Evaluation of Some Growth and Yield Traits of Nine Cultivars of White Guinea Yam (Dioscorea rotundata poir.)

Abstract

White guinea yam is a chief source of carbohydrate in West Africa. Knowledge of the relationship between its agronomic traits and tuber yield can contribute to improving management practices and selecting the right cultivars for optimum yield. Field experiments were conducted during the 2021 and 2022 early cropping seasons at the Teaching and research farm of the Akwa Ibom State University, Obio Akpa Campus, to study the agronomic and yield traits of some white guinea yam cultivars. The experiment consisted of eight cultivars of the white yam (TDr 0900135, TDr 0900295, TDr 1401593, TDr 1401785, TDr 1100180, TDr 110028, TDr 1401220 and TDr 8902265) and a local variety, Atam. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design and replicated three times. The effect of cultivars on growth and yield parameters were determined using a one way ANOVA and the relationships between growth and yield parameters were determined using Linear regression and Pearson Correlation Coefficient. There were significant differences among the yam cultivars in number of leaves produced per plant, number of tubers per plant and fresh tuber yield (tons/ha). Cultivar TDr 8902665 and TDr 140220 performed better than other cultivars in yield (8.05 and 8.91 tons/ha in 2021 and 8.42 and 8.85 tons/ha in 2022). The local variety, Atam sprouted late and also produced a low yield (6.8 tons/ha) compared to most cultivars. Across cultivars, there was a positive relationship between leaf number and tuber yield and vine numbers and tuber length- leaf numbers could significantly predict tuber yield and no of vines, tuber length. Cultivars TDr 140220 and TDr 8902665 have shown potential to outperform the other cultivars tested in this study. Yam farmers may adopt these varieties for cultivation in this study area.