Corchorus olitorius L.
Tiliaceae (Tossa jute)
Source: James A. Duke. 1983. Handbook of Energy Crops. unpublished.
- Uses
- Folk Medicine
- Chemistry
- Toxicity
- Description
- Germplasm
- Distribution
- Ecology
- Cultivation
- Harvesting
- Yields and Economics
- Energy
- Biotic Factors
- References
While perhaps better known as a
fiber crop, jute is also a medicinal "vegetable", eaten from Tanganyika
to Egypt. Dried
leaves were given me by an Egyptian friend who had brought them with him to
this country. They are used in soups under the Arabic name
"Molukhyia." In India
the leaves and tender shoots are eaten. The dried material is there known as
"nalita." Injections of olitoriside markedly improve cardiac insufficiencies
and have no cumulative attributes; hence, it can serve as a substitute for
strophanthin.
Reported to be demulcent,
deobstruent, diuretic, lactagogue, purgative, and tonic, tussa jute is a folk
remedy for aches and pains, dysentery, enteritis, fever, dysentery, pectoral
pains, and tumors (Duke and Wain, 1981; List and Horhammer, 1969-1979).
Ayurvedics use the leaves for ascites, pain, piles, and tumors. Elsewhere the
leaves are used for cystitis, dysuria, fever, and gonorrhea. The cold infusion
is said to restore the appetite and strength.
Per 100 g, the leaves are
reported to contain 43-58 calories, 80.4-84.1 g H2O, 4.5-5.6 g
protein, 0.3 g fat, 7.6-12.4 g total carbohydrate, 1.7-2.0 g fiber, 2.4 g ash,
266-366 mg Ca, 97-122 mg P, 7.2-7.7 mg Fe, 12 mg Na, 444 mg K, 6,410-7,850 ug
beta-carotene equivalent, 0.13-0.15 mg thiamine, 0.26- 0.53 mg riboflavin,
1.1-1.2 mg niacin, and 53-80 mg ascorbic acid. Leaves contain oxydase and
chlorogenic acid. The folic acid content is substantially higher than that of
other folacin-rich vegetables, ca 800 micrograins per 100 g (ca 75% moisture)
or ca 3200 micrograms on a zero moisture basis (Chen and Saad, 1981). The seeds
contain 11.3-14.8% oil (Watt and Breyer-Brandwijk, 1962), reportedly estrogenic
(Sharaf et al, 1979), which contains 16.9% palmitic-, 3.7% stearic-, 1.8%
behenic-, 1.1% lignoceiic-, 9.1% oleic-, 62.5% linoleic-, and 0.9% linolenic-
acids as well as large portions of B, Mn, Mo, and Zn.
Contains HCN and several cardiac
glycosides. Negm et al (1980) report the LD50 of tissue extracts to mice. The
"lethal dose" of Corchoroside A to cats is 0.053-0.0768 mg/kg and
Corchoroside B 0.059-0.1413, but some authors say that Corchoroside A is twice as
active as Corchoroside B.
Annual, much-branched herb 90-120
cm tall; stems glabrous. Leaves 6-10 cm long, 3.5-5 cm broad,
elliptic-lanceolate, apically acute or acuminate, glabrous, serrate, the lower
serratures on each side prolonged into a filiform appendage over 6 mm long,
rounded at the base, 3-5 nerved; petioles 2-2.5 cm long, slightly pubescent,
especially towards the apex; atipules subulate, 6-10 mm long. Flowers pale
yellow; bracts lanceolate; peduncle shorter than the petiole; pedicles 1-3,
very short. Sepals ca 3 mm long, oblong, apiculate. Petals 5 mm long, oblong
spathulate. Style short; stigma microscopically papillose. Capsules 3-6.5 cm
long, linear, cylindric erect, beaked, glabrous, 10-ribbed, 5-valved; valves
with transverse partitions between the seeds. Seeds trigonous, black (Kirtikar
and Basu, 1975).
Reported from the African,
Hindustani, and China-Japan Centers
of Diversity, tussa jute, or cvs thereof, is reported to tolerate disease,
fungi, high pH, laterite, limestone, and salt (Duke, 1978). Several cvs are
discussed in the Annual Reports of the Jute Agricultural Research Institute
(ICAR, 1973, 1975). (2n = 14, 28)
Rather pantropical in
distribution, perhaps more often a weed than a cultivar. Considered a serious
weed in Australia,
Egypt, Mozambique,
the Philippines,
Senegal, and Thailand,
a principal weed in the Sudan,
and a common weed in Afghanistan,
India, Kenya,
Nepal, Turkey,
and Zambia
(Holm et al, 1979). Systematic attempts have been made to grow jute in West
Africa, Sudan,
Egypt, Turkey,
Iran, Thailand,
Java, Paraguay,
Brazil, Argentina,
and Mexico.
