How to Grow Winged Yam? Detailed Guide to Planting Methods and Field Management Key Points

Winged yam can be eaten, and can also be used to make sugar, brew wine, and produce alcohol. It is a plant that many farming households grow, and it is currently favored by many health enthusiasts. So how do you grow winged yam?

1. Land preparation

Because winged yam has a long growth period, large tubers, and deep soil penetration, the planting site requires deep plowing. During the winter fallow period, plow deeply. After the surface soil dries, apply 2500-4000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer per mu, turn and harrow evenly, and form high beds 1.2 m wide (including trenches).

2. Planting

From mid-to-late April to early May, use the two-row-per-bed method. Open two 8 cm planting furrows on each bed, then scatter lime into the planting furrows to control underground pests. Place the seed yams at a plant spacing of 33-40 cm. Note that the cut side of the tuber should face down and the skin side should face east (the direction of the rising sun), then cover with soil and form ridges about 10 cm high. Planting without pregermination results in slower emergence, but the plants first root and then sprout, developing an extensive root system and growing vigorously.

3. Field management

1. Set up trellises to guide the vines, thin the seedlings, and remove buds. When the seedlings grow to 25-30 cm, use 2 m long small miscellaneous wood stakes inserted upright to form individual trellises, or use small mountain bamboo to form A-shaped trellises, and help the stems and vines climb up. Keep only 1 vigorous seedling per clump, and remove all the rest. If the stems and vines grow too vigorously and produce too many axillary buds, they should be removed. In July, for the aerial tubers and flower buds growing from the leaf axils, except for retaining vigorous ones for seed, the rest should be removed promptly to reduce nutrient consumption and help the tubers enlarge.

2. Intertillage and hilling. Winged yam has many roots, and they are mostly distributed on the soil surface. To avoid damaging the roots, only 1 intertillage is needed during the seedling stage, and camellia seed hulls should be scattered between the clumps. Camellia seed hulls are a very good fertilizer and also help prevent weeds, loosen the soil, and repel insects. When the stems and vines grow to about 1.2 m, combine fertilization with 1 hilling, then cover the entire bed with thatch. This can both prevent weeds from growing thickly and eliminate the need for intertillage, while also regulating temperature and humidity.

3. Fertilizer and water management. Apply topdressing 3-4 times during the growth period. Seedling-promoting fertilizer: combined with intertillage, dig 6-10 cm fertilization furrows between the rows, apply 5-10 kg of urea per mu, cover with soil, and cover the spaces between clumps with camellia seed hulls. Vigorous seedling fertilizer: combined with hilling, apply 10-20 kg of calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer per mu and an appropriate amount of plant ash and farmyard manure; apply one heavy fertilizer at the flower bud stage and one at the mid tuber enlargement stage, applying 500-1000 kg of human urine per mu. Human urine has a significant promoting effect on tuber enlargement and plays a key role in yield formation. Avoid applying human feces and pig or cattle pen manure as topdressing, because manure fertilizers can easily cause the stems, vines, and tuber skin to turn black, leading to disease. Winged yam is relatively drought tolerant and is not strict about water requirements. If drought occurs from July to August, watering 1-2 times appropriately is sufficient.

4. Pest and disease control

Winged yam has relatively few pests and diseases. For small-scale planting, pesticides are generally rarely used. For larger-scale planting, agricultural control is also the main approach, with chemical agents as a supplement, mainly selecting some high-efficiency, low-toxicity, low-residue pesticides. The main diseases include anthracnose and rust, which can be controlled with carbendazim, thiophanate-methyl, triadimefon, and similar products. Pests include sawflies, cutworms, grubs, and other underground pests, which can be controlled by drenching the roots with 800-fold trichlorfon solution. Generally, no pesticides are used one month before harvest.

Winged yam can generally be harvested from October to November. After harvest, it can be stored for a relatively long time, and it is very rich in nutrients. It is a very good healthy food.