FULL-GUARD: "HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY CULTIVATE YAM"
How to Successfully Cultivate Yam
Commonly called white yam or desk yam withinside the extra Mbam or Ngaoundal areas of Cameroon, its medical call is *Dioscorea spp*. This plant originates from Asia and belongs to the Dioscoreaceae family, with a increase cycle lasting among 6 to 7 months.
As a starchy food, yam has the subsequent dietary values:
- 23% carbohydrates
- 2% protein
- 0.1% fat
It may be utilized in numerous forms, inclusive of flour, chips, and cooked dishes.
FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR YAM CULTIVATION
For finest increase of this yam range , the subsequent situations are required:
- A deep, loose, natural - wealthy soil, well-drained, with a pH starting from 6 to 7.
- An altitude of as much as 1500 meters and common temperatures among 23 to twenty-five °C.
- A rainfall of at the least 1500 mm is vital for its establishment, with the quality effects acquired in regions with at the least five months of wet season.
YAM CULTIVATION SETUP: TECHNICAL GUIDELINES
Here is a technical sheet for correctly cultivating yam in Cameroon and during Africa and the world.
Seed Procurement
Seeds may be acquired through fragmenting yam tubers from the preceding season or bought ones. The system includes:
1. Select healthy, complete tubers which might be completely mature and geared up to sprout (after dormancy of two to four months).
2. Cutting the tubers into disks approximately four cm thick or transversely to achieve fragments weighing 15 to 30 grams.
three . Soaking the fragments in an answer fabricated from about a hundred and fifty grams of kitchen ash in eight liters of water or the use of a fungicide like Maneb plus an insecticide. The fragments ought to relaxation withinside the answer for 10 mins earlier than being eliminated and dried withinside the shade.
It is vital to be aware that 2 to four lots according to hectare of yam can be needed, relying at the size ( 2 hundred to four hundred grams), range , and planting density.
Soil Preparation
This takes location from December to January, earlier than the onset of rains, and entails :
- Clearing and reducing down bushes withinside the plot.
- Forming excessive and huge ridges ( about 30 cm excessive and 50 cm in diameter).
- Marking out the plot in keeping with the selected planting density.
- Enriching the ridges with well-decomposed natural manure ( together with hen droppings, cow dung compost, etc.) each time possible.
Planting
It is really helpful to plant with a spacing of at the least 1 meter through 1 meter, which ends up in a density of 10,000 ridges according to hectare. However, the quality yields are finished with a spacing of 1. five meters through 1. five meters ( four ,444 ridges according to hectare), as this lets in for larger, greater resilient ridges able to accommodating as much as four fragments. This yam range may be related to pistachio (Bafia range ) and plantain banana.
Once the ridges are formed, sowing can take location with three to four fragments or seeds according to ridge, about 10 to fifteen cm deep, from mid-February to mid-March. It is vital to be aware that later sowing will bring about decrease yields.
MAINTENANCE
Maintenance includes:
- Weeding (2 to four instances relying on weed increase ).
- Staking, which entails setting a robust stake ( approximately 1. five meters excessive ) on the middle of every ridge as soon as the flora attain at the least 10 cm in height.
- Fertilization: For excellent soil fertility management, soil evaluation ought to be performed ahead to decide the vital quantities of fertilizers and natural count for finest yields.
HARVESTING AND STORAGE OF YAM
Harvesting
Harvesting takes place nine months after sowing while the above- floor components of the plant have yellowed and dried. This is typically completed the use of a hoe, machete, and trowels to open the ridges and extract the tubers, which ought to be saved afterward.
During harvesting, it's miles critical to recognize that small tubers ought to be replanted withinside the soil to function seeds for the following season. Yields usually variety from five to twelve lots and might attain up to twenty-five lots with using fertilizers.
Storage
Storage may be completed in underground, elevated, or advanced stores:
- Underground storage: Once the tubers are harvested, any accidents ought to be dealt with with ash earlier than storing to gradual down rotting. A pit ought to be dug and covered with straw, then tubers located horizontally with every horizontal layer separated through a layer of straw
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