Ranging from Warm Temperate Thorn
through Tropical Desert to Wet Forest Life Zones, tussa jute is reported to
tolerate annual precipitation of 4.0 to 42.9 dm (mean of 15 cases = 18), annual
temperature of 16.8 to 27.5°C (mean of 15 cases = 23.8), and pH of 4.5 to 8.2
(mean of 13 cases = 6.5). (Duke, 1978, 1979)
In India,
seeds are sown in (Feb.-) Mar-May (June) in carefully prepared soil, plowed and
cross plowed 5 or 6 times, clay soils requiring more plowing. Cow dung and wood
ashes are applied as manure. Rotted water hyacinth or its ashes may also be
applied. Seeds are broadcast or dribbled behind the plow. When soils are moist,
seeds may germinate in 2-3 days. If germination is bad, replowing and resowing
is recommended. Starting at 8-25 cm tall, the seedlings are harrowed with a
rake 3 to 4 times, and weeded 2 to 3 times. After the final weeding, plants are
spaced at 10-15 by 15 cm. Highest yields were obtained (ca 3000 kg/ha) with 80
kg/N compared to 1700 per ha in unfertilized controls.
In India,
usually harvested Aug-Sept, when ca 50% of the plants are in pods, but earlier
if floods threaten. Plants are cut close to the ground with sickles. Cut plants
are tied into bundles, left to dry 2-4 days and shed their leaves. The jute is
retted usually in stagnant water. After retting, the bundles are beat on the
root end with a mallet to start the fibers which are wrapped around the fingers
and the stems are jerked back and forth in the water to separate the fibers.
Fiber yields run ca 800-1600
kg/ha with exceptional cases of 2400 in India,
and genetic potential of 4000 kg/ha, the fiber representing ca 6% of the green
weight. Intercropped with Vigna, jute has yielded 3270 kg compared to
2290 monocropped. Rice yielded 5650 kg/ha following the intercropping and,
potatoes yielded 13,600 kg/ha following the rice (ICAR, 1973). Seed yields run
200-350 kg/ha, usually lower in C. olitorus than in capsularis.
Assuming the fiber yields are 6%
of green weight, annual green weight productivity ranges from 13 to 42 MT/ha,
with genetic potential of 67 MT. Assuming 80% moisture, this translates to
2.6-13.4 MT DM. ICAR (1973) reports DM yields of ca 10 MT near Barrackpore
corresponding roughly to an uptake of 75 kg N, 4 5 kg P2O5,
120 kg K2O, 115 kg CaO, and 35 kg MgO.
Anthracnose spots caused by Colletotrichum
gloeosporioides may infect 50-90% of a jute population, but spraying with
copper oxychloride at 0.5% strength checked the spread, holding it to 5-10%
(ICAR, 1973). Thangavel et al (1974) found that this species was badly infested
by 3 species of weevils (Myllocerus spp.) while C. capsularis was
unaffected. The semilooper Anomis sabulifera may stunt the growth,
reducing fiber yields by ca 13-32%. The yellow mite, Polyphagotarsonemus
latus may also reduce yields.
- Chen, T.S.
and Saad, S. 1981. Folic acid in Egyptian vegetables: The effect of drying
method as storage on the folacin content of mulukhiyah (Corchorus
olitorius). Ecol. of Food & Nut. 10:249-255.
- Duke, J.A.
1978. The quest for tolerant germplasm. p. 1-61. In: ASA Special Symposium
32, Crop tolerance to suboptimal land conditions. Am. Soc. Agron. Madison,
WI.
- Duke, J.A.
1979. Ecosystematic data on economic plants. Quart. J. Crude Drug Res.
17(3-4):91-110.
- Duke, J.A.
and Wain, K.K. 1981. Medicinal plants of the world. Computer index with
more than 85,000 entries. 3 vols.
- Holm,
L.G., Pancho, J.V., Herberger, J.P., and Plucknett, D.L. 1979. A
geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New
York.
- ICAR. 1973.
The Jute Agricultural Research Institute. Annual Report 1970.
- ICAR.
1975. The Jute Agricultural Research Institute. Annual Report 1971-1972.
- Kirtikar,
K.R. and Basu, B.D. 1975. Indian medicinal plants. 4 vols. 2nd ed. Jayyed
Press, New Delhi.
- List, P.H.
and Horhammer, L. 1969-1979. Hager's handbuch der pharmazeutischen praxis.
vols 2-6. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
- Negm, S.,
EI-Shabrawy, O., Arbid, M., and Radwan, A.S. 1980. Toxicological study of
the different organs of Corchorus olitorius L. plant with special
reference to their cardiac glycosides content. Zeitsc. Ernaehrungsw.
19(1):28-32.
- Sharaf,
A., Kamel, S.H., Salama, A., and Arbid, M.S. 1979. Oestrogenicity of Corchorus
olitorius L. seed oil. Egyptian J. Vet. Med. 14(2):87-93.
- Thangavel,
P., Subramaniam, T.R., Sivaram, M.R., and Arulsekar, S. 1974. Observations
on the preference of jute species to the attack of the ash weevils, Myllocerus
spp. Madras Agr. J. 61(5):134.
- Watt, J.M.
and Breyer-Brandwijk, M.G. 1962. The medicinal and poisonous plants of
southern and eastern Africa. 2nd ed. E.&S.
Livingstone, Ltd., Edinburgh
and London.
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