Preparation of seed yams
Preparation of seeds in sweet potato cultivation can be done in two ways, namely by generative and vegetative. The first is the propagation via tubers. How to select good quality and healthy tubers, then left in moist and shady places to go out shoots.
Shoots out of the tuber is cut and ready to be raised. Generative rarely done in large-scale cultivation of sweet potatoes. This method is used to multiply quality seeds on a limited scale. Or to restore the superior properties of the parent.
The second way is by vegetative propagation distek. Candidates are taken from plant breeders over the age of two months with short internodes. The trick, cut the stem of the plant is approximately 15-25 cm long. In each piece there are at least two stem segments. Papas most leaves to reduce evaporation. Tie the stems distek and leave for one week in the shade.
Propagation by stem cuttings continuously will decrease the quality of the crop. Therefore, propagation by cuttings is only recommended for 3-5 generations of planting.
Tillage for cultivation of yams
Soil conditions are suitable for the cultivation of sweet potato is a sandy loam soil, loose, contains a lot of nutrients and has good drainage. Sweet potato cultivation on dry ground and cracked, will reduce plant immunity. Plants susceptible to pests and diseases. Conversely, if planted in place muddy or wet, the tuber will dwarf, high fiber content, tubers perishable and shape bumps.
The degree of acidity of the soil are ideal for the cultivation of sweet potato around pH 5.5-7.5. This plant grows well on dry land or former rice fields. On dry land, suitable sweet potato cultivation is done at the end of the rainy season. While more suitable for paddy fields during the dry season.
Sweet potato cultivation is relatively not need much fertilizer. Moreover, when planted in the former paddy fields. Before planting sweet potato, soil should be plowed or dug so loose. Then the form of beds 30-40 cm tall. Create bedangan 60-100 cm wide with a distance of 40-60 cm between beds. The length of beds following the shape of the land.
For the cultivation of sweet potatoes organically, provide basic fertilizers such as manure or compost. Good manure is a mixture of chicken manure and cow or goat that has matured. Mix the fertilizer at the time of a raised bed with a dose of 20 tonnes per hectare.
Planting sweet potato
The sweet potato is grown in a way to immerse 2/3 stem cuttings into the soil. In the beds there are two rows of plants. The distance between plants in a row spacing of 30 cm between rows and 40 cm. It takes about 36 thousand rods for one hectare.
At the beginning try to keep the growth of soil moisture. Do watering every morning and afternoon on the newly planted cuttings. Watering can be stopped after the plants appear to grow, which is characterized by the release of a new leaf.
Maintenance and care
Potato plant is drought resistant plants. The intensity of rain two weeks is sufficient to provide water intake. So relatively not require constant watering.
After 2-3 weeks of planting, check the entire plant. If there are plants that fail to grow immediately embroidered with new plants. Stitching is done by removing dead plants and replace it with a new stem cuttings.
At the age of 4 weeks after planting, do the demolition of land on the left and the right plants, radius10 of plants. It is intended that the plant roots do not spread everywhere so that the bulbs are concentrated in the planting lines. These activities are carried out simultaneously with the weeding.
At the age of 6-8 weeks after planting, soil was then closed again dismantled while smoothing the roots that spread out of the path of cultivation. Perapihan root activity is important because if the spread everywhere, bulbs produced will not be too big. If the roots are not curbed, it could be the tuber many but small size.
Harvesting sweet potato cultivation
Harvesting sweet potatoes can be done at the age of 3.5-4 months. Watch the weather just before harvest, or the age of the plant over 3 months. Tubers are ready to harvest the sudden heavy rain hit would normally rot. This occurs in sweet potato cultivation is done in the dry season. In the event that immediately do the harvesting, a maximum of 7 days after rain.
Harvest is successful if each one of seedlings planted at least produce 1 kg of tubers. In general, a good sweet potato plants and pests will not produce tubers more than 25 tons per hectare. Even on certain varieties of sweet potato as Kalasan can produce up to 30-40 tons per hectare.
Once harvested, washed and sorted sweet potatoes in a sack and then enter and save the place dry before being sold to the market.
