Scientific name of Chives is Allium schoenoprasum. It is a bulbous herbaceous, perennial leafy vegetable belonging to the family of onions, i.e. Amaryllidaceae. Chives are believed to be a native to European nations, particularly Britain. It is also found naturally growing throughout Asian continent and North America

Chive is an herbaceous plant that grows up to an average height and spread of 1 to 1.5 feet. Mature plants produce underground bulbs which are slender and conical in shape. An average bulb is 3 cm in length and 1 cm in breadth. Plant stems are hollow and tubular with each stem measuring up to 3 mm in diameter. Taxonomic classification of chive is as follows:

  • Kingdom-Plantae
  • Class-Angiosperms/Monocots
  • Order-Asparagales
  • Family-Amaryllidaceae
  • Genus-Allium
  • Species- schoenoprasum

The chive plant produces attractive, showy purple or pink flowers in thick umbel inflorescences with each inflorescence carrying up to 30 flowers in a cluster. Each flower is star-shaped with six petals with approximately one cm in width. Flowering time is from April to June.

Fruit is a capsule which contains numerous tiny seeds in three valves. Fruit matures in summer season. Seeds are small and black in color.

Chives may be used as a mild stimulant, diuretic, and an antiseptic and also have a beneficial effect on the circulatory system due to the presence of allyl sulfides and alkyl sulfoxides.

Chives may be used as an edging plant in gardens because they are easy to grow and have attractive flowers. Purple- violet flowers of chives are used in ornamental dry bouquets.

Chive plants are known for their insect-repelling properties due to the presence of sulphur compounds in their cells, and therefore popularly cultivated in home gardens to control insects and pests.

Juice extracted from the leaves can be used as a fungicide to fight fungal infections such as mildew and scab

Food Uses of Chives: Chives are used as a flavouring herb. Fragrant leaves of the chive plants are the part primarily used in food preparations. Due to their strong flavours and aromas, chives are chopped into fine pieces and used in small quantities. Chives are a common ingredient in Chinese, Japanese and Korean food preparations.

Chives are used as an ingredient for fish preparations and also used with potatoes. Finely chopped chives are used as a garnish in soups and stews. Chopped chives are used in sandwiches, egg preparations, yoghurt, fried rice preparations, pastas, and noodles.

Chives are rich in vitamins A and C and also contain trace amounts of sulfur, and are rich in calcium and iron. According to USDA, a 100g serving of fresh, raw chives provides about 30 kcal of energy. It has 90.65% moisture as its fresh weight.

Growing Chives: Chives are easy to grow. They are drought-resistant perennial plants which can be grown as annuals as well. Chive plants prefer well drained soil, which is highly fertile and is rich in organic matter, with a pH of 6-7. They should be grown under full sunlight for their healthy growth.

Chives can be propagated through seeds and also by division of clumps. Chive seedlings are planted during summer, or early the following spring.

Seeds are sown in nursery beds and then beds are covered with appropriate biodegradable mulch. Seed beds are always kept moist until seeds start germinating. Under normal management practices, chive seeds germinate within a fortnight if soil temperature is at 15 °C to 20 °C. When seedlings are 4-5 week old, they may be transplanted in the main fields.

Light irrigation is done at the time of planting. Thereafter watering is done as and when required. Soil should always be kept moist but overwatering should be avoided. No serious insect or disease problems are found in chives. However root rot may occur in overwatered or wet, poorly-drained soils.

Since leaves of chive plants are used as a leafy vegetable, harvesting is done by cutting down the required number of stalks from their base. Since plants continuously regrow very soon, continuous harvesting is possible. i.e. 3-4 harvests may be done in a single growing season. Once planted, the chives can be harvested at least for three to four years before replanting the field with new plants.

Post Harvest Practices: Precooling of freshly harvested chives is essential if the crop is for the market. Precooling is done at or above 0 °C (32 °F) immediately after harvest.

Quality of chives is assessed by its appearance. Chives that are uniform-sized with a strong flavour and aroma and are fresh with green and clean leaves, without any yellowing or decay, without any insect-pest damage, and mechanical damage are considered as ‘marketable.’ Otherwise, there are no market grades or sizes for chives to be referred to.

Packaging: Uniform sized bunches are tied together with rubber bands, and then packaged in plastic bags or clamshell containers before placing them in standard-sized corrugated cartons. Perforated polyethylene liners should be used in the cartons.

Chives may be stored for up to 2 to 3 weeks at 0 °C (32 °F) with 95 to 100% relative humidity. Due to a short postharvest life, Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage is not recommended for chives. Chives are not chilling sensitive. Use of water sprinklers and misting are acceptable to maintain the freshness of freshly arrived chives in the retail outlets.

Ethylene production of chives is low, but its ethylene sensitivity is high. Storage at 0 °C reduces adverse effects of ethylene on visual quality. Its respiration rate at 0 °C is 22 mg CO2 kg-1 h-1.

Physiological Disorders: Yellowing and leaf abscission due to ethylene exposure are major physiological disorders found in chives.

Postharvest Disorders: Molds and bacterial decay are some major issues during the storage of chives. Maintenance of low temperatures during storage may slow down the rate of decay.

Processing: Drying of chive leaves is not recommended as it will lose natural flavour of the leaves. If chives are to be stored for long term, freezing is recommended. Chive leaves are chopped into fine pieces and stored in ice cube trays with water before freezing them.

Major Markets for Chives: Chives are available in the market throughout the year. USA, France, Sweden, Poland and other European countries have a good market for chives.

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