Starchy Staples

South America

Potatoes originated in ________and were domesticated- 8, 000 years ago.

Cassava

________ is coated in wax for preservation in grocery stores.

Corms

looks like a bulb, all stem (taro)

Irish

Since potatoes propagate vegetatively, it is likely that a decrease in genetic diversity (heterozygosity) cause the ________ Potato Famine which occurred from 1845- 1849.

Vitamins B

Potatoes are the 4th best crop, they are 25 % starch, 2.5 % protein, the skin provides fiber, K, Fe, and ________ and C.

Vitamin E

________ was supplemented using the bacterial crtB gene to increase the synthesis of tocotrienols (________ family)

Stolons

grows just under the surface or right above the ground, think strawberry plants.

Cultivation of bananas

________ is labor intensive and involves the spraying of lots of fungicides.

Yams

________ are the worlds 12th- best crop with a high starch content and only- 2 % protein.

cyanogenic glycosides

Cassava produces ________ and if hydrolyzed these release HCN (hydrogen cyanide) which can cause death by cynanide poison.

Taro

________ is a corm (a type of underground stem) and is cultivated extensively in Hawaii and other wet tropical regions.

Bananas and plantains

________ are collectively the worlds 10th- best crop.

manioc

Cassava also known as ________, tapioca, yuca, yucca root, and mandioca origanted in South America.

Potatoes

________ propagate vegetatively (you use the ________, not the seeds)

Sweet potatoes

________ are the 9th best crop and provide lots of carbs (more sugar than regular potatoes), vitamin A, and some minerals.

Starch

________ is often stored in underground organs (modified roots or stems)

form of starch

Potatoes, yams, cassava, taro, bananas, and plantains all provide people with calories in the ________.

Sweet varieties of cassava

________ have low amounts of HCN and can be prepared by boiling, steaming, or frying.

True yams

________ are a dietary staple in West Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and the Caribbean.

Cassava

________ is the worlds 5th best crop and is the 3rd largest carb supplier.

Yams

________ have been used as a source of steroids for laboratory conversion into oral contraceptives.

Cassava

________ is poisonous if not prepared properly.

Stolons

grows just under the surface or right above the ground, think strawberry plants

Bulb

each layer is a leaf base (onion)

Corms

looks like a bulb, all stem (taro)

Tubers

modified fibrous root (sweet potato, yam, cassava)

Taproot

carrot

It is grown pretty much everywhere

South America, China, Asia, and the US

Potatoes

are the 4th best crop; they are 25% starch, and 2.5% protein and the skin provides fiber, K, Fe, and Vitamins B and C.

Bio-Cassava

currently the most ambitious plant bioengineering project ever attempted (adding Zinc, Protein, vitamins A and E, and Iron, and reducing the cyanogenic glycoside).

Yams

are the world’s 12th-best crop with a high starch content and only ~2% protein.