When is the best season to plant yam?

Yam planting season and time

Yam cultivation is seasonal, suitable for spring cultivation, its growth period is long, cultivated in mid-to-late March every year. Harvested in October, flowering period is from June to August, fruiting period is from August to October. The seed coat is not easy to germinate, the reproduction ability is weak, and the production cycle is 1-2 years.

There are seven common types of yam, namely common yam, fine hair yam, iron stick yam, Dahe yam, Lingzhi yam, Huai yam and horse yam. Because these yams are all variants of common yam, they are best planted in spring.

Yam harvest season

Generally speaking, yam is sown around the Qingming Festival and harvested when the stems and leaves all wither during the Frost Descent period, which is around October-November. The harvest period for open-air cultivation is longer. However, the difference for greenhouse cultivation is that the harvest is usually around June 20.

Taking iron yam as an example, using early agricultural production technology, the yield per mu is generally around 3,000 kilograms. Using modern agricultural cultivation technology for industrial production, the yield per mu is generally around 8,000 kilograms. According to the theoretical data of the test tunnel, the yield per mu reaches about 11,000 kilograms.

Steps and methods of planting yam

1. Ditching: Yam is a shallow-rooted crop with a long growing period. It is usually planted once a year in spring when the ground temperature reaches 10°C. Yam cultivation requires the selection of high dry, well-drained, deep, soft sandy or light soil fields. The soil quality is required to be the same, and the soil should be slightly acidic to neutral. Yam should not be planted continuously. Generally, it should be rotated every 2-3 years.

2. Land preparation: When digging cultivation trenches, the trench distance is about 1m, the depth is 0.6~1.0m, and the width is 25cm. When digging trenches, the topsoil and subsoil are piled separately to allow the soil to weather completely. After the soil thaws in spring, bury the lower soil in the trench first, and then fill the topsoil to avoid disturbing the soil layer. Combined with the filling, apply 1000-1500 kg of soil mixed fertilizer, 50-70 kg of phosphate fertilizer, 25-30 kg of ammonium bicarbonate and 25-30 kg of potassium sulfate. Avoid using large amounts of unrotted organic fertilizers to prevent root and tuber bifurcation.

3. Protection: 20-25 days before planting, select the hard root head on the top of the disease-free block that meets the characteristics of the planting variety, immerse one end of the root head in slaked lime powder, and then expose it to the sun for a few days for disinfection and germination. In order to increase the reproduction coefficient, the roots must be cut off for reproduction. In other words, select a thin root, about 1m long and 2.4-4.5cm in diameter, cut it into several sections, about 15-20cm long, apply lime on the upper and lower ends of each section, and dry the seeds until there are small cracks on the section head. Handle gently during the drying period to prevent scratches. At the same time, it is necessary to prevent wind, rain and frost.

4. Fertilizer: After filling the soil fertilizer in the yam cultivation ditch, the ditch is made into a flat bed with a width of about 1 meter. When planting, dig a ditch about 10 cm deep in the middle of the flat bed, and then water it. When water seeps, the yam is planted horizontally in the ditch with a spacing of 15-20 cm, and about 4,000 plants are planted per mu. Cover with a film within the range of 8~10 cm to increase the soil temperature and promote seedling emergence. Using yam beans to propagate yam seeds can increase the reproduction coefficient, with a spacing of 40-50 cm and a spacing of 10 cm. The average yield per mu is about 12,000 plants.

5. Management after planting: The stems and leaves of yam prefer a high temperature and dry environment and are not frost-resistant. The roots begin to germinate when the average root temperature is above 10°C, and the suitable germination temperature is around 25°C. The stems and leaves grow best at 25°C-28°C, and the tubers grow fastest at 20°C-24°C. After managing for at least a month, you can see germination.