Assessment of Root and Vine Yields of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) Landraces as Influenced by Plant Population Density in Jos-Plateau, Nigeria

Abstract

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) is an important root crop which is extensively cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical zones1. It is one of the world’s most important food crops due to its high yield and nutritive value2. The high nutritive value and performance under resource poor conditions makes it attractive to farmers and households. Sweet potato is mainly propagated by vine-cuttings, planted on mounds and ridges and in single or double rows3. New shoots and roots arise from the nodes of the vine-cuttings4. Despite the high potentials of the crop as a short duration crop (3-4 months) that could be cropped more than once a year, its production is faced with constraints such as low yielding varieties, difficulty in maintaining the vines (planting material) during the dry season when water is scarce, scarcity of vines as planting material, inbreeding depression as a result of continuous use of vines as planting material which is characterized by decrease in vigour and yield5.