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Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.)

Jerusalem artichoke crop	Tuber shoots	Tuber types.

Distribution, Yield, Use:

• Distribution:
  Cultivated in North America, France, Italy, Germany, European parts of the USSR, North China, India and Central Africa. Modest temperature and soil requirements
• Yield:
  300 - 500 dt/ha tubers
  500 - 700 dt/ha green material
• Use:
  - Industrial raw material (fructose, alcohol)
  - Vegetable (tubers boiled, steamed)
  - Animal feed (tubers, green material)
  The tubers contain 15% carbohydrate, comprising 7-8% inulin, 2.5% protein.

Region of origin: Region of cultivation:

• Cultivation and Breeding:
  The Jerusalem artichoke, like the sunflower, is a native of North America and forms underground tubers similar to the potato. The plant reached Europe in 1600 as a vegetable, and from the mid 18th century was superseded by the potato. Depending on the variety, the skin is yellow, brown or red, although the flesh is white. The breeding programme is concentrated increasingly on the extraction of raw materials.
• Breeding aims:
  The most important breeding aim is the increase in the inulin content of the tubers for fructose extraction. In addition, the storage properties of the roots should be improved. For use as animal feed, varieties with high yields of green material are of interest.

Text by Wolfgang Schuchert
Adapted to HTML by R.Saedler