Yield and Yield Components of Frafra Potato (Solenostemon rotundifolius Poir.) as Affected by Organic Fertilizers

Julius Yirzagla¹*, Francis Kusi¹, Peter Quandahor¹*, Iddrisu Yahaya¹, Ophelia Asirifi Amoako¹, Francisca Addae-Frimpomaah¹, Listowell Atiwin Akologo², John Bokaligidi Lambon³, Abdul-Wahab M Imoro⁴, Kwadwo Gyasi Santo⁵ and Olivia Aguriboba Akanbelum⁶

¹CSIR-SARI, Nyankpala, Ghana
²Gbewaah College of Education, Pusiga-Bawku, Ghana
³CSIR-Head office, Accra, Ghana
⁴TC.K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Navrongo, Ghana
⁵University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani, Ghana
⁶St Vincent College of Education, Yendi, Ghana

*Corresponding Author: Peter Quandahor, CSIR-SARI, Nyankpala, Ghana.

Received: April 20, 2023; Published: July 03, 2023

Abstract

Soil fertilization greatly improves the production of root crops. However, its availability and high cost have become a major challenge. This experiment was conducted to determine growth and yield responses of FP to an integrated application of N fertilizer with cow dung for sustainable FP production. Field experiments were carried out on FP during the 2019 and 2020 cropping seasons at the Manga Agricultural Research Station, Manga, in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The experiment was a factorial design with two propagules, (stem cuttings and ‘seed’ tubers) and six fertilizers (cow dung (CD) and/or inorganic) giving 12 treatment combinations. Data recorded were plant count, days to 50% flowering (DFF), number of branches per plant, canopy spread, plant height, marketable tuber yield and non-marketable tuber yield. In both cropping seasons, the results showed that the interaction of fertilizer type with propagule was not significant (p > 0.05) in affecting the parameters studied. The main effects of fertilizer type and propagules showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in days to 50% flowering, branching, canopy spread, number of marketable tubers and tuber yield. Plants that were raised from stem cuttings that received combination of 187.5 kg/ha NPK+2.5 t/ha cow dung or 125.0 kg/ha NPK + 5 t/ha cowdung produced the highest tubers which were not significantly (p < 0.05) different from those that received sole inorganic fertilizers. These two treatments were therefore recommended to FP farmers as a viable alternative to the use of sole inorganic fertilizers which are not readily available due to their exorbitant prices.

Keywords: FP; Marketable Tubers; Stem Cuttings; Viable Alternative; “Seed” Tubers

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Citation

Citation: Julius Yirzagla., et al. “Yield and Yield Components of Frafra Potato (Solenostemon rotundifolius Poir.) as Affected by Organic Fertilizers". Acta Scientific Agriculture 7.8 (2023): 02-12.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2023 Julius Yirzagla., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.