What causes deformed yam? The latest answers are here

The normal shape of yam is a straight, long cylindrical form, but in recent years, as the cultivated area has expanded, many problems have also appeared during planting, for example, many yam farmers have grown deformed yams. Deformed yams do not appear on the market, which affects economic returns, so what causes deformed yam? Let's take a look with Qinong Net.

1. Hard objects in the soil

When planting yam, the soil needs to be deeply plowed and trenched 1-2 m, and the soil should be leveled and crushed. This is to prevent foreign matter in the soil from hindering yam growth and causing deformation. But if trenching is not done carefully, leaving stones, gravel and other hard objects in the soil, and if the hard objects are not crushed when backfilling, this becomes one of the causes of deformed yam growth.

2. Improper fertilization

When planting yam, some yam farmers apply all kinds of base fertilizer to make it grow faster and yield more. This leads to an excessive amount of base fertilizer or failure to mix it fully with the soil, causing the seedlings and base fertilizer to come into direct contact, which burns some buds and roots, deforms tuber growth, and produces deformed shapes such as branches and multiple heads.

3. Applying incompletely decomposed organic fertilizer

During the yam growing period, sufficient nutrients are needed, so in addition to applying enough base fertilizer, fertilizer must also be applied continuously afterward to supplement nutrients, and applying organic fertilizer is best because it is rich in various elements and can improve what yam needs for growth. However, if it is not fully decomposed when applied, it will ferment and heat up after being applied, which can also cause root burning and make yam develop snake-shaped and gourd-shaped deformities.

4. Imbalanced nutrition

During the yam expansion period, many kinds of nutrients are needed, such as the common potassium, calcium, boron, and many trace elements, but some yam farmers, in order to save time and effort, always apply only one kind of fertilizer, resulting in overly single nutrition and a lack of the remaining nutrients, causing deformities such as branching and flat heads.

5. Insect pests

Many insect pests harm the root system and tubers of yam, such as wireworms, white grubs, mole crickets, and root-knot nematodes, these common pests. They gnaw on or bite off the root system and tubers of yam, causing slow yam growth, preventing the tubers from growing normally, and producing deformities.

The above is the introduction to the causes of deformed yam brought by Qinong Net. In general, the causes of deformed yam are the several kinds above. Everyone should pay attention when planting. For more agricultural knowledge, please stay tuned to Qinong Net.