Yam leave-bud cuttings have better yield advantage—IITA
Yam farmers have been urged to adopt the new leave-bud cuttings innovations that would scale up their productivity and income. Speaking at an open day to promote the yam leave-bud cuttings and mini-tuber technologies for seed production at the IITA research centre in Abuja, the Head of Station, Dr. Baetrice Aighewi, a seed system specialist, […]
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Yam farmers have been urged to adopt the new leave-bud cuttings innovations that would scale up their productivity and income.
Speaking at an open day to promote the yam leave-bud cuttings and mini-tuber technologies for seed production at the IITA research centre in Abuja, the Head of Station, Dr. Baetrice Aighewi, a seed system specialist, said the yam innovations present the best opportunities for farmers across the country.
The new yam technology was developed under the Program for Seed System Innovation of the Vegetatively Propagated Crops (PROSSIVA), which uses various innovations to rapidly produce quality seed yams.
Aighewi said the innovations “encourage seed entrepreneurs to adopt technologically and marketing advances for profitable certified seed yam businesses. The aim is to deliver quality seeds of improved varieties to yam producers.”
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She said with the new technology, a farmer can get between 30 to 50 metric tonnes per hectare, as against the 10 tonnes farmers are currently getting from their field.
Also speaking, Dr. Daniel Aihebhoria, an agronomist working on the technology, who conducted farmers round demo farms, which coincided with the harvesting to showcase the outcome of the innovations, said the outcome had been exciting, adding that farmers now have access to the best planting materials.
Dr. Aihebhoria said the demonstrations using leaf-bud cuttings and mini-tubers of the two to five grammes for seed production were established at IITA Abuja station to show the potentials that the offer many opportunities for farmers.