Originally published on cgiar.org by:International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on Jul 7, 2009

IITA has begun field trials of its newly-developed technique of propagating yam through vine cuttings in partnership with farmers in the country's north central Niger State. The success of the trials and the eventual adoption of this new yam growing technique will substantially reduce the volume of the root crop used as seed and, in effect, increase the amount of yam available to farmers for sale or for consumption.

"The technology will save farmers the cost and difficulty of acquiring seed yams," says Joshua Aliyu, a staff with the Niger State Agricultural Development Project, who is working on the trials. "It would be a rebirth of yam cultivation in our community," he adds.

"Aside from its economic and food security benefits, the new yam growing technique also substantially decreases or even eliminates the transmission of diseases (nematodes), a main cause of low yields in yams", says Dr Hidehiko Kikuno, IITA Yam Physiologist and leader of the project that developed the technology.

The technique makes use of vine cuttings planted in carbonized rice husk (CRH) as growth medium. After rooting and sprouting, the seedlings are transferred to the field or directly planted into nursery beds with CRH under shade. 

Kikuno says the abundance and availability of rice husks—the growth medium – in rural communities makes the research relevant. "This enables farmers to easily and cheaply propagate yam through vine cuttings by themselves," he adds. In sub-Saharan Africa, the cost of planting materials (seed yams) account for about 50 per cent of the total production cost.

The project to develop the technique was funded by the Japanese government, the Sasakawa Africa Association, Tokyo University of Agriculture and the International Cooperation Center for Agricultural Education, Nagoya University, Japan. Partners in the research included the Tokyo University of Agriculture; National Root Crops Research Institute - Umudike, Nigeria; Crop Research Institute, Kumashi, Ghana and the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development, Cameroon.

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For more information, please contact:

Hidehiko Kikuno, h.kikuno@cgiar.org
Yam Physiologist
IITA-Ibadan

Jeffrey T. Oliver, o.jeffrey@cgiar.org
Corporate Communications Officer (International)

Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org
Corporate Communications Officer (West Africa)

Communication Office
IITA - Headquarters
Ibadan, Nigeria

IITA - Headquarters
Ibadan, Nigeria
URL: www.iita.org

About IITA
Africa has complex problems that plague agriculture and people's lives. We develop agricultural solutions with our partners to tackle hunger and poverty. Our award winning research for development (R4D) is based on focused, authoritative thinking anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa. We work with partners in Africa and beyond to reduce producer and consumer risks, enhance crop quality and productivity, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is an international non-profit R4D organization since 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by the CGIAR.