Knowra Yam Yam A yam is a starchy underground storage organ produced by a plant in the genus Dioscorea. Yams are cultivated as food crops, especially in tropical regions.
Dioscorea : A genus of flowering vines that produce underground tubers or bulbils, including cultivated yams. Yams are the edible storage organs of species in this genus.
Yam cultivation : The farming of Dioscorea species for edible tubers and planting material. Cultivation practices determine yam yields, tuber quality, and harvest timing.
African yam : A cultivated Dioscorea crop, especially Dioscorea rotundata and Dioscorea cayenensis, central to West African food systems. African yams include major cultivated species and account for much of global yam production.
New Yam Festival : An annual harvest festival celebrated by several communities in West Africa, especially among Igbo people. The festival marks the arrival of the new yam harvest and the start of a new agricultural cycle.
Tuber : A swollen plant organ that stores nutrients and can support vegetative growth. A yam is a tuber, not a root in the strict botanical sense.
Yam propagation : The production of new yam plants from tuber pieces, small tubers, or bulbils. Farmers commonly use vegetative planting material because many cultivated yams produce few viable seeds.
White yam : The edible tuber of Dioscorea rotundata, a major cultivated yam in West Africa. White yam is among the most widely grown and culturally significant yam crops.
Yam festival : A harvest celebration centered on the first or new yams in communities where the crop holds cultural importance. Yam harvest celebrations express the crop’s place in communal life and seasonal customs.
Yam species : Dioscorea species cultivated or gathered for edible tubers. Different yam species vary in flavor, texture, cultivation, and geographic importance.
Yam storage : The postharvest handling of yam tubers to limit sprouting, water loss, and decay. Stored tubers let yam-growing communities bridge the interval between harvests.
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