Yam Cultivation:
Yam is another tuber crop cultivated majorly in Africa, South American and in
most countries of the world. Yams can be eaten when cooked, fried and as flours.
Crop Cultivation:
There is a large market for Yams, if you are looking towards starting an agriculture
crop cultivation business and you live in Africa or South America, then one of your
options is to go into cultivation of Yam. Yams well preserved in a barn can outlive
one season.
Yam is propagated through corm:
An ordinary-sized Yam gives about 6 – 8 bits for Planting. After one or two
ploughings, pits of size 60 cm x 60 cm x 45 cm are made at a spacing of
90 cm x 90 cm. For harvesting small to medium sized Tubers are used with
a distance between pits reduced to 60 cm x 60 cm.
How long does Yam take to grow:
about 14 weeks. Yams typically take about 14 weeks to mature.
They should be harvested when the tops of plants start to go yellow
and wither. Harvesting generally occurs in autumn. Remove Yams from the Soil.
How is Yam Planted:
Planting is done by seed Yam or cut setts from ware Tubers. One day before
Planting, the Tubers have to be subjected to treatment with wood ash or
a fungicide (thiabendazole) to prevent damage to the Soils. The setts are
Planted at an interval of 15–20 centimetres (5.9–7.9 in) with the cut
face facing up.
What is the best month to plant Yam:
Preparation Of The Land. Yam is best Planted within the months of February and April
when the rainy season is just beginning. These are the best periods for
land preparation.
What is the best fertilizer for Yam:
Fertilization is best done at 8- 10 weeks after Planting. Fertilizer
application is by banding. For low fertility classed Soils, 400-500 kg/ha
of inorganic NPK 20:10:10 fertilizer is regarded as adequate
for optimum yield of Yam.
What is Yam Minisett:
White Yam (Dioscorea rotundata Poir.) is an important tuber crop grown throughout
West Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America. The Yam Minisett Technique (YMT)
was introduced in Nigeria in the late 1970s as a means of increasing the production
of seed Yams.
Is Yam an annual crop:
Yams (Dioscorea spp.) are annual or perennial vines and climbers with annual or
perennial underground Tubers. They belong to the Dioscoreaceae family. This
tuber-producing plant is popular in the humid and subhumid tropics, particularly
in Africa, the West Indies and parts of Asia and South and Central America.
Where do Yams grow best:
Yams grow best in moist, well-drained Soil. They do not grow well in heavy,
waterlogged Soils, so if your Soil is not light and well-draining, amend it
thoroughly with plenty of organic matter such as compost. Yams are heavy
feeders and this will benefit their root growth.
What is the season for Yams:
Sweet potatoes grow best in abundant sunlight and warm temperatures,
and are generally available year around with the peak season falling
from late October through December.
How are yams cultivated:
Planting is done by seed yam or cut setts from ware tubers. One day before
Planting, the tubers have to be subjected to treatment with wood ash or a
fungicide (thiabendazole) to prevent damage to the Soils. The setts are
planted at an interval of 15–20 centimetres (5.9–7.9 in) with the cut
face facing up.
How long does Yam take to grow:
about 14 weeks. Harvesting Your Yams. Keep an eye on the plants. Yams typically
take about 14 weeks to mature. They should be harvested when the tops of plants
start to go yellow and wither.
What is the best month to plant yam:
Yam is best planted between February and March in mounds or ridges by Planting
seed yams (pieces of tubers or completely small ones) preserved for the new
Planting season. However, in some localities especially in riverine areas,
land preparation, clearing and burning of grasses, heaping and ridging
are done earlier.
Where do yams grow best:
There are over 600 different varieties of yams and 95% of the food crop grows
in Africa. These perennial, herbaceous vines that are cultivated for consumption
are not grown in the United States, but in Africa, Asia, Latin America
and the Caribbean.
What is the best fertilizer for yam:
Yams respond well to Organic Fertilizers like compost – a mixture of decayed
organic matter composed of plant parts and animal manures.
What part of yam is used for Planting:
tubers: Yam farmers prefer small-sized whole tubers as Planting material,
which are primarily selected at harvest (Aighewi 1998. “Seed Yam
(Dioscorea Rotundata Poir.)
How do you increase the yield of a yam:
Some approaches to producing quality seed of yam are as follows: farmers select
small whole tubers from a ware crop harvest; stimulate the production of seed
tubers by 'milking' ware tubers while the leaves of the plant are still green
(double harvest system); cut ware tubers into setts about the same sizes as regular.
How do you know if a yam is good:
To select healthy yams, pick yams that are firm to touch all the way around
and have very small to no cracks. While yam skin is highly textured, it
should not be wrinkled like an old cucumber. These tips are generally helpful
but note that at different stages of life, the taste of the yam changes.
How deep do you plant yams:
Growing Yam/Oka, also Oca.
Plant tubers about 5cm (1.5") deep covered with Soil. Best planted at Soil
temperatures between 63°F and 95°F.
Space plants: 12 - 18 inches apart.
Harvest in 15-20 weeks.
Compatible with (can grow beside): Best in separate bed.
How can I start a yam farm:
Steps on How to start Yam Farming.
Acquiring land for Farming. The first step is to acquire land
for the yam Farming purpose.
Land Preparation. Yam setts or seed yam preparation.
Planting the yam setts and seed yams. Yam staking.
Weeding the yam farm. Harvesting of yams.
What climate do yams require:
Identification. Yams are native to the tropical areas of the world,
and grow in the relatively hot conditions of U.S. Department of Agriculture
plant hardiness zones 9 through 12. Their climbing vines have heart shaped
leaves, and their underground tubers grow to weights of typically
between 3 and 8 pounds.
How deep do Japanese yams grow:
Approximately five to eight inches. Create your mounded rows of Soil with
Planting holes Approximately five to eight inches deep, and three to four
inches wide. Plant. With the roots side facing down, bury your sweet potato
slips in loose, well-drained Soil, keeping the sprouted leafy part
above ground.
Wishing you all the best,
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