“It’s a high time farmers embrace yam farming because it is profitable. Yields from one stem can fill a large sack which goes for about Sh1,000 at the main market.”
How many months does yam stay before harvesting?
Yams typically take about 14 weeks to mature. They should be harvested when the tops of plants start to go yellow and wither. Harvesting generally occurs in autumn. Remove yams from the soil.
Are yams profitable in Kenya?
Yam is a preferred food security crop in the drier areas of Kenya. One plant is reported to be able to produce 1 full 90 kg bag of tubers, which can be harvested a few at the time for home consumption or sold in the market for a good price.
How long does it take for yam to grow?
In West and Central Africa tubers are planted between February and April, depending on whether in humid forest or on the savanna, and are harvested 180 to 270 days later. Care is needed during harvesting to minimize damage to tubers that lead to rot and a decrease in market value.
What is the best month to plant yam?
Yams are frost tender and so they need to be planted when the risk of frost has passed around October-November, and harvested in autumn, early winter after the first frost has knocked the tops and they start to die down.
What is the lifespan of yam?
It is not grown much commercially since the flavor of other yams is preferred by most people. However, it is popular in home vegetable gardens because it produces a crop after only four months of growth and continues producing for the life of the vine, as long as two years.
What are the diseases of yam?
The field and storage diseases are presented, anthracnose is regarded as the most widely spread of all the field diseases, while yam mosaic virus disease is considered to cause the most severe losses in yams. Dry rot is considered as the most devastating of all the storage diseases of yam.
Where are yams grown in Kenya?
We source Kenya yams from family growers in Nyeri and Murang’a in Central as well as Eastern Kenya. In these areas, farmers often produce full sacks of 60-90 kilograms from single plants.
How profitable is sweet potato farming in Kenya?
With good management and depending on variety of the sweet potatoes, you can achieve up to 38 tons/Ha although average yields ranges between 15-30 tons/Ha. This proofs how profitable sweet potato farming in Kenya is. Storage of sweet potatoes can be on crates or sacks.
What is yam in Kikuyu?
Also among the Kikuyu of Central Kenya, a lot of tubers, ngwaci (sweet potatoes), ndũma (taro root) known in Kenya as arrowroot, ikwa (yams), and mianga (cassava) are eaten as well as legumes like beans and a Kikuyu bean known as njahi.
Which fertilizer is best for yam?
Yams respond well to Organic Fertilizers like compost – a mixture of decayed organic matter composed of plant parts and animal manures.
What is the best soil for yam?
loamy soil
Yams require deep, loose, textured loamy soil that is rich in organic matter. They are best planted at the beginning of the rainy season. Mulch around the planted sets protects them from excessive heat and desiccation, especially in areas with hot temperatures and dry weather.
How many yam makes a tuber?
In commonly cultivated yams, the tubers lie underground and are one (rarely two or three) per plant. These tubers resemble huge, elongated potatoes, typically growing 2-6 ft long (0.6-2 m) and weighing 11-33 lb (5-15 kg).
How do yam farmers make money?
There are a lot of opportunities to be explored to make more money from your yam farming business venture.
Marketing your Yam after harvesting
- Retail shop owners.
- open market traders.
- wholesalers.
- Processing factories.
- Those engaged in yam frying.
- Restaurants.
- Malls.
- Caterers.
How many yams can be planted in an acre?
What weight of tubers can I expect to harvest? This depends on several things which include your soil type and how well you manage the crop. You should be able to produce between 150 and 200 bags per acre each weighing 100 lb.
How many yams can you plant per acre?
It is estimated that using mounds can produce about 3000 tubers of yam per acre whereas ridges yield twice the amount with 6000 tubers per acre.
How do you preserve yams from spoiling?
Freeze for 6 months to 1 year. Method 2: Transfer the cleaned and drained yam into a large Ziploc bag, make sure it is not overcrowded, and don’t stack it as well. Close the Ziploc bag making sure to remove excess air as much as possible. Place the yam in the freezer flat if possible and freeze for 6 months to 1 year.
How do you take care of a yam plant?
- Before planting, treat seed tubers (mini-sets or small tubers) with a mixed solution of insecticide, fungicide and nematicide prepared as follows:
- Dip seed tubers into this solution for 2 to 3 minutes, and then leave them in a shaded place (e.g. under a tree) for 18 to 24 hours to allow the cut surface to dry.
Are yams hard to grow?
Yams are more difficult to grow and take much longer to be ready for harvest. They have rough skin, which is more difficult to peel than the skin of sweet potatoes. Yams are a vigorous herbaceous vine that will climb on anything – some vines grow up to 8 inches in a day!
What is the common name for yam?
Pictures
| Title | Caption |
|---|---|
| Leaves | Dioscorea alata (winged yam, uhi); leaves. Maui Nui Botanical Garden, Maui. November 06, 2006 |
| Flowers | Dioscorea alata (winged yam, uhi); flowers. Maui Nui Botanical Garden, Maui. November 06, 2006 |
| Yamlet | Dioscorea alata (winged yam, uhi); yamlet. Maui Nui Botanical Garden, Maui. November 06, 2006 |
What are the uses of yam leaf?
Yam leaves, or sweet potato leaves, are a source of vitamin C to strengthen the immune system while reducing inflammation, vitamin A to maintain healthy organ functioning, vitamin K to assist in faster wound healing, and fiber to regulate the digestive tract.