ABSTRACT
The scientific name of Chinese chives is Allium tuberosum Rottl. It is known as “Kau tsai” in China and Nira in Japan. Chinese chives spreads via rhizomes. These bear the long, approximately 5-mm-wide, flatfish, and slightly keeled leaves. Chinese chives grow well in most soils, but rich, well-fertilized fields and strains which are well adapted to the climatic zone are essential for production of commercial yields. For winter production in Liao Ning province, beds of Chinese chives are covered by glass or plastic structures in winter after the ground has frozen to a depth of 10 to 15 cm and the leaves have died back. Bleached Chinese chives are widely produced in China. In the field light may be excluded and blanched chives produced using “tents” of straw matting, roofing tiles, or dark paper. The leaves of Chinese chives are very soft and tend to lose their freshness quite rapidly.
