How to keep the seeds of Yacon and how to store the dug Yacon seeds

What is the seed of yacon made of?

Yacon is native to the Andes Mountains in South America and is a wild plant of the genus Helianthus in the Asteraceae family. Its fruit is very similar to sweet potatoes , but sweeter than sweet potatoes. Each plant can produce 2 to 8 kilograms of fruit. Moreover, yacon is very durable in storage. After being harvested in October, it can be stored at room temperature until May of the following year without changing its taste and flavor.

Yacon is a root crop , cultivated in the open field. The aboveground part consists of stems, leaves, and flowers. The plant is about 2 meters tall, and the leaves are heart-shaped. Around October , 1 to 3 ears of beautiful sunflowers bloom at the tip of the stem, which look like small sunflowers, with 5 flowers in each ear.

After the flowers fade, the fruit begins to grow. The fruit below is the yacon bulb and fruit. Therefore, yacon does not need to keep its own seeds . It is a tuber itself, and the bulb is mostly used for reproduction in production.

How to store yacon bulbs

Yacon seeds, like sweet potato seeds, are afraid of frost and must be stored well. When storing them, we need to see if there is any damage to decide how to save the seeds.

1. No damage

After the yacon is dug, if it is not damaged or cut, it can be stored indoors. During this period, pay attention to protect it from direct sunlight and avoid freezing damage, so that it can be stored for a long time.

2. There is damage

If the fruit is damaged or cut and exposed to air, it will be easily oxidized and discolored. The best storage method is to peel and cut it, soak it in clean water, and isolate it from air to avoid oxidation.

In the south, where the temperature is high, the fruit can be left in the field to overwinter , and can be dug and sold at any time. In the north, it needs to be stored in a cellar, like sweet potatoes, in winter, and then planted in the soil the following year.

How to grow yacon

Yacon is a root crop, so when planting yacon, you can use yacon tubers to save seeds for planting . The planting method is as follows:

1. Seed selection

  Before raising seedlings, you should select potato tubers with smooth surfaces, no spots or mildew, and 1-2 buds per tuber.

2. Cut into pieces

  When cutting potatoes, the knife used to cut potatoes should be disinfected to prevent the knife from carrying germs and causing diseases during the growth of yacon. When cutting potatoes, ensure that each cut surface does not damage the buds and ensures that the cut surface is flat.

3. Disinfection

After cutting, you can use 0.2% of thiophanate-methyl or carbendazim to disinfect the potato tubers , or you can apply wood ash to each cut surface to avoid the occurrence of diseases.

4. Planting

After the potatoes are cut and disinfected, they can be evenly spread in the small shed and covered with moist sand . Then cover them with plastic film or straw to prevent the potatoes from germinating due to soil dryness before germination.

5. Management and transplanting

During the germination period of yacon, water should be sprayed in time according to the soil moisture of the seedbed to ensure the moisture required for yacon germination. However, watering should not be too large each time to avoid water accumulation at the bottom that affects the germination and growth of the tubers. When the yacon seedlings grow to about 15 cm, they can be transplanted and planted.