%0 Journal Article
%T Untapped potential of Livingstone potato, an indigenous and underutilised root crop in Zimbabwe: A review
%A A. & Masekesa
%A E.
%A G.T.
%A Gasura
%A J.T.
%A Kujeke
%A Matikiti
%A Mazarura
%A Ngadze
%A R.T.
%A Rugare
%A U.
%J African Crop Science Journal
%D 2019
%X The Livingstone potato ( Plectranthus esculentus ), a tuberous root vegetable indigenous to Africa, remains a neglected and underutilised crop species (NUCS). Of late, there has been a shift in how the NUCS are viewed as consumers become increasingly aware of their nutritional and medicinal value. The objective of the review was to highlight research developments of the Livingstone potato and to identify existing research gaps in a quest to unlock the potential of this crop. Traditionally, the vegetable has been utilised for food, economic and medicinal benefits. However, recent research developments in Africa have demonstrated that the Livingstone potato is highly nutritious and can provide raw materials for the agro and pharmaceutical sectors. While these are notable developments, more needs to be done, especially in Zimbabwe where there is very little researched information on its production and utilisation. The economic impact could potentially be at household, farmer and national level through establishing strong value chains. This is important in order to increase awareness and promote the crop, whose production is on the decline. The diversity and nutritional value of the Livingstone potato needs to be evaluated in Zimbabwe, as a step towards crop improvement, which is key to improved productivity. Continuous production at a large scale will help preserve the germplasm and prevent the genetic erosion currently taking place. This review echoes previous calls for the government of Zimbabwe to take bold steps to support the NUCS, such as the Livingstone potato, at policy level and to fund programmes that deal with such crops. La pomme de terre Livingstone ( Plectranthus esculentus ), un l¨¦gume-racine tub¨¦reux indig¨¨ne d¡¯Afrique, reste une esp¨¨ce qui est n¨¦glig¨¦e et qu¡® on la n¡® utilize pas. Ces derniers temps, I y a eu le changement pour la fa£¿on de conciderer la pomme de terre Livingstone parceque les consommateurs deviennent de plus en plus conscients de leur valeur nutritionnelle et m¨¦dicinale. L¡¯objectif de la revue ¨¦tait de mettre en ¨¦vidence les d¨¦veloppements de la recherche sur la pomme de terre Livingstone et d¡¯identifier les lacunes de la recherche existante dans le but de decouvrir le potentiel de cette culture. Traditionnellement, le l¨¦gume a ¨¦t¨¦ utilis¨¦ pour de ressources alimentaires, ¨¦conomiques et m¨¦dicinales. Toutefois, des travaux de recherche r¨¦cents en Afrique ont montr¨¦ que la pomme de terre Livingstone ¨¦tait tr¨¨s nutritive et pouvait fournir des mati¨¨res premi¨¨res aux secteurs agricoles et pharmaceutiques. Bien qu¡¯il s¡¯agisse
%U http://www.bioline.org.br/abstract?id=cs19022&lang=en