Effect of sources of sweetpotato planting material for quality vine and root yield

Commercialization of sweetpotato vines is persistent if multipliers show evidence of superiority of their vines. This study aimed at evaluating the effects of net tunnel source and of pathogen-tested planting material compared to “apparently” healthy vines on yield and health status at three defined environments in Northern Ghana during the rainy season of 2015. Sweetpotato virus disease (SPVD) and weevils were considered. Four varieties were investigated, the pathogen-tested vines of Dadanyuie, Bohye and Ligri, and “apparently” healthy vines of Apomuden from the negative selection technique. All planting materials taken from the net tunnel and open field were from the same location. Eight treatment combinations were arranged in a RCBD with 3 replicates. Planting distance was 0.30 m x 1 m. Weeding was done and fertilizer was applied as necessary. General and three-way analysis of variance were computed using Genstat. Highly significant differences were found among varieties and trial sites for plant establishment, foliage yield, root yield, weevil, and SPVD. The two sources were not significantly different. For varieties across sites, net tunnel source was better than open field. The apparently healthy vines might be effective as pathogentested vines. Net tunnels may have a distinct advantage for multiplication and maintenance.