Manrique International Agrotech held its first international course
on tropical root crops (potato, cassava, sweet potato, and taro) on
Aug. 19-22, 1996 at the Faculty of Agronomy of the Central
Agricultural University in Huancayo, Peru.
Huancayo is an Andean city of about 250,000 inhabitants
located in the central part of Peru. At about 200 miles east of
Lima and seated at the southern end of the Mantaro Valley, Huancayo
is a major commercial center rich in tradition, folklore, and
native culture. Huancayo is also the home of the Central
Agricultural University, a center of higher education aimed to meet the
educational needs of the Andean region.
Participants at the Huancayo course were professors and
students of the Faculty of Agronomy. A major goal of the course was
to review major technological advances in root crop production.
Topics covered included (i) an overview of root crop production,
local and worldwide, (ii) an overview of the tropical environment,
i.e., soils, rainfall patterns, and thermal regimes, (iii) a review
of crop morphology and physiology, (iv) a review of yield
determinants including leaf area index, crop growth rate,
radiation use efficiency, and dry matter production and
partitioning, and (v) a review of past and current soil and crop
management practices for root crops.
International Courses on Tropical
Root Crops
Potato, sweet potato, cassava, and taro are the main staple
food of large sectors of the rural population in the tropics. Yet,
local production is beset by multiple constraints and inadequate
technology. Although significant yield increases have been achieved
through research, yields at the farm level have remained virtually
unchanged. Various reasons are listed to explain why advances in
technology do not reach farmers. One reason is the lack of
communication between scientists and people engaged in technology
transfer. Often people working with farmers are not aware of
changes in technology. Evidently there is a need to provide them
with timely and condensed updates of recent advances in technology.
The courses offered by Manrique International Agrotech (MIAT) precisely do
that. They provide with periodic reviews of recent advances in technology
for tropical root crops.
Manrique International Agrotech P.O. Box 61145 Honolulu, HI 96839 Phone: (808) 732-4986 Phone (Mobile): (808) 285-3128 E-mail: manrique@lava.net
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