The Crop Potential of Apios americana—Preliminary Evaluations

Abstract

Abstract Apios americana Medikus, a nitrogen-fixing, viny legume that produces seeds and tubers is being evaluated as a food crop. About 2500 plants obtained from colchicine-treated and nontreated seeds, tubers from wild sites, and plants derived from tissue culture were cultivated on a silt loam soil. Two tuber-derived plants (probable clone) yielded an average of 3.747 kg and another seed-produced plant yielded 2.170 kg of tubers per plant. Plants were also found that produced mostly rhizomatous material without tubers, only fleshy roots, fleshy roots and tubers, and only tubers. More than 400 pods per plant were observed from some plants, although seed abortion greatly reduced seed yield of many otherwise normal-looking pods.