Pl & Soc sp 24 ch 14 starchy staples

Crops like potatoes, yams, cassava, taro, bananas, and plantains that provide calories in the form of starch.

Starchy Staples

Modified stems or roots in plants like potatoes, yams, and cassava where starch is stored.

Underground Storage Organs

Reproduction method where plants are propagated using parts of underground roots or stem cuttings, rather than seeds.

Vegetative Propagation

A starchy staple crop from the Solanaceae family, originating in the Andes and domesticated around 8,000 years ago.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum)

A famine in Ireland from 1845-1849 caused by the pathogen Phytophthora infestans, leading to starvation and emigration.

Irish Potato Famine

A starchy staple crop originating in South America, propagated by stem cuttings, and important in less-developed countries.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta)

Compounds in cassava that release hydrogen cyanide when hydrolyzed, requiring special preparation to avoid poisoning.

Cyanogenic Glucosides

Enhancing the nutrient content of crops like cassava through genetic modification to address nutritional deficiencies.

Biofortification

A program employing modern biotechnologies to develop genetically engineered cassava with increased nutrient levels and additional traits like increased shelf life and disease resistance.

BioCassava Plus

Dietary staples in West Africa, SE Asia, Pacific Islands, and the Caribbean with high starch content and laborious harvesting.

True yams

The scientific name for true yams, an important dietary staple in various regions.

Dioscorea

A crop that has displaced yam cultivation in many places, known for its labor-intensive harvesting.

Cassava

Toxic compounds reduced to safe levels in genetically engineered cassava by the BioCassava Plus program.

Cyanogenic glycosides

Starchy fruits with plantains eaten as a vegetable and bananas as a fruit, requiring labor-intensive cultivation.

Bananas and Plantains

An underground stem crop cultivated extensively in wet tropical regions like Hawaii.

Taro

The main source of calories in starchy crops like cassava, yams, bananas, plantains, and taro.

Starch

Utilized to enhance the nutrient content of starchy staples like cassava for improved health benefits, especially in developing countries.

Biotechnology