Underground crops grow beneath the soil's surface are energy rich edible plant structures of starchy roots, tubers, corms, rhizomes, and stems. Underground crops encompass a wide array of species, each with unique characteristics, medicinal and culinary uses. The defining features of underground crops are their adaptability to various soil types, climate resilient, nutrient rich and having long shelf life. These features makes them staple in agriculture worldwide, allowing communities to cultivate nutritious food even in less-than-ideal conditions; thereby played a crucial role in global food security, especially in less developed regions. Raising tuber crops as subsistence farming has been continuing since the development of civilization. The major underground crops: potato, cassava, yam, sweet potato, yam bean, taro, elephant foot yam are covered in this book. In addition to the major crops, there are many other tuberous and rhizomatous minor root crops, such as Arrowroot, Chinese potato, Canna, Arracacha, Oca, etc. which are grown and used in different parts of the world are also presented with different aspects of crop production i.e. soil, climatic requirement, crop production and crop protection technologies. This book is designed for B.Sc. Agriculture/Horticulture and Post-graduate students, researchers, agronomists, and practitioners as a valuable resource for production technology of these valuable crops. This book will be helpful in fulfilling the objective of holistic knowledge of crops for increasing the income of farmers and sustainability to the production system.
Santosh Kumar Chaudhary, currently working as Associate Professor-cum-Sr. Scientist at Nalanda College of Horticulture, Noorsarai, Nalanda an Academic Unit-2 of the Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur (Bihar). He did his B.Sc. Ag. (Hons.) from Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Tech., Kanpur and M.Sc. Ag. (Agronomy) from Gobind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture &Tech., Pantnagar through JRF and Ph.D. (Agronomy) from Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Tech., Kanpur through SRF. He has published more than 65 research papers/popular articles/book chapters in National and International journals/magazines and books and three practical manuals (for undergraduate degree programme).
Anil Kumar Singh, currently working as a Director of Research, Bihar Agricultural University (BAU), Sabour. He is a distinguished agricultural scientist with over 25 years of research and leadership experience. He currently serves as the Director of Research at Bihar Agricultural University (BAU), Sabour, where he leads strategic research planning and implementation across the university's agricultural programs. Dr. Singh began his career as a Scientist at the NBPGR Regional Station, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, where he advanced to the position of Officer-in-Charge. He later served as Head (In Charge) at the Crop Research Centre, ICAR RCER, Pusa, Bihar, demonstrating strategic leadership in agricultural research and resource management. Dr. Singh has made significant contributions to crop improvement, developing two faba bean varieties and co-developing four rice varieties. He holds four patents and 11 copyrights related to agricultural innovations. His research output includes 217 peer-reviewed articles with over 4,331 citations, an impressive H-index of 33 and i10-index of 87. He has authored 12 books and contributed to over 250 other scientific publications. His scientific achievements include securing three patents and seven copyrights, and signing 11 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for research collaboration and technology transfer. Dr. Singh serves as a Principal Investigator of major institutional initiatives, including SABAGRIs (funded under RKVY), Startup Cell, Incubation Centre (Government of Bihar), and the GI Facilitation Centre (funded by NABARD). He is the CEO of the Makhana Development Scheme (Bihar Government). He is the Nodal Officer for the Centre of Excellence of Millets Value Chain (CEMVC), the NEP-2020 Outreach (IIT Patna), and the Purvodaya Plan under NITI Aayog, spearheading agricultural development in Eastern India. Additionally, he serves as the Nodal Officer for the Institute Technology Management Unit (ITMU), driving intellectual property and technology commercialization, and the Institute for Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act (PPV&FRA), ensuring compliance and protection of farmers' rights. He has received over 20 prestigious awards, including the Rajbhasha Gaurav Award from the Ministry of Home Affairs. He is a Fellow of the Indian Society of Agronomy and the Indian Society of Plant Genetic Resources. Dr. Singh is the President of the BAU, Sabour Chapter of the Indian Society of New Delhi and serves as a Councillor for Bihar. He has organized one national conference, one international conference, and one international webinar as an Organizing Secretary. Dr. Singh founded and serves as a Chief Editor of the Journal of AgriSearch, Krishi Manjusha, Akshy Kheti, e-Kheti, and the BAU e-Newsletter. He has made over 18 expert appearances on Doordarshan, enhancing agricultural awareness and bridging the gap between research and practice. Dr. Singh’s technical expertise spans climate-resilient agriculture, crop improvement, intellectual property management, and agricultural policy. He has played a pivotal role in strengthening industry academia partnerships and implementing innovative agricultural technologies. His leadership continues to drive agricultural excellence and farmer prosperity in Bihar and beyond.
Neha Sinha, currently working as an Assistant Professor cum-Jr. Scientist at Nalanda College of Horticulture, an Academic Unit-2 of the Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur (Bihar). She did her B.Sc. Horticulture from Nalanda College of Horticulture, Noorsarai, Nalanda and M.Sc Horticuture (Fruit Science) from Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Tech., Kanpur and Ph.D. from Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur. She has published more than 20 research papers/popular articles/book chapters in national and International journals/magazines and books.
1. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) ..............................................................1
2. Sweet Potato (Lpomoea batatas L.) ......................................................45
3. Yams (Dioscorea spp.) ..........................................................................63
4. Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz.) ....................................................77
5. Elephant Foot Yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius) ..........................101
6. Tannia/Cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott) ..................113
7. Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) ..................................119
8. Yam bean (Pachyrhizus erosus L.) ......................................................125
9. Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott.) ..............................................133
10. Horseradish (Armoracia ruisticana) ...................................................141
11. Coleus / Chinese Potato (Plectranthus rotundifolius) .........................147
12. Costus (Cheilocostus speciosus (J. Koing) C. Specht) ......................155
13. Arrowroot (Marantha arundinacea L.) ..............................................161
14. East Indian Arrowroot (Curcuma angustifolia) ..................................167
15. Canna (Canna indica L.) ...................................................................169
16. Arracacha (Arracacia xanthorrhiza Bancroft) ...................................173
17. Oca (Oxalis tuberose Mol.) .................................................................175
References ..........................................................................................177
