Yield Performance of Organic Sweetpotato Varieties in Various Mulches

Interest in organic sweetpotato production in the United States has been growing as consumers and producers are becoming increasingly concerned about how their food is cultivated. Thus, there is a growing need for information on sweetpotato production and variety selection under an organic managemen...

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Main Authors: Sochinwechi Nwosisi, Dilip Nandwani, Bharat Pokharel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2017-08-01
Series:Horticulturae
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/3/3/48
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author Sochinwechi Nwosisi
Dilip Nandwani
Bharat Pokharel
author_facet Sochinwechi Nwosisi
Dilip Nandwani
Bharat Pokharel
author_sort Sochinwechi Nwosisi
collection DOAJ
description Interest in organic sweetpotato production in the United States has been growing as consumers and producers are becoming increasingly concerned about how their food is cultivated. Thus, there is a growing need for information on sweetpotato production and variety selection under an organic management production system. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of various mulches on yields—total and marketable—of fourteen sweetpotato varieties grown under organic management. Three types of mulch, wheat straw, pine needle, and black plastic, and a control (no mulch) were evaluated during the 2016 growing season. The wheat straw mulch yielded significantly higher yields than the black plastic and pine needle mulch treatments, though it was not significantly different from the control. The total and marketable yields of sweetpotato roots also varied significantly among the varieties, ranging from 39,719 kg·ha−1 for Beauregard to 4925 kg·ha−1 for O’Henry. There was a significant interaction between variety and mulch treatment on total but not marketable yield. More research is needed to ascertain the stability of the effects of varieties, mulch treatment, and their interactions on total and marketable yields and to elucidate other treatments and varieties with better potential to improve sweetpotato yields in organically managed production systems.
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spelling doaj.art-63b3b4ac60684a82aca162092fa6f7f62022-12-21T20:00:11ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242017-08-01334810.3390/horticulturae3030048horticulturae3030048Yield Performance of Organic Sweetpotato Varieties in Various MulchesSochinwechi Nwosisi0Dilip Nandwani1Bharat Pokharel2Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN 37209, USADepartment of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN 37209, USADepartment of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN 37209, USAInterest in organic sweetpotato production in the United States has been growing as consumers and producers are becoming increasingly concerned about how their food is cultivated. Thus, there is a growing need for information on sweetpotato production and variety selection under an organic management production system. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of various mulches on yields—total and marketable—of fourteen sweetpotato varieties grown under organic management. Three types of mulch, wheat straw, pine needle, and black plastic, and a control (no mulch) were evaluated during the 2016 growing season. The wheat straw mulch yielded significantly higher yields than the black plastic and pine needle mulch treatments, though it was not significantly different from the control. The total and marketable yields of sweetpotato roots also varied significantly among the varieties, ranging from 39,719 kg·ha−1 for Beauregard to 4925 kg·ha−1 for O’Henry. There was a significant interaction between variety and mulch treatment on total but not marketable yield. More research is needed to ascertain the stability of the effects of varieties, mulch treatment, and their interactions on total and marketable yields and to elucidate other treatments and varieties with better potential to improve sweetpotato yields in organically managed production systems.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/3/3/48black plastic mulchpine needle mulchsweetpotato productionorganic farmingsweetpotato varietieswheat straw mulch
spellingShingle Sochinwechi Nwosisi
Dilip Nandwani
Bharat Pokharel
Yield Performance of Organic Sweetpotato Varieties in Various Mulches
Horticulturae
black plastic mulch
pine needle mulch
sweetpotato production
organic farming
sweetpotato varieties
wheat straw mulch
title Yield Performance of Organic Sweetpotato Varieties in Various Mulches
title_full Yield Performance of Organic Sweetpotato Varieties in Various Mulches
title_fullStr Yield Performance of Organic Sweetpotato Varieties in Various Mulches
title_full_unstemmed Yield Performance of Organic Sweetpotato Varieties in Various Mulches
title_short Yield Performance of Organic Sweetpotato Varieties in Various Mulches
title_sort yield performance of organic sweetpotato varieties in various mulches
topic black plastic mulch
pine needle mulch
sweetpotato production
organic farming
sweetpotato varieties
wheat straw mulch
url https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/3/3/48
work_keys_str_mv AT sochinwechinwosisi yieldperformanceoforganicsweetpotatovarietiesinvariousmulches
AT dilipnandwani yieldperformanceoforganicsweetpotatovarietiesinvariousmulches
AT bharatpokharel yieldperformanceoforganicsweetpotatovarietiesinvariousmulches