Research

underground tuber of Chinese yam
underground tuber of Chinese yam
© Uni MS - Dr. Janina Epping
bulbils on vines of Chinese yam
bulbils on vines of Chinese yam
© Uni MS - Dr. Janina Epping

Yams (Dioscorea spp.) are monocotyledonous plants that produce edible and nutritious tubers that constitute an important staple food for millions of people in tropical and sub-tropical countries. The Chinese Yam (Dioscorea opposita) is a yam species that can grow in temperate climates like central Europe and could be cultivated here to enrich our daily diet. However, cultivation is difficult because the heavy underground tubers reach up to 1.5 meters deep into the ground and have a club like shape with the tuber being thin at the top and getting thicker at the base. This shape makes harvest a challenge as tubers cannot be pulled out but have to be dug out carefully. The underground tubers, as well as the small aerial tubers (bulbils), are rich in starch and minerals and contain healthy ingredients that can be applied for treatment of diabetes and hypertension as well as regulation of blood cholesterol levels. Therefore, Chinese yam tubers have a high potential as “functional food”. Our research focuses on the unique growth behavior of Chinese yam tubers as well as on the evaluation of Chinese yam cultivars for their potential as a crop in Europe. Based on marker-assisted breeding we want to identify cultivars suitable for successful and economically attractive cultivation.  
This project is funded by the BMBF and part of the Plant2030 funding initiative (funding number: 031B0202).

Further information
http://www.pflanzenforschung.de/de/journal/journalbeitrage/eine-gruene-zukunft-gestalten-foerderprogramm-pflanzenz-10766

http://www.pflanzenforschung.de/de/plant-2030/fachinformationen/projektdatenbank/etablierung-von-yams-als-potentielle-kulturpflanze-euro-431

http://www.pflanzenforschung.de/de/themen/pflanzen-im-fokus/yams-yamswurzel