Abstract:
Local root and tuber crops are important and popular food crops which can be used as the main meal as well as side dish in Sri Lanka. They are vegetatively propagated, produce underground food, and are bulky perishables. The major and the popular local root and tuber crops are yarns (Dioscorea species), cess asa (Manihotesculenf ‹z), sweet potato (Ipomoea bataias), and edible aroids (Colocasiaesculenia and Juu f8osomospp). Also they are high in carbohydrates, medicinal value and adaptability for the different climates. At Jeast one or more varieties of local root and tuber crops are available in any given petiod of the year and farmers can easily cultivate these crops due to its easy management, minimum pest and disease attacks, less input, less attention as wet I as ability to cultivate in marginal lands (Department of Agriculture, 2006).Therefore local root and tuber crops are certainly an alternative for food security of country. Today, local root and tuber crops consumption and cultivation however have been ignored and these crops are facing a threat of extinction in Sri Lanka. Therefore present study was conducted to study the present status of local root and tuber crops grown in Uva region and to collect different types of local root and tuber crops available in Uva region.
