Maataloustieteellinen Aikakauskirja Vol. 60: 87—92, 1988 Cultivation of minor tuber crops in Peru and Bolivia LEENA PIETILÄ and PAULA JOKELA Department of Biology, University of Turku, SF-20500 Turku, Finland Abstract. A collection mission of three Andean tuber crops, oca (Oxalis tuberosa, Oxali- daceae), ulluco (Ullucus tuberosus, Basellaceae) and aiiu (Tropaeolum tuberosum, Tropae- olaceae), was carried out in southern Peru, Bolivia and northern Argentina. This article deals with the observations made during this mission. 55 ulluco fields were visited. In general, the fields are small, 240 m 2 on average, and they are mostly situated on mountain slopes. The fields are fertilized with animal dung; chemical fertilizers are quite rare. In the fields, people work with hoes ang ploughs as they did hundreds of years ago. Mechanization of agriculture would prevent full utilization of the mountainous area of the Andes. Ulluco is usually inter- planted with other crops, usually, many forms of ulluco in one field. Because of crop rotation description of the fields is partly valid for the cultivation of other crops, too. Due to drastic climatic variation, cultivation of mixed varieties may be the best way to guarantee some yield. When results of the investigations are wished to benefit developing countries, knowledge of social, agricultural and environmental factors is of great value. Index words: Ullucus tuberosus, Oxalis tuberosa, Tropaeolum tuberosum, cultivation, tubers, Andean zone Introduction Three endemic Andean tuber crops, ulluco (Ullucus ft/berasi/s-Basellaceae), oca (Oxalis tuberosa-Oxalidaceae) and ahu ( Tropaeolum tuberosum-Tropaeolaceae) have been investi- gated at the University of Turku since 1983. The objective of the study is to produce basic knowledge that is needed to breed ulluco, oca and ahu, with special reference to the varia- tion pattern of these crops, their reactions to day-length and the problems related to seed formation of ulluco (Rousi et al. 1986, 1988 a, 1988 b). Viruses of ulluco and produc- tion of disease-free material by tissue culture technology are under investigation at the Uni- versity of Helsinki. A mission for collection of the above tuber crops was carried out in southern Peru, Boli- via and northern Argentina during March— May in 1987 (Jokela and Pietilä 1988). This article deals with observations made during the mission. 87 JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE IN FINLAND https://www.c-info.fi/en/info/?token=m7PucjlYScYrYsDu.3w8_3uPGVj3uzZbDeFYsRQ.XygnHrVN34epEnaz5VdNqIDk42-ISDd619gU7pap-g7OIfvxibN1uqxKjeuVK30oOtah2tmWfCYxGUEtcGJIfUha2el_6CCpQ1pkytQqMB4ULFEFRexoOuKi6aPzVGG0TVGHEi38JykarRdT4TiqZZxPyK2dc3ETvvbOSLOPFui9YdVH2tzFhmCTmdqe4Gy5Dg Characteristics of ulluco, oca and ahu Ulluco, oca and ahu are viewed as a pre- viously underestimated group of minor edible tuber crops. They are receiving increasing in- terest in agricultural research. They are culti- vated at the same altitude as potato, 2 500— 4 000 metres above sea level, from Colombia to the northern parts of Argentina. Occasion- ally, oca is cultivated in Mexico and New Zealand, too. Their tubers are of the same size or slightly smaller than those of potato. Tubers of ulluco are white, yellow, orange, red, purple or green, sometimes spotted; those of oca and ahu may be white, yellow, red, purple, violet or variegated, with great di- versity also in other characteristics. Ulluco, oca and ahu are consumed like potato; their tubers are prepared in a number of ways. The tubers are prepared fresh, or they can be freeze-dried, after which they may be stored for years. They are all important in- gredients of soups. Ulluco, which has a slight taste of earth, is prepared in a variety of re- gional dishes, for instance, with dried meat of alpaca or llama. Tubers of oca contain oxalic acid that gives them the characteristic bitter taste. Possibilities to produce flour, starch and alcohol of oca have been investigated (Cor- tes 1981). Ahu has a very strong taste. It is also a possible source of flour (Cortes et al. 1982). Its tubers have a medicinal and anti- reproductive value. In the empire of Inca, for instance, the