Lesson 6.13.3 YAM BEANS - Pachyrrhizus erosus

  

FOOD FOREST COURSE

AGRO-ECONOMY Lesson 6.13.3 

YAM BEANS - Pachyrrhizus erosus

 

The yam bean originated in Central America.  The common names are jicama, Mexican Water chestnut or Chop Suey bean.

There are five different cultivars of which two grow in the wild.  The Mexican species, Pachyrrhizus erosus, is a high yielding crop and it is this variety that has been widely distributed.  The other species, the Andean yam bean, P.ahipa, also has a long documented history of cultivation, however this traditional variety is now rarely found outside of Central America.  The tubers most found in West Java are Huwi hiris and Beng kuang.

Cultivation

The first have small, sweet tubers and the latter has larger tubers. Although all three varieties may produce more than one tuber, the norm is one per plant.  These should be ½ to 1kg in weight. With P.erosus, reproductive pruning which involves the removal of all fertile shoots, is usually carried out three to four times during the growing season.  For the Amazonian species, P.tuberosis, half of all the aerial parts are removed when flowering starts.

The yam bean can be grown in a wide variety of climates and grows well in the humid tropics, as most things do!  In the sub-tropics it is best to plant the seed in spring.  Seed is mostly used but any tubers left in the ground from a previous crop will shoot up again the next season.  When this happens, you’ll know exactly the right time to plant the seeds.

The yam bean is a legume and like all other tropical legumes they will add nitrogen to your soil.  Adding nitrogen is therefore not necessary and in fact the yam bean can be grown in the same place for at least forty to fifty years and still be amazingly productive!  If you do grow them in the same place you really should add compost etc. to the growing beds before the next growing season.

The optimum temperature is 21-28ºC and a yearly rainfall of one to two metres per annum is best. From personal experience I have found that they need at least average rainfall to be productive.

A sandy loam with a pH of 5-6.8 is ideal and good drainage is essential as the crop does not tolerate water logging.  It takes four to seven months to maturity depending on day length hours.  At the time of maturity, the vines will flower and produce many pods. The yam bean originated in Central America.  The common names are jicama, Mexican

Text from the roots, Elisabeth Ferkonia (Aus.) PDC studied with Bill Mollison,

 


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