INTERACTIVE EFFECTS OF PLANTING SEASON, MULCHING AND VARIETY SELECTION ON GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT AND YIELD OF WHITE YAM IN THE TROPICAL WET-AND «¤??DRY CLIMATE OF NIGERIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51406/jagse.v12i2.1445Keywords:
Dioscorea rotundata, mulching, planting date, varietyAbstract
The effects of planting season, mulching and variety selection on growth, development and yield of white yam were evaluated in two trials in 2007 and 2008 cropping seasons. Mulching and planting season significantly increased tuber yield and also increased the expression of yield components and vegetative characters. The yield of Efuru and Ise-osi were more than that of Oneyere, particularly on mulched plots during the dry season planting. Early season plantingª¤? significantly (P < 0.05) influenced emergence rate, phenological growth and tuber yield. Irrespective of mulching materials, it was found that mulching significantly (P< 0.05) increased tuber yield by about 6-8 tonnes ha-1 season-1 over the unmulched. Furthermore, grass mulch had tuber yield of about 4-6 tonnes ha-1 season-1 greater than the polythene mulch and the unmulched plots. Growing yam variety that synchronizes the crop growth cycle with effective water availability during the early planting season with proper mulching is therefore recommended.
ª¤?
References
Bello, N.J. 2000. Application of rainfall- potential evapotranspiration model for the determination of optimum planting date of maize (Zea mays) in a tropical wet and dry climate. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 70(7): 437-440.
Cocheme , J., Franquin, P. 1967. An agroclimatological survey of a semi arid area in South of the Sahara. WMO Technical note No. 86, Geneva.
Fageria, N.K. 1980. Deficiencia hidrica em arroz de cerrado e resposta ao fosforo. Pesqui. Agropec. Bras. 15: 259-265.
Ferguson, T.U., Gumbs, F.A. 1981. La reproduction vegetative de l«¤??igname: denrees fondamentales et application recentes. In: Yams «¤??Ignames. Degras, L. Eds. Clarendon Press, Oxford. Fisher, N. M. eds.
John Wiley and sons limited, New York. 569-588pp for estimating leaf area of Douglas-fir trees and stands. Forest Ecology Management, 126: 61-76.
Ferguson, T.U., Gumbs, F.A. 1976. Effect of soil compaction on leaf numbers and area, and tuber yield of white Lisbon yam. Proceedings fourth Symposium of International Society for Tropical Root Crops. Cock, J., Maclntyre, R. and Graham, M. eds. CIAT, Cali, Colmbia. IDRC- 080e. 89-93pp.
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). 1995. Yam research at IITA: 1971-1993. IITA Ibadan, Nigeria. 38pp.
Inyang, E.U. 2005. An evaluation of tillage and storage systems applied by traditional root crop farmers in Cameroon. Agriculture Environment Journal 7(2): 15-22.
Kutugi, A.D. 2002. Comparative analysis between indigenous and modern tillage practices in the production of Dioscorea rotundata and Dioscorea cayenensis in the middle belt of Nigeria. Journal Agriculture Environment 2(1): 53-66
Maduakor, H.O., Lal, R., Opara-Nadi, O.A. 1984. Effects of methods of seedbed preparation and mulch on the growth and yield of white yam (Dioscorea rotundata) on an ultisol in south-east Nigeria. Field Crops
Res. 9: 119-130.
Odjugo, P.A.O. 2008. The effect of tillage systems and mulching on soil microclimate, growth and yield of yellow yam (Doiscorea Cayenensis) in Midwestern Nigeria. African Journal of Biochemistry. 7(24):4500
4507.
Okoh, C.A. 2004. The effect of mulching on soil physico-chemical properties and the yield of White Yam. Tropical Journal of Root Tuber Crops 4(2): 24-31.
Olasantan, F.O. 2007. Effect of population density and sowing date of pumpkin on soil hydrothermal regime, weed control and crop growth in a yam «¤??pumpkin intercrop. Experimental Agriculture 43: 365
-380.
Onwueme, I.C. 1973. The sprouting process in yam (Dioscorea spp) tuber pieces. Journal of Agriculture Science (Cambridge) 81: 375-379.
Orkwor, G.C.1990. Studies on the critical period of weed interference in yam intercropped with maize (Zea mays L.), Okra (Abelinoschus esculentus L. Moench), Sweet potato and the biology of associated
weeds. Ph.D thesis. University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. 262pp.
Solubo, R.A. 1972. Studies on white yam (Doiscorea rotundata). II. Change in nutrient with age. Experimental Agriculture 8: 107-115.
Steel, R.G.B. and Torrie, J.H. 1988. Principle and procedures of statistics, M cGraw «¤?? Hill Book Co., New York, U.S. 633PP.