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Fidel Ekanikpong BenDominic Aja Okpara
Edna Augustine Akpan
Patrick Ibanga Udounang
Ofonime Raphael Akata
Paul Inyang
Original Research Article
Response of orange – Fleshed sweetpotato (Ipomea batatas (L) Lam) to ratoon cropping and nutrient management in Southern Nigeria
Fidel Ekanikpong Ben1*, Dominic Aja Okpara2, Edna Augustine Akpan1,Patrick Ibanga Udounang1, Ofonime Raphael Akata1 and Paul Inyang3
1Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Akwa Ibom State University, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
2College of Crop and Soil Sciences, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike,Abia State, Nigeria.
3Department of Agriculture, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ikwo, Nigeria.
*Corresponding Author Email: fidelekan(at)gmail.com
Fidel Ekanikpong Ben |
Dominic Aja Okpara |
Edna Augustine Akpan |
Patrick Ibanga Udounang |
Ofonime Raphael Akata |
Paul Inyang |
Article Number: IJAPR.24.003 | Pages: 23-30 | Vol.12(2), July 2024 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.15739/IJAPR.24.003
Received: January 31, 2024 Accepted: June 7, 2024 Published: July 25, 2024
Abstract
Lack of sustainable seed system is a major constraint to sweetpotato production in Nigeria. Healthy vines are insufficient at the onset of the rains, after the dry season has desiccated the previous crop. To raise vines and alleviate this problem, this study evaluated the effects of ratoon cropping and nutrient management on orange-fleshed sweetpotato in the rainforest agro-ecology of South-southern Nigeria. The experiment was a split-plot arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Results revealed that sweetpotato plant crop produced significantly more branches, higher leaf area index, dry matter of shoot and root and higher fresh shoot biomass than the first and second ratoon crops. Ratoon cropping did not significantly affect root yield in 2017. However, in 2018, the trends in root yield showed that the plant crop yielded highest followed by first ratoon and second ratoon. Application of a combination of 2.5t/ha poultry manure + 200kg/ha NPK significantly increased leaf area index, fresh shoot biomass and root yield. Production of seed for potato planting should prioritize the plant crop and for improved yields, producers should apply 2.5t/ha poultry manure + 200kg/ha NPK.
Keywords: Growth, nutrient management, orange-fleshed sweetpotato, ratoon cropping, root yield.
How to Cite this Article
Ben FE, Okpara DA, Akpan EA, Udounang PI, Akata OR, Inyang P (2024). Response of orange – Fleshed sweetpotato (Ipomea batatas (L) Lam) to ratoon cropping and nutrient management in Southern Nigeria. Int. J. Agric. Pol. Res. 12(2):23-30.
© 2024 The authors.
This is an Open Access article that is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) and the Budapest Open Access Initiative (http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/read), which allow unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited.