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Hardback
September 2021
9781789249279
More details
- Publisher
CABI - Published
29th September 2021 - ISBN 9781789249279
- Language English
- Pages 296 pp.
- Size 6" x 9"
$160.70
Dioscorea species, commonly known as yams, are tuberous plants that constitute a major staple food in many parts of Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America and the South Pacific. Yams are cultivated in about 50 mainly tropical countries, and the world annual production of edible tubers is around 73 million tonnes.
This book evaluates the current state of knowledge about yams, and how this knowledge affects practices in production, cultivation and postharvest technology. Dioscorea is a diverse genus in terms of its geographical origin, domestication, morphology, chemistry and breeding. Therefore, besides concentrating on the dozen or so species that are used as major food crops, the book examines species that have limited commercial or domestic value at present, but have the potential in future to contribute to the production and utilization of this crop. This book:
- Covers botany, taxonomy, composition, uses, cultivation, handling, storage, diseases, pests and production
- Describes the yam industry in the main producer countries, and around 100 of the most commonly grown species
- Reviews many Dioscorea species that may be developed in the future
It is an essential resource for researchers in horticulture, yam growers, breeders and postharvest technologists.
1: Introduction
2: Botany
3: Composition and Uses
4: Cultivation
5: Storage
6: Diseases and Pests
7: Production
8: Some Dioscorea species
Anthony Keith Thompson
Anthony Keith Thompson is currently a Visiting Professor at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang in Thailand and was formally: Professor of Plant Science, University of Asmara, Eritrea; Professor of Postharvest Technology and Head of Department, Cranfield University, UK; Team Leader, EU project at the Windward Islands Banana Development and Exporting Company; Principal Scientific Officer, Tropical Products Institute, London; Postharvest Expert for the UN in the Sudan, Yemen and Korea for the Food and Agriculture Organization, Ghana and Sri Lanka for the International Trade Centre and Gambia for the World Bank; Advisor to the British, Jamaican and Colombian Governments in postharvest technology of fruit and vegetables; Research Fellow in Crop Science, University of the West Indies, Trinidad; Demonstrator in Biometrics at University of Leeds. He has also worked as a consultant for various commercial and government organizations across the world. Professor Thompson has published over 100 journal papers and numerous scientific textbooks over the course of his career.
Ibok Oduro
Ibok Oduro is a Professor of Postharvest Technology at the Department of Food Science and Technology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. Her research experience at IITA-Nigeria and Forestry Research Institute of Ghana led to her career goal of improving food and nutrition security, particularly for the African population. She is dedicated to promoting indigenous and underutilized food crops in West Africa and her work aims at converting scientific findings into practical solutions.
yam botany; Dioscorea species; yam cultivation; yam production; yam composition; yam pests and diseases; yam storage; yam postharvest; yam toxicity; yam breeding