Root and Tuber Crops

Root and Tuber Crops John Bradshaw Editor A number of root and tuber crops were first domesticated several thousand years ago, but none became important on a global scale until after the end of the 16th century. Today the potato is the world's third most important food crop (314 million tonnes produced in 2008), after wheat and rice. Cassava (233) is the most important root and tuber crop in the tropics where it is a primary staple food in many of the poorest countries, and the sweet potato (…