Introduction to Yam Production
Yam is one of the most cherished food crops produced in Nigeria because of its usage in cultural and religious activities.
There is no household in Nigeria where yam is not cherished; in fact, yam food is a ceremonial food in some parts of Nigeria, particularly in Eastern and Southern Nigeria. Where the new yam festival is celebrated each year.
Yam production is the second-largest tuber crop produced in the country. The local demand for yam in some states has exceeded its production; hence yam is imported from neighboring states to complete local production. Yam farming is very lucrative in Nigeria.
Yam farms can yield N, 5000, 000 – N 10,000, 000 million per hectare (i.e. 100m x 100m). Yam Production has been a life-changing enterprise for the people of the country especially the North Central Nigeria, North West Nigeria, and even the south west. Among other states where yam is produced; these farmers live like politicians in their environment.
Yam production in Nigeria has helped to reduce unemployment and rural-urban migration in the state. Some notable reasons, why yam has become lucrative in the country are to rich agricultural land, the presence of poles for staking, the wide market, and its usage for social and religious activities.
Yam can best intercrop with pepper or maize, but perform best on sole cropping. You can earn money from your maize or pepper while waiting for the yam to mature. Yam production requires skills to be for effective performance.
Even as Nigeria is favored with rich agricultural land, abundant poles for staking, and a broad market. Only a few farmers are involved in it because of the required skills. This article will provide enough skills and guidelines for yam production that can be used by any individual for yam farming
Skills in Planning
Yam farming from production to marketing requires proper planning. Planning itself is a skill you require to achieve success in any organization. Planning has to do with the decision on what needs to be done before venturing into the enterprise.
Yam production requires proper planning skills before taking off production. Planning skills required in yam cultivation are:
- Formulate the goal for the Yam enterprise.
- Decide on the location for the Yam enterprise.
- Choose the types of yam enterprise (yam production, yam off-taker, or processor)
- Identify your Yam customer.
- Identify competent personnel.
- Estimate the initial capital for the Yam enterprise.
- Identify the source of the capital for the yam enterprise.
- Plan Identify your customer.
- Identify the input required for the procurements input for the Yam enterprise.
Pre-Planting Skills
These are the skills you need to have, before planting. You must adhere strictly to the pre-planting agronomic practices of the crops in question because if you fail to perform this agronomic practice it will have negative implications on the growth and yield of your crops. These skills are needed for preparing the land to receive seeds.
- Land for yam must be flat land
- Clear land with cutlass around late January – February
- Burn grasses before planting.
- Plant yam on well-drain sandy loam, loamy soil rich in humus, or clay loam
- Spray pre-emergency herbicide or contact herbicide before and after ploughing at 3-4 liters per hectare.
- Till soil properly before planting using a hoe or machine
- Planting can be done on the flat
- Plough and harrow before planting yam using a machine 25- 30 cm deep
- Prepare seed beds like mounts and ridge (40-65cm) high
- Plant yam on an area with rainfall of 100 – 170cm and temperature of about 24-35oC
- Source yielding verities of yam seeds, yam sett, and mini sett (source high-yielding varieties from breeding companies) or parent stock.
- cultivate yam either with the tuber, yam seed, yam setts, or mini setts depending on the planting sourced.
Post-Planting Skills
These are the skills you exhibit immediately after planting your crops. You need to know what, when, and how to exhibit these practices. Post-planting activities in Yam production are timely; therefore you must carry out good agronomic practices within the specific planting season. These skills are aimed at the planting of seeds.
- Mulch or cap to prevent evaporation and ensure water conservation.
- supplying ungerminated yam stem 5- 7 weeks after planting
- Stake yam immediately after they have started sprouting e.g. individual, pyramidal method, or trellis methods of staking.
- Control weeding at first 4 -12 weeks after planting with a hoe use herbicide at 6 months after planting at 75ml at the 16-liter knapsack.
- Application of organic manure 4- 5 tons of organic manure (i.e. 40 -60kg bags per ha, of 50kg bags of poultry, cattle, or compost)
- Apply inorganic fertilizer like NPK 15:15:15, 10:10:20, or 20:10:10 of 12-9 bags per hectare or 400kg per hectare 4 -8 weeks after planting for the first application, and second application 16-17 weeks after planting.
