Scientific name: C. cardunculus

Family: Asteraceae

BRIEF HISTORY AND BOTANICAL NOTES ON THE PLANT
The domestication of the artichoke (Cynara scolymus) from its wild progenitor (Cynara cardunculus) seems to have occurred in Sicily starting from around the 1st century.
The plant called Cynara was already known to the Greeks and Romans. It was attributed aphrodisiac powers and takes its name from a girl seduced by Jupiter and then transformed by him into an artichoke.
The artichoke (Cynara cardunculus scolymus) and the domestic thistle (Cynara cardunculus altilis) both derive from the wild one (Cynara cardunculus silvestris – used in cheesemaking in the preparation of rennet) following a selection process, which favored the development of the inflorescence in the first and of the midrib of the leaves in the second.
It is a plant of the Asteraceae or Compositae family (to which some of the plants used in biodynamic preparations belong) cultivated in Italy and other countries for food and, secondarily, medicinal use, thanks to the cynarin content.

The artichoke is a perennial herbaceous plant, with the formation of a rhizome, from whose buds the shoots called carducci develop. The stem (up to 150 cm high) and the ramifications bring the inflorescences to a terminal position.
The tubular hermaphroditic blue flowers are gathered in a flower head inflorescence, which includes a basal part (the fleshy receptacle), on which the hermaphroditic flowers are inserted. Interspersed with the flowers there are numerous white and translucent bristles (the "pappus") on the thalamus. The complex of flowers and bristles, in the early stages of development, is commonly referred to as "down". The bracts or involucral scales are inserted into the receptacle, the innermost ones being tender and fleshy, the outermost ones being firm and fibrous. The fleshy receptacle and the internal bracts constitute the edible portion of the artichoke, commonly called the "heart".
Its natural cycle is autumn-spring: with the first autumn rains the rhizome buds awaken and emit new shoots. The first flower heads are emitted towards the end of winter, starting from the month of February. In late spring the plant goes dormant with the entire aerial part drying out.
In warmer areas the artichoke is subjected to forcing with the aim of bringing forward the production of flower heads to the autumn period. Forcing the artichoke produces results only in re-flowering cultivars and causes biological stress and reduces the useful life of the artichoke.

The artichoke is considered a multi-year renewal crop to be followed by a cereal or other vegetables: the duration of an artichoke can be up to 10 years.

CLIMATE NEEDS
It is a plant typical of mild, warm and dry climates, sensitive to frost, especially during the production period, and to water stagnation, which causes root rot and excessive vegetative development to the detriment of production.
Soil: prefers soil rich in well-decomposed and well-exposed organic substance. It adapts easily, but prefers soil close to neutral.

SOWING AND TRANSPLANTING TIMES
Before planting, deep tillage (50 cm) is necessary, followed by more superficial tillage with clod breaker and refinement harrow. Organic fertilization must be done in conjunction with deep tillage.
The artichoke rarely multiplies by sowing. It is usually carried out in the autumn-spring period for "carducci", coming from the dehulling of other artichoke beds or for "ovuli" (portion of rhizome equipped with buds) in summer. In damp soils prepare beds. It is advisable to weed the propagation material.
The artichoke planting spacing varies depending on the variety chosen. The average distance is 90-100 cm between the rows and on the row 70 cm for the less vigorous varieties and 120 cm for those with

great development (7-10,000 plants/ha).

PROCESSINGS
Carry out annual surface tillage in order to limit the development of wild herbs.

FERTILIZATION
Good needs for nitrogen, phosphorus (gives greater strength and shelf life) and potassium (increases earliness). The contributions are mainly made pre-plant.

PRODUCTS
In addition to fresh consumption, the artichoke is used by the canning industry for the production of "natural artichokes", "artichokes in oil" and "frozen artichokes".
For food use, tender carducci are also used, which when subjected to the practice of whitening are called "gobbi".
The by-product of artichoke leaves constitutes an excellent fresh food for animals, while the residues of industrial processing are dried to prepare an artichoke flour for zootechnical use.

