovery. p. 542-549. In: D.A. Hammer (ed.) Constructed
Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment. Lewis Publishers, Chelsea,
MI.
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Enclosures
Anon. 1989. Aquaculture Report Series. Florida Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services, Tallahassee, FL. Contains the following publications:
Snyder, G.H., and C.A. Sanchez. 1989. Chinese Waterchestnut
Production on Shallow Organic Soils: Final Report. University
of Florida Everglades Research and Education Center, Belle Glade,
FL. 19 p.
Morton, J.F., C.A. Sanchez, and G.H. Snyder. 1988. Chinese waterchestnuts
in Florida-past, present, and future. p. 139-144. In: Proceedings
of the Florida State Horticulture Society. Vol. 101.
DeRigo, H.T., and H.F. Winters. 1968. Nutritional studies with
Chinese water chestnuts. American Society for Horticultural Science.
Vol. 92. p. 394-399.
Kingsley, J.B., and J.J. Maddox. No date. Water Chestnut Production.
Unpublished manuscript. 4 p.
Morgan, Lynette. 1998. Hydroponic water chestnuts & other
aquatic crops.
The Growing Edge. July-August. p. 43, 46-47, 50-55.
Waite, S. 1991. An introduction to Chinese waterchestnuts. Missouri
Farm.
December. p. 36-37.
*These enclosures are available in hard copy only.
Please call our toll free number to request copies at 1-800-346-9140.
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Further Reading
Bird, K. 1992. Aquatic plants, new profits for aquaculturists.
Aquaculture Magazine. January-February. p. 30-40.
Hodge, W.H., and D.A. Bisset. 1955. The Chinese Waterchestnut.
USDA Circular No. 956. U.S. Dep't of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
16 p.
Groff, G.W. 1950. The introduction into the United States and the
culture or eleocharis dulcis, the 'matai' of China. Proceedings
Florida State Horticultural Society. Vol. 63. p. 262-265.
Leeper, G.F., and A.K. Williams. 1976. Peeling of Chinese waterchestnuts.
Journal of Food Science. Vol. 41, No. 1. p. 86-88.
National Academy of Sciences. 1976. Making Aquatic Weeds Useful:
Some Perspectives for Developing Countries. National Academy of
Sciences, Washington, D.C. 175 p.
Hodge, W.H. 1956. Chinese water chestnut or matai-paddy crop of
China. Economic Botany. Vol. 10, No. 1. p. 49-65.
Twigg, B.A., F.C. Starck, and A. Kramer. 1957. Cultural studies
with Matai (Chinese water chestnut). American Society of Horticultural
Science. Vol. 70. p. 266-271.
McGeachin, R.B., and R.R. Heidinger. 1979. Culture of Chinese waterchestnuts
in the southeastern United States. Proc. S.E. Game and Fish Ag.
Vol. 33. p. 606-610.
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Web Resources
Chinese Water Chestnuts for the Fresh Market Agriculture (PDF / 28 KB)
Western
Australia Farmnote
Sedge
Research at Kew
CYPERACEAE
Newsletter
In addition, I call your attention to the New Crops
Web site and symposium proceedings, sponsored by the Center for New
Crops & Plant Products at Purdue University. These contain a
wealth of information on minor crops, specialty crops, and ethnic
crops. The New Crops symposiums held in 1990, 1993, 1996, and 1999
were published in a series of hard-bound proceedings that contain
a wealth of information on new, specialty and ethnic crops. All
volumes are available for sale in print; however, the first three
volumes are also online.
Advances
in New Crops (1990)
New
Crops (1993)
Progress
in New Crops (1996)
Web Resources on T. natans and invasive wetland plants
Invasive Exotic Plants of Canada Fact Sheet No. 13: European
Water Chestnut (Water Chestnut, Bull Nut, Jesuit Nut, Water-Caltrop)
Wildlife Habitat Conservation, Canadian Wildlife Service Environment
Canada, The Green Lane http://72.139.43.187/plantsincanada/invasive/factnut.html
Invasive Plants of Natural Habitats in Canada An Integrated
Review of Wetland and Upland Species and Legislation Governing their
Control, Wildlife Habitat Conservation, Canadian Wildlife
Service Environment Canada, The Green Lane.
Illegal Aquatic Plants in South Carolina: Water Chestnut
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
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Plant Material
The following aquatic plant nurseries are listed here as likely
sources of propagation material. Please note that phone numbers
and addresses have not been verified. Most listings come from Cornucopia
II: A Source Book of Edible Plants, 2nd Edition (1998)
by Stephen Facciola (Kampong Publications, Vista, CA. 713 p.):
Aqua Mart, Inc.
P.O. Box 547399
Orlando, FL 32854
800-254-5814 |
Lilypons Water Gardens Inc.
P.O. Box 10
Buckeystown, MD 21717-0010
800-999-5459 |
Maryland Aquatic Nurseries
3427 North Furnace Rd.
Jarrettsville, MD 21084
410-557-7615 |
Oregon Exotics Nursery
1065 Messinger Rd.
Grants Pass, OR 97527
541-846-7578 |
Paradise Water Gardens
14 May Street
Whitman, MA 02382
800-966-4591 |
Scherer & Sons
104 Waterside Rd.
Northport, NY 11768
516-261-7432 |
Slocum Water Gardens
11010 Cypress Gardens Blvd
Winter Haven, FL 33884-1932
941-293-7151 |
William Tricker, Inc.
7125 Tanglewood Dr.
Independence, OH 44131
800-524-3492 |
Van Ness Gardens
2460 North Euclid Ave.
Upland, CA 91786-1199
909-982-2425 |
Waterford Gardens
74 East Allendale Rd.
Saddle River, NJ 07458
201-327-0721 |
Wicklein's Water Gardens
P.O. Box 9780
Baldwin, MD 21013
800-382-6716 |
Coastal Gardens and Nursery
4611 Socastee Blvd.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29575
803-293-2000 |
Eco-Gardens
P.O. Box 1227
OR
1346 S. Indian Creek Dr. (Stone Mountain)
Decatur, GA 30031
404-294-6468 |
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Chinese Water Chestnut
By Steve Diver
NCAT Agriculture Specialist
Cole Loeffler, HTML Production
CT 132
Slot 145
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