- Control pests like Aphids, yam eelworms, Yam beetle, Locusts, Mealybugs, Scales insects, and termites are controlled by spraying with termitorium, diazinon, and carbofuran and spraying and treating yam tubers with insecticide dust.
- Control diseases like field diseases ( yam anthracnose disease, Yam Mosaic, and Virus Disease), and Root Diseases (Dry rot, Soft rot, and Wet rot) can be controlled by practicing crop rotation, good farm sanitation, and planting resistant varieties. Spray nematicides and fungicides to control disease.
- Harvest yam, 6 -10 months after planting, for double harvest, harvest first at 5-6 months after planting, and then 3-4 months later (for First harvest also called” topping‟, “beheading‟, and “milking” involves the careful removal of the soil around the tuber, cuts the lower portion, leaving the upper part of the tuber with all roots intact or the “head” to heal and continue to grow. The soil is returned and the plant is left to grow to the end of the season for the second harvest. Many yam species yield several small tubers in the second phase of growth during the early harvest. The second harvesting is mostly done for yam with short-term species such as Dioscorea rotundata, Dioscorea Cayenensis, and Dioscorea, alata. ).
- Yam gives an average yield of 10 – 20t/ha.
- Cure yam for 4-8 days by drying the tubers in the sun for a few days.
- Clean the yam with a knife or piece of the stick not with water before long-term storage and marketing. Ensure that all the roots are also removed so that the tuber has a smooth surface. Water must not be used to clean tubers before storage because of increased susceptibility to microbial infection and growth under ambient humid storage conditions.
- Store yam for 14 to 16 weeks to break dormancy.
- Processing yam for Industrial uses for the production of starch, four, poultry, and livestock feed.
- Process Yam root tuber into flour ( Peel, wash, grate, dewater, pulverize, dry (sun–drying or flash drying ) yam and process into flour
- Process Yam root tuber into starch (Peel, wash, grate/chip, mash yam, mix with water, sieve, sediment, starch washing, dry yam starch, and milling)
- Process yam root tuber into dry chips (Peel, wash, chipping, fresh yam chips, drying(sundry or flash-drying)
- Process Yam root tuber into pounded yam (peel, wash with clean water, boil, pound yam in mortar, pound until it is very smooth and produces pounded yam).
Marketing Skills
Marketing is the pathway by which products reach the final consumer. Farmers know the pay ways to get their products to consumers. The farmers must know their target customers and the channels through which the products will reach the customers for effective sales. These marketing skills are:
- Carry out a market survey to ascertain when and where to best sell
- Advertise the products to attract customers through the media and personal contact
- Announce at local meetings.
- Organize seminars.
- Advertise on social media.
- Display banners.
- Display in attractive containers in shops
- Sell at occasions such as birthdays, parties’ ceremonies, religious programs, and political gatherings.
- Hawk at different places such as streets and markets.
- Sell Processed pounded yam.
- Sell processed yam starch.
- Sell processed yam for flour.
- Process and package in attractive material, container, and display in shops.
Questions and answers for Yam production
What is the botanical name for yam?
The botanical and common names for yam are:
| S/No | common names | Botanical Name | local Name |
| 1 | Water yam | Dioscorea alata | |
| 2 | white yam | Dioscorea rotundata | |
| 3 |
Chinese Yam |
Dioscorea esculenta | |
| 4 | yellow yam | Dioscorea cayenensis | |
| 5 | aerial yam | Dioscorea bulbifera | |
| 6 | bitter yam
|
Dioscorea dumentorum | Esuru yam |
| 7 | purple yam
|
Dioscorea trifida |
Yam varieties, cultivars, or species
some notable varieties of yam are:
White yam (Dioscorea rotundata), Water yam (Dioscorea alata), Chinese yam, (Dioscorea esculenta), Yellow yam (Dioscorea cayenensis), Aerial yam (Dioscorea bulbifera), Bitter yam (Dioscorea dumentorum), Purple yam (Dioscorea trifida)
What is the best month to plant yam?
The best month to plant yam in Nigeria is from March-May
What is the best fertilizer for yams in Nigeria?
The best fertilizers for yam are: organic and inorganic fertilizer
- Application of organic manure 4- 5 tons of organic manure (i.e. 40 -60kg bags per ha, of 50kg bags of poultry, cattle, or compost)
- Apply inorganic fertilizer like NPK 15:15:15, 10:10:20, or 20:10:10 of 12-9 bags per hectare or 400kg per hectare 4 -8 weeks after planting for a first application, and second application 16-17 weeks after planting.
