Tubers Winter Vegetables

Creeping Tuber Vegetables

Vegetables which require direct sunlight should not be planted with creeping tubers because the creepers will cover the other plants.

For example, cauliflower needs direct sunlight, so it should not be planted with creepers.

Creeping tuber vegetables include:

• sweet juice potato (sháṋkálu)
• sweet potato (misht́i álu, rángálu, shakkarkand)
• elephantum potato (khámálu)
• Sweet juice potato and sweet potato are also sugar crops and are discussed in that section.
• Elephantum Potato (Khámálu)

Elephantum potato is a 3-year crop. It has more food value than sugar beet, but it takes longer to grow.

It should be pruned every 45 days, and the offcuts fed to farm animals.

The land may also be suitably used for cultivating bamboo, cane, banana, papaya, etc. As this variety of potato is a climber, it can use these plants to climb up.

Non-creeping Tuber Vegetables

Non-creeping tuber crops include:

• potato
• anthurium group
• caladium group
• elephant root (elephant foot yam, ol)

All tuber crops should be harvested only after the stalk dries up.

If the stalks of tubers are allowed to grow freely, the plants will bear flowers and seeds, but the tubers may disappear.

The stalks of onion tubers should be twisted down before harvesting.

Potato

Potato is one of the most common vegetable crops. In emergency conditions it can be eaten instead of rice.

Potato is especially beneficial when:

• little land is available for cultivation
• many people must be fed economically.

It can be steamed, boiled, baked, fried and prepared in many other ways.

• Potato chips, for example, are a popular snack.
• The black skinned and milk white potato can be dehydrated.

There are 3 main varieties of potato grown in India:

• red
• cream
• milk white.

The white and black skinned potato grows well in cold climates. Good foreign varieties should be brought to India for cultivation.

The schedule for planting potatoes is:

• early potato (red or cream varieties) – 9.5, 10.5, 11.5
• late potato – 12.5, 1.5, 2.5

To avoid pests, potato fields should be prepared with mustard oil cake or castor cake manure.

Acidic (ták) manure is not good for potato, while hybrid animal manure is not as good as the dung of pure bred animals because hybrids are more prone to disease. Cow dung is the best manure.

Like other tubers, potatoes should be harvested only after the stalk has completely dried up.

Potatoes which are harvested before the stalk has dried are called “satha” or 60 day potatoes. They shrink and lose weight.

• Seeds cannot be grown from 60 day potatoes
• The young plant perishes quickly

Anthurium Group

Tubers in the anthurium group have a lot of nutritional value, but they require 3 years to grow.

Caladium Group

Tubers in the caladium group are 3-month crops. Their nutritional value varies.

Elephant Root (Elephant Foot Yam, Amorphophallus Campanulatus)

Elephant root, also known as “ol” or “telegu potato,” is a nutritious non-creeping tuber.

It has more food value than sugar beet, but it takes longer to grow. It is similar to potato and it is eaten in much the same way.

Dehydrated powder is also prepared from it. Elephant root has many varieties such as water kacu, kamal bhoga kacu, muci kacu, etc.