Lecture: Complete guard " How to successfully cultivate yam"

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