Lost Crops of the Incas Little-Known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation (1989) / Chapter Skim
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Ulluco
Ulluco
Pages 104-113
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From page 105... ...
The plant is easy to grow, resists frost, is moderately drought tolerant, and produces reasonable yields in marginal soils. Although it has attracted little modern agronomic attention, ulluco is one of the few Indian crops to have been enthusiastically accepted by those of Hispanic descent.
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From page 106... ...
Ulluco seems particularly promising as a cash crop. Although most is grown for home use, some growers produce it mainly for the markets, and Ecuadorian farmers already consider it a prime cash crop Thus, dramatically improving yields could benefit both the diet and economic situation of the highland farmers.
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From page 107... ...
Most of the easily accessible types in Peru and Ecuador probably are limited by virus infections and daylength restrictions. Nonetheless, given concentrated research, ulluco could almost certainly be cultivated in high-latitude regions; researchers have already cultivated it in greenhouses at the latitudes of Vancouver, Canada (50° N)
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From page 108... ...
Peru now exports canned ulluco to the United States, where it is often found in Hispanic markets. Unlike many vegetable products, the tubers retain their original taste and texture when canned; only a little color is lost.
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From page 109... ...
They are unusually high in vitamin C, containing 23 mg per 100 g fresh weight. They contain a gum, but no fat and almost no obvious fiber.7 There is considerable nutritional variation, especially in protein content, which has been reported as high as 15 percent dry weighty The leaves contain 12 percent protein dry weight.
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From page 110... ...
Clones from the southern limits of ulluco's range should be evaluated for tuberization under longer daylength conditions and possible adaptation to temperate regions.9 Inducing Seed Production In the past, it was thought that the plant never produced viable seed. However, researchers in Finland have 9 The plant occurs to 27°S latitude in northern Chile and northern Argentina.
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From page 111... ...
Fertilizer Experiments The plant's fertilizer requirements are little studied, and it seems likely that substantial yield increases can be obtained in the Andes merely through the modest application of manure or fertilizer. SPECIES INFORMATION Botanical Name Ullucus tuberosus Caldas Family Basellaceae 'I Rousi et al., 1988.
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From page 112... ...
Seed set has never been shown in either wild or cultivated forms in the Andes. i3 The plant forms tubers on long stolons both below and above the ground.
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From page 113... ...
Horticultural Varieties. There is enormous variation in this crop: a single market may display six distinct types, and a market nearby may have six entirely different ones.
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