soldiers were given ahu as anti- aphrodisiac, to make them fight better (Johns et al. 1982). A high percentage of the dry matter con- tent of the tubers is starch. The protein con- tent of ulluco varies from 10.8 to 15.7 °7o, that of oca from 3.0 to 8.4 %, and ahu from 6.9 to 15.7 °/o of the dry matter content. The moisture content is 78 —92 % of fresh weight (King 1987). According to Tapia (1986), ulluco pro- duces a yield of 3—15 tons per hectare, but it may be as much as 40 tons per hectare if the fields are heavily fertilized (Herquinio et al. 1986). Oca and ahu yield 4—30 tons perFig. I. Tubers of ulluco, oca, and arm. 88 hectare (Tapia 1986), in optimum conditions up to 45 tons per hectare (Herquinio et al. 1986). Yields of ulluco and potato, which is the most important tuber crop in theAndean highland, are of the same size in some regions. According to Salis (1986), in the Valley of Taray, Cusco, the potato yield averages 9.5 tons per hectare and that of ulluco 9.65 tons per hectare. Ulluco is available everywhere in Peruvian and Bolivian markets, even in places where it is not cultivated. Oca is not parti- cularly common, and ahu is a rarity in the markets. Previously ulluco, oca and ahu were basic nutrients like potato, maize and some seed crops. Nowadays, with new customs and crops increasingly being imported from other parts of the world, cultivationof ancient crop plants and/or their varieties has declined (King 1987). Nevertheless, ulluco, oca and ahu cannot be substituted. They are an im- portant part of the diet of theAndean people (De Dios Cutipa et al. n.d.) and an indistin- guishable part of traditional rotation of crop plants (De Dios Cutipa et al. n.d., Caceda and Rossel 1985). Freeze-dried tubers of potato, ulluco, oca and ahu, called chuho, balance the most extreme variety of yields be- cause they can be stored for years (King 1987). Andean people believe that these tuber crops are more reliable in poor years than imported crops (Garay 1987). Cultivation of ulluco is labour-saving because it needs only half the labour compared to potato (Salas 1986). Ulluco, oca and ahu are resistant to frost and drought and produce well in poor soils (Re- Fig. 2. Routes of the collection mission 89 villa 1983). They are potential reserves for many parts of the world, including other mountainous regions of the world (King 1987). During the last few years, the value of en- demic Andean crop plants has been recognized and much effort is being put to preserve them as part of the Andean agriculture. In Peru, projects to promote investigation, cultivation and utilization of ancient crop plants are being financed by the Government and co-operative organizations. Methods During the collection mission 55 ulluco fields in the area ranging from southern Peru to northern Argentina were visited. The route is shown in Fig. 2. Peasants were interviewed on the cultivation of ulluco, and some field properties were investigated. Results and discussion The ulluco fields visited were classified ac- cording to their size (Fig. 3). They are usually small, average size 240 m 2. According to De Dios Cutipa et al. (n.d.), in the Province of Puno, Peru, the arable land per family ave- rages 1.59hectares, in some areas only 200— 500 m 2. Generally the cultivation area con- sists of five or six fields. 65 % of the fields were on mountains, with a slope of up to 45°. According to Caceda and Rossel (1985), 95 —98 */o of the fields in Puno are on mountainslopes. In ulluco fields, like in any other field, the peasants work with hoes (e.g. chaquitaclla) and ploughs drawn by men or animals as was done hundreds of years ago. None of the farmers interviewed had a tractor or any other machines to work with. In the flat Altiplano there were some tractors in wealthy villages. According to Seppänen (1986) mechanization of agriculture would prevent full utilization of the Andean highland. 