Andean Roots and Tubers
Andean Roots and Tubers
In addition to the cultivated potato (Solanum spp.), and sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) conserved in the CIP-genebank, there are nine other genera (from nine different families) of lesser-known Andean Root and Tuber Crops (ARTCs) domesticated throughout the Andes. These ARTCs play an important role in nutrition, health, and food security for thousands of smallholder farmer families in the Andean highlands. Although none of the ARTCs are listed as an Annex 1 crop in the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), they are included in the in trust agreement between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the CGIAR Centers. International distribution and use of ARTCs is however restricted due to a lack of protocols to certify the material is phytosanitary clean in order to meet import permit requirements. Therefore, a priority for the genebank for the ARTC collection is initiate research programs to develop phytosanitary tools for the diagnosis of viruses in ARTCs.
Most ARTCs are clonally propagated (achira, arracacha, oca, mashua, mauka, ulluco, and yacon) and are conserved in the CIP-genebank as in vitro plantlets while the other two ARTCs are maintained as seed (ahipa and maca). Accessions that are not maintained in vitro and those undergoing characterization are conserved or grown in greenhouses and farmer fields, specifically in a rural community (La Libertad) located above 3,800 masl in the department of Junín (11º49 ‘S and 75º18’ W). Maca and ahipa are the only crops conserved as seeds in cold chambers (-20ºC).
Current and traditional uses of ARTCs
Crop
Family
Scientific name
Habitat altitude (masl)
Edible part
Current uses / Traditional proccessing
Number of Accessions – Cultivated
Number of Accessions – Wild Relatives
Oca
Oxalidaceae
Oxalis tuberosa
3000-4000
Tuber
Boiled, baked / Kaya
881
154
Ulluco
Basellaceae
Ullucus tuberosus
3000-4000
Tuber
Soups, stews, salads / Lingle(chulqui)
548
25
Mashua
Tropaeolaceae
Tropaeolum tuberosum
3000-4000
Tuber
Boiled, baked / Tayacha
216
4
Achira
Cannacea
Canna indica
1000-3300
Root
Baked, boiled, industrial starch / Flour
51
16
Yacon
Compositae
Smallanthus sonchifolius
2000-2900
Rhizome
Syrup, flour, chips / Sugar, juice
50
1
Arracacha
Apiaceae
Arracacia xanthorrhiza
1300-3300
Root
Boiled, baked, soups, stews, fried, puddings, baby foods / Kawi
42
2
Maca
Fabaceae
Lepidium meyenii
3900-4500
Hypocotyl
Salads / Liquor, juice
157
291
Ahipa
Brassicaceae
Pachyrhizus spp.
1500-3000
Root
Baked, salad, juice / –
82
–
Mauka
Nyctaginaceae
Mirabilis expansa
2300-3200
Root
Boiled, stews, soups, fried, puddings / –
4
2
Publications
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Contact
Ivan Manrique
Andean Roots and Tubers Crops Curator
i.manrique@cgiar.org