Modelling growth, yield, and future climate suitability for underutilized tropical tuber crops-‘aroids’: A review Pushpalatha Raji, Gangadharan Byju* ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thirnvananthapuram, Kerala, India *Corresponding author: byju.g@icar.gov.in
Online Published on 4 January, 2024. Abstract Elephant-foot yam and taro are important tropical tuber crops that are often overlooked and underutilized in the context of climate change and food security. This study aims to explore existing modelling studies focused on growth, yield, and future climate suitability of these crops. Several crop models have been tested internationally to simulate the growth and yield of aroids, including SUBSTOR-Aroids, AquaCrop, and WOFOST. In India, the QUEFTS model has been used to estimate crop yield for arvids based on site-specific nutrient management. Additionally, the EcoCrop model has been employed to predict the future climate suitability of aroids. However, it is important to note that there are limited studies available for aroids compared to other tropical tuber crops, This highlights the need to prioritize research on these underutilized aroids, considering their superior perhectare production compared to major food grain crops. The review emphasizes the necessity for further modelling studies on aroids to identify or develop better model structures that can be applied across various agro-climatic conditions. Top Keywords Elephant-foot yam, Taro, Aroids, Climate change, Food security, Crop models, Climate suitability. Top |