YAM CULTIVATION

hello everyone

This week we will be looking at another very popular root crop

YAM CULTIVATION

yam plant

          

                                                         

                                                YAM

                                           Botanical name: Dioscorea   spp.   
              The botanical name has spp because we have different species of yam.
               Yam is a crop mostly grown in Africa .It can be boiled ,fried,roasted or pounded.
               yam is a ROOT AND TUBER CROP( it stores its fruit in its root) also its an
               ANNUAL CROP( crops that complete their life cycle from time of planting to harvest in one year)

yam  

                                       

                                                 CLIMATE AND SOIL REQUIREMENTS

         RAINFALL:   1020-1780mm 
                                  yam is a sun loving plant ( high sunshine)
         SOIL TYPE:   A well drained loamy soil not waterlogged and also well ploughed 
                                   soil clumping
                                                                 

                                                       LAND PREPARATION

     1)  LAND CLEARING:
              In subsistence agriculture ( this the type  of farming that is practiced just for family or self consumption after harvest it is not for sale) lands is cleared manually by the means of hoe,cutlass and grasses are raked and burnt.
               

farmers clearing farmland with a hoe

In COMMERCIAL FARMING(farming practiced where farm produce are mainly for sale) clearing with use of bulldozer for stumping and clearing.

a bulldozer clearing farmland 

    

    2)  MAKING OF RIDGES
                This the drawing together of the top soil with the use of a hoe, this is to provide sufficient depth of loose soil for the proper growth of the yam tubers in some places yam sett are planted on flat land without accumulation of the top soil. 
    Ridges can also be done manually by the use of (hoe) and mechanicaly by the use of a ridger                               

a mechanical ridger in action

                                           

                                                     

ridge ready for planting      

  

                                                      CULTIVATION

                           Yam is cultivate with the use of its SEED called YAM SETT. The diagram bellow shows yam setts that has been splited into mini sett for planting .
                                                                        

yam sett showing healthy buds

 PLANTING DATE:   OCTOBER - DECEMBER ( EARLY PLANTING)

                                                            FEBRUARY - MARCH      (LATE PLANTING) 
 setts should be planted 15cm deep and covered with 8-15cm of soil healthy buds should be present.

                                                                      STAKING
        This is the supporting of yam veins with the use of long sticks or bamboo also in the absence of wood for staking yam can be planted after maize or sougurm plant so that yam vein can climb on the stake.

     

different position of yam staking       

 

 

                                                              

 

 

  WEED CONTROL

        Weeds are unwanted plant growing in an unwanted place and this plants compete with crops for nutrients. in yam cultivation weeds are controlled
by HAND OR HOE
 CHEMICALLY BY PRIMEXTRA (HERBICIDES) herbicides are chemicals use for killing weeds.

                                                                      HARVEST
       Yam matures 8-12 months after planting ,first sign of maturity : leaves and vine dries up, the surface of the soil around the yam sometimes cracks especially in dry season.
        Yam is harvested by digging out each tubers carefully with cutlass and try as much as possible not to bruise the yam tubers.
      FOR EARLY PLANTING HARVEST TAKES PLACE BETWEEN JULY OR MID SEPTEMBER
       FOR LATE PLANT HARVEST TAKES PLACE BETWEEN  MID OCTOBER AND JANUARY


      
        
                     
                                                                           STORAGE 
Harvested yams are stored away from soil and intense sun rays to avoid spoilage 
most are stored in YAM BARNS.
Some are peeled and cut into pieces then sun dried(this kind of tubers last for a long period of time)
 Dried yam are made into yam flour by pounding in mortar orby flour mill.

                   

                                                       

yam barn

                                                                   






                                                                  YAM PEST

1)   YAM BEETLE: They make holes in yam tubers causing huge damage to crop and reduce
                                    market value.
                                    symptoms: visible holes on yam tubers.
                                     control:    use of furadan chemical.

beetle

yam affected by beetle

 2)    YAM SHOOT BEETLE: This attacks the shoot of a yam 

 3)    YAM EEL-WORM:  This attacks yam tubers in the soil causing them to rot 
                                           symptoms: yam becomes brown and soft and unfit for consumption
                                            control: crop rotation
                                                           bush burning before planting

           

yam affected by eel worm

                                              










                                                           YAM DISEASES

YAM MOSAIC:      causal Organism:virus
                                   symptoms: plant stunted growth and change in colour of plant.
                                   control:      good crop rotation.


                                                              

yam leaf affected by mosaic

                                                    SPECIES OF YAM

1) WHITE YAM ( Dioscorea rotundata): Colour of flesh is white or cream matures 8months after planting

2) YELLOW YAM (Dioscorea cayenensis): Colour of flesh is yellow, leaves are thicker and greener , matures 12month after planting.

3) WATER YAM ( Dioscorea  alata) : color  of flesh is either purple or yellow , mostly grown in west Africa high amount of water matures after 10months
                                   

                           

                                                    thanks for reading and sharing.
                                                        but remember also learn
                                                                            po9