TITLE:
Cultivar and Soil Fertilizer Treatment Affect Seed Production of Sweet Yellow Yam (Dioscorea dumetorum) on Highly Acidic Soils of the Western Highlands Region of Cameroon
AUTHORS:
Somo Toukam Gabriel Mahbou, Godswill Ntsomboh-Ntsefong, Tiokeng Marie Noel Ateko, Benoit Nono, Emmanuel Youmbi
KEYWORDS:
Dioscorea dumetorum, Mini Set, Yam Seed Production, Mycorrhiza, Fertilizer, Soil Acidity
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.12 No.9,
September
22,
2021
ABSTRACT: The popularization of Dioscorea dumetorum (Dioscoreaceae), a nutritious yam species is
still marginal due to constraints such as the low interest of research, poor
cultural practices, insufficient and expensive seeds, pests, and diseases. The
latter pushes producers to use about 50% of their harvest as seed for the next
planting season. The lack of a specific fertilizer formulation for yam
production on the oxysols of Cameroon is another constraint. This study was
aimed at enhancing the availability of quality seeds through the
characterization of five yam accessions. One experiment was performed to
determine the effect of cultivar and origin of tuber sets on their germination
rate. The second concerned the evaluation
of cultivars and soil treatment effects on agronomic parameters of yam
seedlings. Yam cultivars were subjected to nine fertilizer formulations as
follows: T0: no fertilizer; T1: mycorrhizal fungi (MF) + 150 g manure + peanut
waste; T2: 25 g chemical fertilizer (20.10.10); T3: MF + peanut waste; T4: 16 g
chemical fertilizer (12.6.20); T5: 25 g (20.10.10) +100 g CaO + 150 g manure;
T6: 100 g CaO + 150 g manure; T7: 20 g tropicote + 2 g DAP (Diammonium
phosphate, a reference starter fertilizer coded N18P46) + 100 g CaO + 150 g
manure; and T8: mycorrhiza. These treatments were tested in a factorial design.
Results show that Ibo sweet 3 and Mabondji sweet white 1 yam accessions were
less affected by anthracnose disease on the aerial parts. Guzang 1 showed the
best germination rate and yield, making it appropriate for cultivation in the
region. Soil treatments, T2, T5, T7 and T8 significantly increased the yield of
yam cultivars. Mycorrhiza treatment alone gave a better response to seed
weight, indicating the interest of this biofertilizer as a solution for good
seedling production. These fertilizer treatments can be recommended to farmers
for more seed production with optimum seed weight (300 g).