Food, nutrients and phytochemical composition of country potato, Plectranthus rotundifolius (Poir) Spreng.: A review

Abstract

Country potato, Plectranthus rotundifolius (Poir) Spreng., is a perennial herbaceous plant but cultivated as an annual crop that produces edible tubers. As a relatively underutilized crop, Chinese potato has much potential that have not yet been fully explored. The tubers of country potato are nutritious, containing high levels of starch, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Various phytochemicals were identified in the tubers and other plant parts which possess antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and neuroprotective effects. The crop can tolerate drought and can be grown in marginal soils, providing food security benefits for resource limited farmers. As a high value cash crop adapted to tropical conditions, country potato also has good income generation potentials. This manuscript offers a comprehensive overview of the existing knowledge on the importance of country potato as a food crop, medicinal plant, and also as a source of income generation. Breeding and biotechnology research to improve agronomic traits and enhance phytochemical content can further increase the future potentials of this underutilized but promising food security crop. The crop is encountering various production challenges such as photosensitivity, low yield, small sized tubers with varying shapes, inadequate tuberization and lack of postharvest technologies. With sufficient and targeted research focus, the country potato, being a fragile vegetable crop, has the potential to be widely adopted across various agro ecosystems of tropical regions, thus bolstering food security. More studies are still needed to fully tap into the potentials of country potato for food, health and wealth creation.