Yam Cultivation Technology Tutorial: Detailed Explanation of the Latest Growing Methods
Yam is a plant of the genus Dioscorea in the family Dioscoreaceae, one of the four major Huai medicines (Huai yam, Huai achyranthes, Huai rehmannia, Huai chrysanthemum), a genuine local product of the ancient Huaiqing Prefecture (within present-day Jiaozuo City, Henan Province), and is also called ma yam in Hebei and other places. Yam is a perennial herbaceous plant with climbing stems, often tinged purple, cylindrical tuberous roots, opposite leaves that are ovate or elliptical, and milky-white flowers, with male and female flowers on separate plants. The tuberous roots contain starch and protein and are edible. Production areas: Henan, Hunan, Hubei, Shanxi, Yunnan, Hebei, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Shandong and other places also produce it. By the Si River in Taiping Town, Shandong, yam output is not large, but its quality is very high, and it has a fairly long history; it was once a tribute item in the Qing Dynasty. Cooked into porridge together with Qiongzhen lingzhi, or stewed clear with pork ribs, it can lower blood sugar and is an ideal food for diabetic patients.
Land preparation and trench digging
Yam is a shallow-rooted crop with a long growth period and one crop per year, and is generally planted in the field in spring when the soil temperature reaches 10°C. For yam cultivation, choose a field of sandy loam or light loam with high, dry terrain, good drainage, and deep, loose soil; the upper and lower soil texture should be consistent, and the soil is best slightly acidic to neutral. Yam is not suitable for continuous cropping, and generally should be rotated once every 2--3 years.
When digging cultivation trenches, the trench spacing is generally about 1 m, the depth 0.6-1.0 m, and the width 25 cm. When digging the trenches, pile the topsoil and subsoil separately so that the soil is fully weathered. After the soil thaws in spring, first fill the subsoil into the trench, then fill in the topsoil, so as not to disturb the soil layers. Along with filling the soil, generally apply 1000--1500 kg of farmyard manure, 50 kg-70 kg of phosphate fertilizer, 25 kg-30 kg of ammonium bicarbonate, and 25 kg-30 kg of potassium sulfate per mu onto it. Avoid applying large amounts of undecomposed organic fertilizer to prevent root burn and tuber branching.
Seed piece treatment
20-25 days before planting, select disease-free root heads from the harder upper end of tubers that match the characteristics of the variety being planted as seed, dip one cut end in slaked lime powder, then place them in the sun to dry for a few days to sterilize and promote sprouting. To increase the propagation coefficient, the tuberous roots must be cut into pieces for propagation. That is, select relatively thin tuberous roots about 1 m long and 2.4-4.5 cm in transverse diameter, cut them into several small sections 15-20 cm long, mark the upper and lower ends with a brush, then dip each cut end in lime and place them horizontally in the sun to dry the seed pieces until fine cracks appear at the section ends. During the seed-drying period, handle them gently to prevent bruising. At the same time, do a good job of protecting against wind, rain, and frost.
Yam planting
After the yam cultivation trench is filled with soil and fertilizer, make a flat bed about 1 m wide on top of the trench. When planting, open a planting furrow about 10 cm deep and wide in the middle of the flat bed, then water. After the water seeps down, lay the yam seed pieces flat in a single row in the furrow at a plant spacing of 15-20 cm, planting about -4000 plants per mu. Cover with 8-10 cm of soil, then add plastic mulch to preserve moisture, increase soil temperature, and promote emergence. When using “yam beans” to propagate yam seed pieces, two rows can be used in one bed to increase the propagation coefficient, with a row spacing of 40-50 cm and a plant spacing of about 10 cm. Plant about 12000 plants per mu.