How to sow round yam? Detailed planting methods
The pathogens of round yam mostly attach to seed tubers to overwinter. To prevent the occurrence of diseases, seed tubers should be disinfected; otherwise, the pathogens can easily invade through the cut surfaces, causing rot and missing plants. Under normal circumstances, seed tubers should be stored whole over winter. When cutting seed tubers into pieces before spring planting, besides keeping the kitchen knife...
1. Sowing time: The determination of sowing time is mainly based on two factors, one is the sprouting period of the tubers, and the other is the external temperature conditions. After harvest, the tubers quickly enter dormancy. When the spring temperature reaches 13-14°C, the tubers will begin to sprout and new plants will start to grow, which is the suitable sowing time. Sowing too early will not produce sprouts, or the sprouting time will be too long; sowing too late will result in too-large sprouts, making sowing difficult, and late planting and late harvest will affect tuber enlargement and reduce quality. Conditions vary from place to place. In some areas, sowing can be done when the average temperature is 12°C, and in areas with suitable conditions, it can also be advanced to 11°C. In Central China, sowing is generally done in mid-April.2. Sowing methods
Sowing depth: Round yam grows in shallow soil, so it should not be sown too deep. A hole depth of 7-8 cm is sufficient. The soil in the hole must be fine and crumbly. When sowing, place the cut surface facing upward so that the skin layer of the tuber piece contacts the soil as much as possible. This not only facilitates rooting and sprouting, but also helps avoid drought. However, according to scientific experiments, placing the skin layer downward in contact with the soil helps create the temperature conditions needed for growth and sprouting, and will not affect upward sprouting. Therefore, the sowing method of cut surface upward and skin layer downward is still advocated.
After placing the tuber pieces, cover lightly with 1 cm of soil, then spread decomposed manure on top. If the soil cover is too thick, sprouting will be uneven and rot is likely to occur. With 1 cm of soil cover, plus manure and pit soil, the total thickness is fully 2-3 cm.
Planting density: Round yam is divided into trellis cultivation and ground-trailing cultivation, with different planting spacings for each. Based on current planting densities in various regions, generally 3000-4000 plants per mu is appropriate. On a 1.5 m bed, plant two rows; on a 1 m bed, plant one row, with a plant spacing of 30 cm. At the same time, the following principles should be mastered: trellis cultivation should be denser, ground-trailing cultivation should be sparser; fertile soil should be denser, barren land should be sparser; cultivation for seed retention should be sparser.