The Carrot Quest: Discovering the secrets of carrot market classes

The Journey of Carrot Domestication

Carrots weren't always the familiar swollen orange roots we know today. Originally, they were pretty normal looking roots and looked nothing like carrots, as we can tell from the carrot ancestor Queen Anne’s Lace. Carrots later were slowly developed or domesticated, and a variety of colors started to emerge including purple and yellow.

It wasn’t until the 1600s that orange carrots became prominent in Europe. This shift in color was just the beginning of understanding how carrots can vary in shape and size. Over time, horticulturists began to notice and select different root shapes, which led to the diverse carrot varieties we see today.

The art record has played a significant role in documenting and understanding the domestication of carrots. Early botanical illustrations provided detailed depictions of different carrot varieties, allowing scientists and horticulturists to infer and study their physical characteristics during the course of domestication. These illustrations were crucial for sharing knowledge about plant varieties across different regions and generations. Nevertheless, these illustrations tend to be subjective, and we see them through the eyes of the artist.

Dr. Alfaro's fellowship is under the supervision of Prof. Irwin Goldman in UW-Madison's Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences.