ABSTRACT
This study investigated the effectiveness of the yam minisett technique (YMT) and vine cutting using semi-autotrophic hydroponics (SAH) for seed tuber production among eight different cultivars of yam (Dioscorea spp). The study was conducted over a six months period to assess the growth performance, multiplication ratio and response under Semi-autotrophic hydroponics and field conditions. The research was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm, Faculty of Agriculture and the Department of Crop Science Horticultural Nursery, University of Benin. The yam minisett technique involved cutting tubers into small pieces (100-250g) and planting them, while the vine cutting technique utilized single nodal vine cuttings propagated in SAH boxes filled with sawdust. The set up for the Yam minisett experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), while the vine cutting experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The data collected were subjected to statistical analysis and their means were separated. In the yam minisett technique, the analysis of variance showed significance difference (P<0.05) in leaf area and petiole length for the growth performance, while tuber per vine, tuber weight, tuber yield per hectare, minisett weight and multiplication ratio showed high significance difference (P<0.01) for the yield performance. The result also showed for the vine cutting experiment at 4th week, a high significance difference (P<0.01) in number of nodes on sprouted vines and a significance difference (P<0.05) in leaf area, while at the 6th week, high significance difference (P<0.01) was showed in leaf area, vine length and number of nodes on sprouted vines and also, a significance difference (P<0.05) in number of xi sprouted vines. Under Yam Minisett Technique, fresh tuber weight varied from 0.0 - 1.61 kg for Ikpen varieties (yellow yam), and Igiowa 2 (water yam) respectively. In the single nodal vine cuttings experiment, the number of replanted vines among the yam cultivars vary from 0.00 – 3.33 for Abuja 2 (white yam) and Ikpen 1 respectively. The vine cutting technique under SAH proved effective for producing disease-free seed yams, although survival rates varied across cultivars while some of the cultivars under yam minisett technique exhibited superior growth and higher tuber yields. The study concluded that both techniques are viable for enhancing yam propagation, with the minisetts technique being more suitable for producing ware yams and vine cutting for seed yam production, although the yield data was not taken as the experiment is still in progress. The findings showed the importance of cultivar selection and the possibility of these techniques to improve yam production and food security in Nigeria.
