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Ganshulu 甘薯錄

May 31, 2013 © Ulrich Theobald

Ganshulu 甘薯錄 is a short agricultural treatise written during the mid-Qing period 清 (1644-1911) by Lu Yao 陸耀 (d. 1794), courtesy name Langfu 朗夫 or Qinglai 青來. He hailed from Wujiang 吳江, Jiangsu, and obtained the juren degree in 1752. His highest post in the administrative structure was that of governor (xunfu 巡撫) of Hunan.

In his book he describes in detail the cultivation, harvesting and storage of sweetpotato. It is divided into six chapters and quotes all available sources on sweetpotato in older texts. Yet it neglects the difference between the native taro and the sweetpotato that was imported from tropical America (fanshu 番薯) and mixes up the two plants.

The Ganshulu was first printed in 1776 and is included in the series Ciyantang congshu 賜硯堂叢書, Zhaodai congshu 昭代叢書 and Haisulu congshu 海粟廬叢書.

Sources:
Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文鬰, eds. (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe), Vol. 1, 1652.
Zhou Zhaoji 周肇基 (1995). "Ganshulu 甘藷錄", in Zhongguo nongye baike quanshu 中國農業百科全書, Vol. Nongye lishi 農業歷史卷 (Beijing: Nongye chubanshe), 65.