ISHS Acta Horticulturae 583: I International Conference on Sweetpotato. Food and Health for the Future
CANOPY STRUCTURE AND PLANT DENSITY: THEIR EFFECT ON WEED AND ROOT YIELD OF SWEETPOTATO, AREKA, SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA |
| Author: | T. Workatyehu |
| Keywords: | canopy structure, sweetpotato, weed density/infestation, plant density, Areka, Ethiopia |
| Abstract:
Sweetpotato is mostly left unweeded or weeded late due to shortage of labor that results from overlapping of farm activities. The effect of canopy structure, plant density and weeding frequency was studied on weed infestation and root yield. Plant density, canopy structure, and weeding frequency affected weed population. Weed infestation in Tis 2498 with spreading canopy structure was less by 7%. Reduction in weed density due to increased plant density ranged from 4.9 to 7.3%. The intermediate and spreading cultivars produced more branches in the lowest density, 5 plants/m2. Leaf area for Tis 2498 was high at the lowest plant density. The root yield obtained in 1999 (32,800 kg/ ha) was higher by 283 and 159% than those of the 1997 and 1998 seasons, respectively. In 1999 Tis 1499 and Koka 6 produced 43,500 and 37,100 kg/ha, respectively, and were higher by 194 and 223% over their respective mean yields in 1998. Increased plant density increased the yield and the increments from 7,10 and 12.5 plants/m2 over the lowest were 26,29, and 30%, respectively. Weeding twice increased the yield by 16 % and the increments for Tis 1,499 and Koka 6 were 20 and 27 %, respectively, whereas significant effect was not observed in Tis 2,498; this indicates that a cultivar with spreading canopy structure could be weeded once and others need two weedings. Generally the result pinpoints that canopy structure and plant density could be used as means for reducing weed infestation. This will benefit farmers in saving time and labor. Breeders could also look at such plant characters that can better compete with weed infestation. | |
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