Yam is the second most important root/tuber crop in Africa after cassava, and is extremely important to food security in regions of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, as well as the tropical Americas. Virtually all global yam production takes place in the developing world.
Is yam a stem crop?
Potatoes and yams technically have modified belowground stems (“stem tubers”) while sweet potatoes have “root tubers.” monocots (related to grasses and lilies). Yams are widely cultivated worldwide, especially in West Africa, where 95% of the crop is harvested.
Is yam a field crop?
Yams are a very important starchy staple crop of tropical and subtropical agriculture. They have been almost exclusively a subsistence food for the peasant farmer, but increasingly have become more of a commercial crop and are generally preferred to cassava.
Is yam a vegetable crop?
True yams have various common names across multiple world regions. In some places, other (unrelated) root vegetables are sometimes referred to as “yams”, including: In the United States, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas), especially those with orange flesh, are often referred to as “yams”
What group does yam belong to?
tuber vegetable
Yams (Dioscorea) are a type of tuber vegetable that originated in Asia, Africa, and the Carribean ( 1 ). They’re often mistaken for sweet potatoes. However, yams are less sweet and more starchy. They have a distinct brown, bark-like exterior.
What are examples of root crops?
Root crops.
- Beets.
- Parsnips.
- Turnips.
- Rutabagas.
- Carrots.
- Jicama.
- Maca.
What are stem tuber crops?
Stem tubers, or true tubers, are bulbous modified stems that grow underground. The tuber grows underground to store nutrients for survival and reproduction through the winter for future growing seasons. Tubers growing underground are connected to the original stem by new stem-like off-shoots called stolons.
Is yam a cash crop?
Yam is one of the most consumed major agric crops in Nigeria and it is also a cash crop in its own right as our country produces it in large quantities and can export it to other countries for huge revenues.
Is yam a biennial crop?
Annual Crops (e.g. maize, yam, etc.) Biennial Crops (e.g. ginger, pineapple, cassava, etc) Perennial Crops (e.g cocoa, mango, etc.)
Is yam an annual or perennial crop?
Most yams are annual plants, harvested after one season, but some are perennial with tubers increasing in size each year with the vines dying back at the end of the growing season and regrowing on the return of favorable conditions.
Is yam a fruit or vegetable?
Yams are also a tuber vegetable. Their scientific name is Dioscorea, and they originate in Africa and Asia. They are now commonly found in the Caribbean and Latin America as well. Over 600 varieties of yams are known, and 95% of these are still grown in Africa.
What are the types of yam?
YamRepresentative speciesThe six (6) edible yam species are Dioscorea alata (water yam), Dioscorea rotundata (white guinea yam), Dioscorea esculanta (Chinese or lesser yam), Dioscorea cayenensis (yellow guinea yam), Dioscorea bulbifera (aerial or bulbils yam)and Dioscorea dumetorum (trifoliate or bitter yam) (Purseglove, 1972; Degras L. 1993).
Is yam a legume?
The yam bean is a legume but unlike its close relatives the soybean and other beans, the yam bean is cultivated for its large, tuberous roots. The pods are toxic when mature but can be used as a vegetable when young.
How do you describe yams?
A yam is a starchy vegetable that grows underground. Yams are similar to potatoes — they can be baked, boiled, mashed, grated, or cut into chunks. In North America, a yam is the same thing as a sweet potato, although in most parts of the world these words refer to two completely different vegetables.
What is the common name for yam?
Air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera); leaves and aerial bulbils.
Pictures.
| Title | Leaves |
|---|---|
| Caption | Dioscorea alata (winged yam, uhi); leaves. Maui Nui Botanical Garden, Maui. November 06, 2006 |
What was known as the yam?
Yams originated in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. Africans call yams “nyami,” which is where we get the word “yam.” They are cylindrical and vary in size. Some of the largest yams have weighed more than 100 pounds and have been several feet long.
What are the five examples of tuber crops?
They include potatoes, cassava, sweet potatoes, yams, and aroids belonging to different botanical families but are grouped together as all types produce underground food.
Is banana a root crop?
Like sweet potato, potato also exhibits a growing period of about four months, shorter than many other root crops.
2. Origins and distribution.
| Root crop | Common name | Suggested origin |
|---|---|---|
| Musa acuminate | banana/plantain | Southeast Asia |
What are the types of tuber crops?
The major root and tuber crops – potato, sweet potato, cassava, and yam – occupy approximately 53.93 million hectares worldwide and produce 736.747 million tonnes annually (FAO, 2008).
Which plant is a tuber?
Examples of tubers include anemone, cyclamen, caladium, dahlia, daylily, peony, sweet potato, and potato. Tuberous roots, which are similar to plant tubers, are also swollen stems. To complicate matters further, there are also tuberous roots, like tuberous begonias.
Which is not a tuber crop?
So a tuber is a root crop, but a plant can be a root and not a tuber. Carrots and cassava are root vegetable crops. Potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams, on the other hand, are edible tuber crops. There are differences in the way edible root crops, or plants, grow and the way edible tubers grow.
Justin Shelton is a professional cook. He’s been in the industry for over 10 years, and he loves nothing more than creating delicious dishes for others to enjoy. Justin has worked in some of the best kitchens in the country, and he’s always looking for new challenges and ways to improve his craft. When he’s not cooking, Justin enjoys spending time with his wife and son. He loves exploring new restaurants and trying out different cuisines.