Andean Root and Tuber Crops: Underground Rainbows

The Andean region is recognized today as one of the most important centers of crop origin and diversity in the world (National Research Council, 1989). Many of our most important food crops worldwide, most notably potatoes, were domesticated in this system (National Research Council, 1989). A unique feature of the Andean agricultural system is a taxonomically diverse group of Andean root and tuber crops (ARTC), coupled to the commonly found complement of grains and legumes, such as maize (Zea mays L.), chenopodium, beans, and lupines. The ARTC played a vital role in allowing sustained intensive cultivation and nourishment of a population that reached 10-12 million people at the height of the Incan Empire (1450-1535 A.D.) About 17 species of root and tuber crops were domesticated in the Andes, making this the largest known geographical concentration of underground crops