What are the methods of harvesting yam?
There are three methods of harvesting yam. they are:
- First harvesting (also called topping‟, “beheading‟, and “milking”)
- Second harvesting
- Full harvesting
- The first harvesting is also called topping‟, “beheading‟, and “milking” This is done when the yam is between 5-6 months after planting. It involves careful removal of the soil around the yam tuber, cutting the lower portion, leaving the upper part of the tuber with all roots intact, and allowing the “head” to heal and continue to grow.
- Second harvesting: the second harvesting is done 3-4 months after the first harvesting is done. At this time all the yam is completely removed from the soil. Many yam species yield several small tubers in the second phase of growth. The second harvesting is mostly done for yam with short-term species such as Dioscorea rotundata, Dioscorea Cayenensis, and Dioscorea, alata. ).
- Full harvesting: the full harvesting is done on the farm where first harvesting has not been done before. This is done when the yam reaches maturity, at 8 to 10 months. This is done at the onset of the dry season when the yam stops growing, and leaves turn yellow. The yam can be manually and mechanically harvested. manually harvesting is done with spades, cutlass, and hoe.
How long does it take yam to grow in Nigeria?
It takes Yam between 8 to 10 months to grow to full maturity in Nigeria. At this time the yam stops growing, and the leaves turn yellow which terminates toward the beginning of the dry season.
How to store yam?
Yam is one of the most simple crops to store among all the major roots and tubers because it is considered the least perishable crop. Yam can be stored fresh after curing, the curing can be done 4-7 days after harvesting, this is done to dehydrate or enable the yam to develop a hard cork layer.
How many tubers of yam per acre?
An acre of yam will give 4-8 t/ acre while a hectare will of yam farm gives 10 – 20t/ha an average yield of 10 – 20t/ha
How to make pounded yam
To process yam tuber into pounded yam, you need to peel the yam, cut it into different pieces, wash the yam with clean water, boil it for about 30 minutes, and pour the yam into the mortar, make sure you pour all the quantities of boiled yam into the mortar and pound at once, as pounding little by little will make the pounded yam developed seed or have a rough texture. Pound until it is smooth and thoroughly mixed.
How to make yam into flour
To process yam into flour, peel the yam, wash if necessary, sun dry or flash dry the sliced yam pieces for about a week, and ensure that the yam is thoroughly dried before grinding. you can grind the slices yam pieces with a batch or continuous mixers. Grind thoroughly into a fine or smooth texture and yam flour is achieved.
How to make yam flour amala
To make yam flour amala, pour water into a pot with a good handle, boil the water for about 30 minutes, and ensure that the water is thoroughly boiled, pour the yam flour into the pot gradually while stirring, and pour until the desired quantity is achieved. Stir continuously until a fine or smooth texture is achieved.
How to plant yam
To propagate or sow yam, source high-yielding varieties of yam seeds, yam sett, and mini sett. Improved yam cultivars can be sourced from breeding companies and research centers.
Plough the land to a depth of about 25- 30 cm deep or prepare seed beds like mounts and ridges about (40-65cm) high. If you are propagating yam using the seed yam, it should lie horizontally on the mount, in the heap, or the ridge, and be covered with soil, and if you are using yam sett or mini sett, the cut side or sliced portion should face up while the skinned side should face the soil while lying horizontally.
Before planting ensure that the yam is deep into a solution of insecticide to prevent the pest from attacking the yam.
What are the pests of yam?
The pest yam of yam includes the following, they are Aphids, yam eelworms, yam beetles, Locusts, Mealybugs, Scales insects, and termites.
What are the Diseases of yam?
disease of yam the flowing field diseases ( yam anthracnose disease, Yam Mosaic, and Virus Disease), and Root Diseases (Dry rot, Soft rot, and Wet rot)
In Conclusion
Many states in Nigeria are ranking low in yam production, more of their production is shifting to cassava production due to the skills possess.
It is therefore good for farmers and would-be farmers to have access to adequate yam planting skills that will help them succeed in their yam production.
In Nigeria, the yields of yam have been very high in the few states where yam is produced due to the abundant fertile agricultural land but only a few farmers are involved due to a lack of skills, which this document will be good agronomic guidelines for them to succeed in the yam production enterprise.