Effect of leaf thinning on shoot growth and tuber yield of white Guinea yam

Mutual leaf shading can inhibit the growth of yam, reducing tuber yield. To improve light utilization, approximately 25% of leaves in a plant were thinned during the period of maximum shoot growth. Shoot dry weight was estimated every two weeks using a non-destructive method. Leaf thinning caused hi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPlant production science Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 11 - 19
Main Authors Iseki, Kohtaro, Olaleye, Olajumoke, Matsumoto, Ryo
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Kyoto Taylor & Francis 02.01.2022
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Taylor & Francis Group
Subjects
Agricultural production
Biomass
Carbon
Dioscorea rotundata
Dry weight
Efficiency
Field study
Leaf area
leaf thinning
Leaves
Light
Nondestructive testing
Plants
Radiation
Seeds
shading
shoot growth
Shoots
Thinning
tuber yield
Utilization
Weight
Yam
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Summary:Mutual leaf shading can inhibit the growth of yam, reducing tuber yield. To improve light utilization, approximately 25% of leaves in a plant were thinned during the period of maximum shoot growth. Shoot dry weight was estimated every two weeks using a non-destructive method. Leaf thinning caused higher shoot growth rates (SGRs) after thinning, while control plants had SGRs close to zero. The higher SGRs in the thinned plants was attributed to an increase in new leaf development. This indicates that the plateau in shoot growth commonly observed during the late growth period is reversible and could be improved artificially. In thinned plants, there was a positive relationship between shoot dry weight and SGR, although no such relationship was observed in control plants after the middle growth period. This positive correlation indicates a higher shoot growth per unit leaf area in the thinned plants than in the control plants, presumably due to improved light utilization and a higher photosynthetic rate of new leaves. However, leaf thinning reduced tuber yields, presumably because of a lower total carbon assimilation per plant and greater growth competition between shoots and tubers. High correlations between shoot dry weight and tuber yield indicated that a high shoot biomass is more important than improving light utilization for increased tuber yields.
ISSN:1343-943X
1349-1008
DOI:10.1080/1343943X.2021.1943466