Sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam] needs a yearly minimum of three month with air temperatures above 15º C for its growth and development. For the purpose of achieving the highest possible sweet potato yield during a relatively short vegetation period in continental part of Croatia, a trial with differently produced seedlings and polyethylene (PE) mulch was set up. A trial was set up to study the production of seedlings from dormant sweet potato root sprouts by standard methods, and the most recent method of seedling production in containers, along with testing black PE-fi lm mulched soil, and uncovered soil. The method of seedlings production had significant effect on the yield. Higher mass of marketable roots was achieved by growing seedling with a substrate lump about the root, as compared to the seedlings produced by traditional procedure. Compared to the uncovered soil, a significantly higher yield of marketable roots was obtained with black PE-film mulch.

Ipomoea batatas L; seedlings; PE-film mulch

Published by University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagreb, CROATIA
Sponsored by Ministry Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia