Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Contributors
- Acronyms
- Chapter 1 Cassava
- Chapter 2 The Potato
- Chapter 3 Sweetpotato
- Chapter 4 Other Andean Roots and Tubers
- Chapter 5 Yams
- Chapter 6 Banana and Plantain
- Chapter 7 Cowpea
- Chapter 8 Chickpea
- Chapter 9 Groundnut
- Chapter 10 Lentil
- Chapter 11 Phaseolus Beans
- Chapter 12 Pigeonpea
- Chapter 13 Faba Bean
- Chapter 14 Soyabean
- Chapter 15 Barley
- Chapter 16 Maize, Tripsacum and Teosinte
- Chapter 17 Pearl Millet
- Chapter 18 Small Millets
- Chapter 19 Rice
- Chapter 20 Sorghum
- Chapter 21 Wheat
- Chapter 22 Forages
- Index
Chapter 5 - Yams
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Contributors
- Acronyms
- Chapter 1 Cassava
- Chapter 2 The Potato
- Chapter 3 Sweetpotato
- Chapter 4 Other Andean Roots and Tubers
- Chapter 5 Yams
- Chapter 6 Banana and Plantain
- Chapter 7 Cowpea
- Chapter 8 Chickpea
- Chapter 9 Groundnut
- Chapter 10 Lentil
- Chapter 11 Phaseolus Beans
- Chapter 12 Pigeonpea
- Chapter 13 Faba Bean
- Chapter 14 Soyabean
- Chapter 15 Barley
- Chapter 16 Maize, Tripsacum and Teosinte
- Chapter 17 Pearl Millet
- Chapter 18 Small Millets
- Chapter 19 Rice
- Chapter 20 Sorghum
- Chapter 21 Wheat
- Chapter 22 Forages
- Index
Summary
BOTANY AND DISTRIBUTION
Several sections have been described under the genus Dioscorea of family Dioscoreaceae. The main food yams have been grouped as follows:
Section Enantiophyllum
This is the largest section with respect to number of species and food importance (Degras 1993). Members may be further grouped in terms of geography as: Asian - Oceanian species, e.g. D. alata L. (water yam, greater yam, white yam), D. glabra Roxb., D. nummularia Lam., D. transversa Br.; Sino-Japanese species (or species complex), e.g. D. japonica Thumb, (igname de Chine, Chinese yam), D. opposita Thumb., and African species or species complex, e.g. D. cayenensis Lam. (yellow yam), D. rotundata Poir. (white Guinea yam, white yam).
Section Lasiophyton
D. pentaphylla L., D. hispida Dennsdest, D. dumetorum (Knuth) Pax (bitter yam)
Section Opsophyton
D. bulbifera L. (aerial yam)
Section Combilium
D. esculenta (Lour.) Burk. (Chinese yam, lesser yam)
Section Macrogynodium
D. trifida L. (cush-cush yam)
The many species of yams (Dioscorea sp.) have various unique or peculiar characteristics that distinguish them from each other. The principal food species have been described in a series of monographs (Martin 1974a, 1974b, 1976; Martin and Degras 1978a, 1978b; Martin and Sadik 1977). Generally the yam plant comprises a shoot portion made up of a vine with branches, leaves and sometimes bulbils in the axils of the leaves, fibrous roots and an underground storage organ, the tuber. The vine twines clockwise or anticlockwise depending on the species.
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- Information
- Biodiversity in TrustConservation and Use of Plant Genetic Resources in CGIAR Centres, pp. 57 - 66Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1997
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