Analysis of growth and tuber yield in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) cultivars

Abstract

SUMMARYGrowth and tuber yield of local sweet potato cultivars were compared during the 1974 and 1975 growing seasons. Three cultivars significantly outyielded the others. The cultivar effect was associated with differences in individual tuber weight, rate of bulking and percentage of total dry matter diverted into the vine or stem. Mean crop growth rate (C) and percentage of total dry matter diverted into the tubers were greater in the higher yielding cultivars and there was positive and significant correlation between Cand final total dry weight. Leaf area duration (D) was greater in 1975 than in 1974 but the differences between cultivars in D was not consistent. Higher yielding cultivars had significantly greater tuber/leaf ratio than the other cultivars.Bulking rate and tuber weight were positively correlated with tuber yield, while the percentage of total dry matter diverted into the vine was negatively correlated with tuber yield.