Pachyrhizus ahipa

Cultivation Details

Pachyrhizus ahipa succeeds in tropical to subtropical climates, the plant can be found at elevations from sea level to 3,000 metre^[2]s. At the higher elevations, plants can experience a diurnal temperature range that can fall to 0°c at night and rie to 35°c in the day^[3]. It grows best in areas where the mean temperature ranges from a minimum of 12°c to a maximum of 22°c, though it can tolerate 10 - 30°c^[2]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall of 800 - 1,200mm, though it will tolerate 750 - 1,250mm with a dry season of up to 8 months[418^[3]]. Grows best in a sunny position^[2]. Prefers a fertile, well-drained, sandy to loamy soil^[2]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, though it can tolerate 5 - 8^[2]. The plant is drought tolerant, but good tuber production requires moist growing conditions^[3]. This species is generally considered to be daylength-neutral, making it suitable for growing in areas outside the tropics so long as the growing season is long enough^{[1, 3]}. It has produced good yields when grown in a greenhouse in Denmark^[1]. The plant begins flowering about 75 days after planting and harvest takes place after 150 - 180 days^{[1, 2]}. Unless being grown for seed production, plants are normally prevented from flowering since this increases tuber size^[3]. Annual yields at moderate elevations in the Bolivian Andes can be 8 - 30 tonnes per hectare^[3]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby^[4].