ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the origin and distribution, nutritional composition, medicinal values, climatic requirement, soil requirement, cultivated varieties and post-harvest management of sorrel. Sorrel is cultivated as herbaceous vegetable plant primarily as a culinary herb for its leaves, which are used in salads and cooking but is now merely a wild food plant. Sorrel is a cold-hardy plant, which prefers sunny or partially shaded conditions for its growth. Sorrel grows naturally and does not require much application of synthetic fertilizers. It is essential to apply irrigation prior to seed sowing to have ample moisture to get better seed germination and subsequent growth of the plants. There is no major insect pest affecting this crop though aphids, thrips, armyworm and root knot nematode may sometimes damage the sorrel plant to some extent. The crop is relatively disease-free. However, powdery mildew, leaf spot and Phytophthora foot rot may appear to some extent and cause damage.
