Growth Parameters and Yield Evaluation of Tropical and Temperate Sweetpotato Genotypes Under Acid Soil Conditions

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam) is an important tuber crop with a wide range of eco-physiological adaptability. The analysis of diversified crops could be an approach to explore sweetpotato productivity under acid soil conditions. To observe the yield performance of nine sweetpotato genotypes with temperate origin (Japanese) and tropical origin (Bangladeshi), the experiment was conducted in the acidic soil and tropical environment of Sylhet, Bangladesh. The experiment was laid out in Randomised Complete Block Design with three replications. For the growth studies data were recorded at 30 days after planting (DAP) and morphological and yield parameters were recorded at final harvest. Results showed that the morphological parameters and yield contributing characteristics varied widely among the genotypes. The highest number of branches per plant (6.03), dry weight of storage root per plant (323.8 g), total fresh weight per plant (1132 g), total dry weight per plant (362.4 g) and yield of storage roots per hectare (27.05 t) were found in Local 1 whereas the lowest length of storage root per plant (8.70 cm), diameter of storage root per plant (9.37 cm), storage root number per plant (3.17), the storage root dry weight per plant (104.5 g), total fresh weight per plant (550.3 g) and dry weight per plant (152.9 g) were recorded in JSP 1. Among the sweetpotato genotypes, local genotypes were performed better than those of exotic genotypes in acidic soils. The genotypes Local 1 was found suitable with better growth and yield performance in acidic soils.