Seed Yam Production Using High-Quality Minitubers Derived from Plants Established with Vine Cuttings

Abstract

Yam (Dioscorea spp.) is a valuable food security crop in West Africa, where 92% of the world production occurs. The availability of quality seed tubers for increased productivity is a major challenge. In this study, minitubers weighing 1, 3, and 5 g produced from virus-free single-node vine cuttings of two improved yam varieties (Asiedu and Kpamyo) growing in an aeroponics system were assessed for suitability in seed production at a population of 100,000 plants ha−1. A 3 × 2 factorial experiment with randomized complete block design and three replications was set up during the cropping seasons of 2017 to 2019 at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Research Station in Kubwa, Abuja, Nigeria. Results showed field establishments of 87%–97.8%. Yields differed with minituber size, variety, and cropping season; the highest was 31.2 t ha−1 in 2019 and the lowest, 10 t ha−1 in 2018 from 5 and 1 g Kpamyo minitubers, respectively. The estimated number of tubers produced per hectare by 1, 3, and 5 g minitubers was 101,296, 112,592, and 130,555, with mean weights per stand of 159.2, 187.3, and 249.4 g, respectively. We recommend using less than 6 g minitubers for seed yam production due to their high multiplication rates.

Water Yam (Dioscorea alata L.) Growth and Tuber Yield as Affected by Rotation and Fertilization Regimes across an Environmental Gradient in West Africa

“…These authors related this to the tuber composition, which is known to vary from the head to the most distal part. Hopefully, the reproduction of yam by vine cuttings [46] will lead to a reduced inter-plant variability in the future, but this plant multiplication process still needs to be implemented. The variability of soil properties probably also affected yield variability.…”

Food and Nutritional Security Impact of Exploiting Opportunities and Developing Strategies in Increase Yam (Dioscorea Spp.) Production in Ethiopia

“…Information and communication technologies, used to exchange information among yam-growing countries, will also contribute significantly. Seed yam can be grown in two ways through controlled crossing or by using mini tubers regenerated from vine cuttings [71,72].…”

Inducción de la producción de minitubérculos mediante inoculación con rizobacterias en plantas de ñame (Dioscorea rotundata Poir)

“…Estudios realizados Shiwachi, Kikuno y Asiedu (2006) corroboran la producción de minitubérculos a partir de plántulas provenientes de la siembra de esquejes en dos variedades de D. rotundata, utilizando como medio de cultivo la cáscara de arroz carbonizada, bajo condiciones de sombra, a temperatura ambiente, logrando producir 1.7 minitubérculos por planta. Esto mismo fue corroborado por Aighewi et al (2021), logrando la producción de 1.4 a 1.7 minitubérculos en plántulas establecidas a partir de esquejes en dos variedades de ñame, los cuales posteriormente fueron sembrados en campo, logrando una brotación entre el 87 y 97.8%.…”

“…Es una planta herbácea -perenne, de ciclo vegetativo largo (12 meses) y de reproducción sexual o clonal. Esta planta presenta una amplia adaptabilidad a condiciones de pluviosidad (1.500 a 2.000 mm) y fertilidad de suelos (Aighewi et al, 2021). La siembra se realiza utilizando tubérculos enteros o subdivididos en porciones más pequeñas, comúnmente denominadas como "presas", las cuales presentan variabilidad en los porcentajes de brotación (Brice et al, 2019), lo cual, trae como consecuencia fallas en el establecimiento, des uniformidad en los cultivos, transmisión de plagas y enfermedades, baja producción y calidad de la cosecha.…”