85 °7o of the fields were manured with ani- mal dung and, in addition, 29 °7o were ferti- lized with chemicals. In Puno, according to Caceda and Rossel (1985), no chemical fer- tilization is applied to ulluco, oca and ahu fields, and less than 10 % of the fields are fer- tilized with dung. The differences between the present inves- tigation and that of Caceda and Rossel (1985) may be due to the fact that the ulluco fields visited were widely distributed, the area ranging from southern Peru to northern Ar- gentina, where the agricultural practice, num- ber of domestic animals, wealth of thepeople and fertility of the soil vary greatly. Caceda and Rossel (1985) carried out their investiga- tion in Puno, in one of the Provinces of Peru. A field usually carries several crops. Ulluco was grown alone in 25 % of the fields visited, it was the principal crop in 20 % and equal or secondary crop in 55 °7o of the fields. Most commonly it is interplanted with oca, in 52 % of the fields, but we found also ulluco growing with ahu, oats, barley and beans. Each species is planted in one or several separate strips. Crop rotation is common in the whole area visited. All the farmers interviewed utilized the method. Potato is grown in the first year, inFig. 3. Size distribution of investigated ulluco fields. 90 91 the second year ulluco, oca and arm or beans, and in the third year cereals, like oats and barley, are grown. Thereafter the field lies fal- low for several years (Kohler 1986). So, the characteristics of ulluco fields are valid for po- tato and cereal fields, too. But one must take into consideration that ulluco is usually culti- vated in poor land and potato and cereals also in lower altitudes and in better fertilized fields. In a field there were maximally six forms of ulluco classified according to tuber colour and shape. The numbers of tuber forms per field and farmers’ stock are shown in Fig. 4. Apparently we did not find all tuber forms in one field, because their numbers in stocks and in fields were significantly different (X 2 = 11,10; P = 0,1; d.f. = 2). Potato, for in- stance, is grown mixed (Jackson et al. 1980). So, the degree of variation in ulluco field is probably underestimated. Each ulluco form is usually consumed in a different way. Red tubers are grown in some regions because of their medicinal value, e.g. for gastrointestinal diseases of domestic ani- mals. Plants with red tubers are also thought to be more frost-resistant than others. Yellow tubers are the most popular ones for food, and they are grown for sale. In the markets, yel- low tubers of ulluco were generally by far the most common. However, some farmers claim that there is no difference in the consumption of different tuber forms. Conclusions In the high Andes the climate varies in dif- ferent years drastically. It is probably impos- sible to produce a variety that could give a good yield every year. According to Martin and Adams (1987), heterogeneous crop popu- lations may be better buffered against climatic and biological factors. So, the traditional way of cultivating several varieties by one farmer is perhaps the best way to guarantee the yield. Investigations made in developed countries with the intention to benefit developing coun- tries, should consider tradition and the possi- bilities to utilize the results. In this respect knowledge of social, agricultural and environ- mental factors may be of great value. In the breeding of ulluco, oca, and ahu, for in- stance, attention should be paid to the fact that most peasants who cultivate these plants cannot afford machines. Another point is that it may be nearly impossible to work with them: the fields are small and they are situated on steep mountain slopes withrough erosion- sensitive soil. So there is no use improving ulluco, oca and ahu varieties for cultivation by machines in Peruvian or Bolivian fields. Acknowledgements. The authors wish to thank Prof. Arne Rousi for his valuable comments and suggestions on the mission and the manuscript and the Academy of Finland for financial support. Fig. 4. Numbers of ulluco forms per field and stock in Peru, Bolivia and northern Argentina. Ulluco forms are classified according to tuber color and shape. References Caceda, F. and Rossel, J. 1985. Entomologia de los cul- tivos andinos. Estudio en comunidades campesinas. 