Sweet potato cultivation in rain fed laterite one under Bhatina watershed of Birbhum district in West Bengal

• Published in: Journal of Interacademicia (India) Vol. 13; no. 3
• Main Authors: Haque, Fazilul, Patra, Pulak Kumar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.07.2009
• Subjects: AGROFORESTERIA; AGROFORESTERIE; AGROFORESTRY; BATATA; BENGALA OCCIDENTAL; BENGALE OCCIDENTAL; CULTIVATION; CULTIVO; DECHET URBAIN; DESECHOS URBANOS; FOSFATO MINERAL; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_14729; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_2018; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_207; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_35244; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_6630; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_7995; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_8356; PATATE DOUCE; PHOSPHATE NATUREL; PRATIQUE CULTURALE; ROCK PHOSPHATE; SWEET POTATOES; TUBER; TUBER (TRUFFLES); URBAN WASTES; WEST BENGAL
• ISSN: 0971-9016

Sweet potato is the world's highest tuber yielding crop and is growing over a wide range of climatic and edaphic conditions. The crop can be grown as sole crop as well as inter crop in agroforestry system. Largest coverage of sweet potato is in Orissa followed by Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Its is mainly grown for human consumption. This crop not only mitigrates soil reosion but is a remunerative crop also. A field trial this crop was conducted in the run-off plot of the upper ridge of Bhatina watershed (which fully tribal area) in Birbhum district of West Bengal in the year 2006-2007 (code No. 2A3D3)as sole crop and the yield were assessed. The crop yielded 15.5 ton/hectare. Futher, it was observed that 5 ton FYM (pig manure, household waste and excreta of domestic animals)+ N30P2O5,25K2O2, 50 kg/hectare+2% foliar spray of Urea gave highest tuber yield in compare to other treatments. The soil in the experimenatl areas is laterite in nature, poor in fertility status, but runoff loss was best checked by sweet potao followed by cow pea, Urd and green gram. Soil with high bulk density or poor aeration tend to retard tuber formation and results in poor yields (Watanabe et al., 1968). The resource poor tribal famers sold the harvested tubers in mid-February, 2007 @ Rs. 9/- per kilogram in the local market for human consumption.