Two yam clones (Liso and Caramujo) were studied under two conduction methods (creeping and stakeing) at ten harvesting dates (from the 60th to 330th day after transplanting, with 30 day intervals), on a dark clay texture distrophic Eutrustox soil. Treatments were arranged in a 2x2 factorial scheme in a complete randomized block design with three replications at each harvest date, totalling 120 plots. 15 m² plots were composed of ten and five plants, spaced 1.5 x 1.0 m and 3.0 x 1.0 m for stakeing and creeping culture respectively. Yam propagation was carried out using rhizome pieces (±150g) in pits, and with irrigation by furrow infiltration, and the crossed stem system for stakeing. For the two clones, under the two conduction types, fresh matter production from branches + leaves, rhizomes and tubers and nutritive composition of rhizomes and tubers were obtained at each monthly harvest. Fresh matter production was influenced by clones and by plant conduction, with no interaction between the two factors. When rhizome and tuber material were related, it was observed that the clone Liso produced only rhizomes, with a maximum fresh matter production reached 285 days after planting, independent of plant conduction form. For the clone Caramujo, clone production was influenced by plant conduction method (92.06% rhizome and 7.94% tuber by plant stakeing, and 46.12% rhizome and 53.88% tuber by plant creeping). The clone Liso produced rhizomes and tubers with the best nutritive values. In terms of total production of rhizomes and tubers, the clone Caramujo (50.266 ton/ha) produced 181.58% more than clone Liso. The creeping method of plant conduction of both Liso and Caramujo yam clones is recommended as it resulted in a greater total production than the staking conduction method for plant cultivation.
Dioscorea alata; Dioscorea cayennensis; plant conduction form; productivity; rhizomes; tubers
