Caracterización morfológica de plantas de Smallanthus sonchifolius (Poepp.) H. Rob. 1978 “yacón” a partir de rizóforos procedentes de Gran Chimú, Otuzco y Sánchez Carrión

Smallanthus sonchifolius (Poepp.) H. Rob. 1978 “yacon”, a promising crop, typical of the Andes, whose production has increased due to the growing market demand; It is also classified as a nutraceutical food, due to its numerous benefits for human health, as it has the power to nourish and prevent diseases. Nowadays it presents a precarious small-scale management due to the ignorance of its morphological characteristics, above all, which has a significant impact on its production. Given this, the present investigation focused on the morphological characterization of Smallanthus sonchifolius plants, from rhizophores from Gran Chimu, Otuzco and Sanchez Carrion. The experimental phase was developed in the Huangamarca village, Otuzco, to which rhizophores of S. sonchifolius “yacon” were transported from the town of Gran Chimu, Otuzco and Sanchez Carrion in the La Libertad Region. Then experimental plots were established, where data regarding the number of stems, plant height, as well as the number and weight of roots per plant were evaluated. From the analysis, only significant differences were reported between the plant height characters and the number of stems. It is concluded that S. sonchifolius “yacon” from Gran Chimu, Otuzco and Sanchez Carrion, present similarities in terms of their morphology, despite coming from different locations, therefore it is possible to propagate them through rhizophores, regardless of their origin. Keywords: Morphometry, plants, yacon, rhizophores. *Autor para correspondencia: E. mail: slopezm@unitru.edu.pe DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17268/rebiol.2021.41.01.11