CULTURAL CURES
Carry out de-skinning every year. Depending on the conditions, two or three cards are left per plant. The dichoccatura instead consists in eliminating the residues of the plants at the end of the harvest.
At the beginning of winter add mature compost and earth up lightly or cover with leaves and straw.

IRRIGATION
It suffers from water stagnation, but still requires good water availability, especially in early summer cultivation.

ADVERSITY'
It is a rustic plant, but is still subject to some adversities.
Flower head atrophy, important for late varieties, causes malformation of flower heads. It occurs in particular thermal, nutritional and water conditions.
The artichoke is also sensitive to frost.
It is subject to attacks by animal parasites, in particular the vole (field mouse).
Some species of moths damage the flower heads: the artichoke moth (Gortyna xanthenes), the moth moth (Depressaria erinaceella) and the artichoke moth (Vanessa cardui).
Other phytophagous plants often present are aphids (Brachycaudus cardui, Aphis fabae, Myzus persicae etc.) and cassida (Cassida deflorata).
Among the cryptogamic diseases, the main threat is represented by collar rot (Sclerotinia spp., Rhizoctonia spp.), present above all in poorly drained soils.

DEFENSE PRODUCTS
For attacks by animal parasites, it is important to adopt preventive practices, in particular avoiding fertilizations that are too rich in nitrogen, and carrying out treatments with extracts with a repellent action (nettle for aphids, deterrents for voles or with the ash method) or insecticide (soaps, sodium silicate, quassium, pyrethrum, Bacillus thuringiensis for lepidopterans).
To limit the attacks of cryptogamic diseases, in addition to choosing varietals and suitable environments, carry out rotation, remove infected plants and spray with horsetail decoction.
It can benefit from companion crops such as lettuces, cabbages, leeks, radishes, peas and beans.

PRODUCTION AND COLLECTION
Scaled harvest, starting in October for the early crop until June for the later one. Depending on the growing conditions and varietal choices, the length of the production cycle can vary from a minimum of 20 days to a maximum of 200 days. The number of collections can therefore range from a minimum of 3-4 to a maximum of 15-20 per cycle. The number of flower heads per plant varies from 4 to 15.
The harvest is carried out by hand with the cutting of flower heads with long stems and some leaves.

NUTRITIONAL VALUES
The artichoke is quite rich in iron, fibre, vitamins (presence of B1, B3 and small quantities of vitamin C), mineral salts and amino acids.
Characteristic secondary metabolites are very important (in particular derivatives of caffeic acid, including cynarin, which has cholagogue, choleretic and hypocholesterolemic effects) with beneficial antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties for the organism.

The medicinal properties of the artichoke and the bitter flavor of the extracts make it a widely consumed plant in the liquor and medicinal industries.

FAMILY AND VARIETY
They can be classified into autumn varieties, also called repeat-flowering, and spring varieties.
The production of autumn varieties occurs at the turn of winter, starting in October-November, and, after a winter stasis, continues in spring until May. These varieties, in general, are characterized by a medium-small flower head, weighing approximately 150-200 g. A substantial part of the second production, i.e. that which appears after the winter, is destined for the canning industry for freezing and canning.
The spring varieties are grown in the coastal areas of central-northern Italy and provide a more or less early production which can last from February-March until May-June. These artichokes represent a very valuable production with a much larger flower head than the ever-flowering ones.
The main varieties are “Romanesco”, “Lentinese”, “Carovigno di Puglia” and “Spinoso di Palermo” for the south and “Spinoso di Liguria or di Albenga”, “Violetto di Toscana”, “Violetto di Provenza” (suitable to cool climates which, grown in Perinaldo, is part of the Slow Food Presidia)

BIODYNAMIC TREATMENTS
In addition to the spraying of spray preparations at the plant and in production, the supply of organic substance appropriately composted via biodynamic heap allows us to avoid imbalances in growth and the consequent attacks by parasites.
It is advisable to weed the propagation material with soil mixed with cornoletame 500 or with diluted biodynamic log paste.
USE OF THE BIODYNAMIC CALENDAR
To preserve quality and shelf life, harvest in the morning in the cool hours, possibly on flower days.