104 pp. Puno, Peru. Cortes, H.B. 1981. Avances de investigaciön en tres tu- berculos andinos. In: »Curso sobre manejo de la pro- duction agraria en laderas». Fluaraz, serie ponencias, resultados, recomendaciones de eventos, tecnicos 235. 11CA, Bogota, Colombia (ref. King 1987). CORTES, FL, Deza, F.H. and JimEnez, S. 1982. Ob- tenciön y evaluaciön de harina de maswa ( Tropaeolum tuberosum). In: 111 Congreso Internacional de Culti- vos Andinos. pp. 331—334. La Paz, Bolivia. De Dios Cutipa, J., Salas, 8., Vilcatoma, L., Mayta, J. and Chambi, E. (n.d.). Proyecto: Cultivos andinos. Informe final. 199 pp. Convenio de cooperaciön inter- universitaria Peru-Holanda. Puno, Peru. Garay, O. 1987. El cultivo de los tuberculos andinos. Minkä 21; 7—16. Herquinio, F., Toribio, L., Romän, F. and Munoz, T.A.A. 1986. Informe de investigaciön 1984—85, 1985—86. 16pp. Universidad Nacional del Centro del Peru. El Mantaro, Peru. Jackson, M.T., Hawkes, J.G. and Rowe, P.R. 1980. An ethnobotanical field study of primitive potato varieties in Peru. Euphytica 29; 107—113. Johns, T., Kitts, W.D., Newsome, F. and Towers, G.H.N. 1982. Anti-reproductive and other medicinal effects of Tropaeolum tuberosum. J. Ethnopharma- cology 5: 149—161. Jokela, P. and Pietilä, L. 1988. Collecting minor tuber crops in the Andes. PI. Gen. Resources Newsl. (in press.) King, S.R. 1987. Four endemic Andean tuber crops: Promising food resources for agricultural diversifica- tion. Mount. Res. Dev. 7: 43—52. Kohler, A. 1986. Sistemas del uso de suelos en laderas de Cajamarca, Peru. In: Anales V Congreso Interna- cional de Sistemas Agropecuarios Andinos. Puno, Pe- ru. pp. 89—99. Martin, G.B. and Adams, M.W. 1987. Landraces of Phaseolum vulgaris)Fabaceae) in northern Malawi. I. Regional variation. Economic Bot. 41: 190—203. Revilla, J.L. 1983. Conservation de productos agrico- las en el campo. Minkä 10: 20—24. Rousi, A., Salo, J., Kalliola, R., Jokela, P., Pietilä, L. and Yli-Rekola, M. 1986 Variation pattern in ul- luco ( Ullucus tuberosus-Basellaceae), a supposedly ase- xual Andean tuber crop. Acta Hort. 182: 145—152. Rousi, A., Yli-Rekola, M., Jokela, P., Kalliola, R., Pietilä, L. and Salo, J. 1988 a. The fruit of Ullucus (Basellaceae), an old enigma. Taxon 37: 000—000. Rousi, A., Jokela, P., Kalliola, R., Pietilä, L., Salo, J. and Yli-Rekola, M. 1988 b. Morphological varia- tion among clones of ulluco ( Ullucus luberosus, Basellaceae) collected in Southern Peru. Economic Bot. (approved). Salas, A. 1986. Perspectivas y condiciones de promociön de los cultivos andinos autoctonos. In: Anales V Con- greso Internacional de Sistemas Agropecuarios An- dinos. Puno, Peru. pp. 425—432. Seppänen, M. 1986. Mikä luonnoista luonnollisin. Kehi- tysmaantieteen yhdistyksen toimitteita: 16. 148 pp. Tapia, M.E. 1986: Los cultivos andinos subexplotados de valor nutricional en el Peru. 18 pp. Unpublished lec- ture in Conference in Santiago, Chile, October 7—lo in 1986. Ms received December 21, 1987 SELOSTUS Huonosti tunnettujen mukulakasvien viljely Perussa ja Boliviassa Leena Pietilä ja Paula Jokela Biologian taitos, Turun yliopisto, 20500 Turku Keväällä 1987 tehtiin kolmen Andien endeemisen mu- kulakasvilajin, ullucon (UUucus ruberasi/s-Basellaceae), ocan ( Oxalis ti/öeroso-Oxalidaceae) ja anun ( Tropaeolum tuberosum-Tropaeolaceae), keräys- ja tutkimusmatka Etelä-Peruun, Boliviaan ja Pohjois-Argentiinaan. Artik- keli perustuu tehtyihin havaintoihin. Matkan aikana käytiin 55 ulluco-pellolla. Viljelmät ovat yleensä pieniä, keskimäärin 240 m 2 ja sijaitsevat jyrkil- lä vuorenrinteillä. Peltoja lannoitetaan useimmiten eläin- ten lannalla, eikä kaupasta hankittuja lannoitteita juuri käytetä. Pelloilla työskennellään edelleen perinteisin me- netelmin. Yhdellä pellolla viljellään yleensä useaa kasvi- lajia rinnakkain ja samastakin lajista useaa morfologi- sin tuntomerkein erotettavaa muotoa. Viljelykasvilajin muuntelevuus auttaa torjumaan tauteja ja tuhoeläimiä se- kä lieventää epävakaan ilmaston vaikutuksia. Perintei- nen tapa viljellä useita eri lajikkeita on mahdollisesti pa- ras tapa taata sato. Kehitysmaissa sovellettavaksi aiotut tutkimukset vaativat onnistuakseen alueen olojen tunte- musta. Sosiaaliset olot, perinne sekä ilmastolliset ja muut ympäristötekijät vaikuttavat tutkimustulosten hyödynnet- tävyyteen. 92