Browse through crop types below :

Overview

Tubers (and root) crops are extremely important for the world. They are the main food source for more than 400 million people living in the tropical regions. In Africa alone, they account for about one third of all food. Tubers are a crop type that has not benefited from selection and breeding, so essentially the crop varieties currently being grown, have been around for thousands of years. There is still much scope for improvement, and appropriate and targeted crop nutrition can make significant changes for the better.

Botanically, they belong to a number of different plant families – but they all have underground organs that store energy for the plant in the form of starch or sugar. These storage organs may be swellings on the roots (cassava), whole underground stems or stem tubers (corms) or a portion of the underground stem as in the case of yams and Irish potatoes. Tubers may include sweet potato, yams, taro, turnips, carrots, potatoes and cassava just to name a few.

RLF’s Specialty Liquid Fertilisers have excellent nutritional products for tuber crops, with highly-specialised nutrient chargers and dipping solutions all delivering strong, healthy outcomes for tuber crops. RLF Specialty Liquid Fertiliser products are engineered to deliver the optimum level of nutrients required by each crop type. The results experienced by growers of tuber crops provide favourable evidence for their effectiveness.

Fast Facts

  • The world’s top roots and tubers producing countries are very diverse because of the crop types that exist within this crop type group. Potato has become the most popular human food source from all of the tubers crop types, expanding both developed and developing economies. In 2005 it was noted by the FAO, that for the first time, production in developing countries exceeded that of production in the
    developed countries.
  • The potato is a starchy, tuberous plant from the nightshade Solanum family. S. tuberosum is the most commonly grown species.
  • Wild potato species occur throughout the Americas, from the United States to southern Chile, but genetic testing of available cultivars, as well as wild species, appear to pinpoint its origin as southern Peru and north-western Bolivia.
  • China is the worlds largest potato-producing country and nearly one-third of the worlds potatoes are harvested in either China or India.
  • Potatoes are the worlds fourth largest food crop following corn, wheat and rice, and is the strongest performing of all tuber crops.
  • The annual diet of an average person today includes about 33kg of potato.
  • Potatoes are an essential crop for Europe, where per capita production is still the highest in the world, however the most rapidly expanding markets are in South East Asia where it has a critical role as a staple, cheap source of energy and nutrients.
  • Potato plants are herbaceous perennials that grow about 60cm high, depending on variety. They bear white, pink, red, blue or purple flowers with yellow stamens and in general the tubers of varieties with white flowers have white skins, while those of varieties with coloured flowers tend to bear a range of coloured skins.
  • Long term storage of potatoes requires specialised care in cold warehouses.
  • Due to its perishability, only about 5% of the world’s potato crop is traded internationally, therefore it has a minimal presence in world financial markets and a stable price structure.
  • China grows 85% of the global sweet potato harvest annually and in addition to animal food is used for making noodles and for alcohol.
  • There are strong growth patterns emerging for the growing of tuber crops in poorer growing regions of the world, especially sub-Saharan Africa.
  • The evolution of cassava in China has come almost full circle from a basic staple to a diversified end-use carbohydrate source of food. This tuber crop type is now extending into Latin America.
  • Tubers can grow successfully in marginal areas with few inputs and simple
    farming techniques.
  • Tubers are often grown in conjunction with grain crops.
  • Interestingly, bananas are often counted as a crop type within the tubers and roots crop type category.
  • The 10 potato growing countries are responsible for nearly 69% of world production. In 2016 these countries were China (26.3%), India (12.4%), Russia (8.2%), Ukraine (6.0%), USA (5.4%), Germany (2.6%), Bangladesh (2.3%), France (1.9%), Netherlands (1.8%), Poland (1.7%). Rest of the World (31.4%)

Top Producers

RLF Products for Tuber Crops

SEED OR SOAK
CROP NUTRITION
FOLIAR NPK
OTHER
 
 
Quick Links and Download
Fertigation
Specialised Product for Irrigation Plant Milk High-K contains 6 essential nutrients, chelates, soluble carbohydrates, phosp...
Fertigation
Soil
Benefits Specialised Product for Irrigation Dynamo High-P contains chelates, soluble carbohydrates, phosphorylated metaboli...
Ultra Foliar
Leaf
Solving the Nutrient Deficiency Problem Every crop, and every plant, has a quantitatively different nutrient need. But the ...
  • Be better informed about RLF's extensive range of world-leading products.

  • Knowledge centre for RLF products, results, outcomes and services.

  • Fully explained – the Application Guides for all RLF products.

  • An incredible array of technical information and data now available.

  • SDS

    Safety Data Sheets are a necessary part of agricultural product production.

  • Feature and Spotlight Reports for regional context and best available crop nutrition information.

Tech Bulletins
  • This Technical Bulletin discusses the definition and composition of rhizodeposit... Download/View
  • Sorry, but you do not h... register to view

  • Sorry, but you do not h... register to view

Test