ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the origin and distribution, nutritional composition, medicinal values, climatic requirement, soil requirement, cultivated varieties and post-harvest management of arracacha. Arracacha is native to the Andean region of South America, which includes the countries of Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia and Venezuela. It grows well in cool but frost-free humid tropical climates. Every part of the arracacha plant is used as human and animal nutrition, however, the starchy roots are principally used for human consumption and the rootstock and aerial plant parts for domestic animals. Arracacha is very slow-growing crop, requiring 10–12 months to be mature, even then, it requires much less fertilizer inputs. Two-spotted spider mite or accarid, chisa beetle, moth and nematodes are the insect pests that attack arracacha during its lifetime. Black rot, collar rot, leaf spot, soft rot, bacterial spot and bacterial soft rot are the diseases that affect arracacha.
