Soil seed yams!!

It is incredible, yet it is true. Researchers at the
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
have successfully grown seed yams in the air
using aeroponics technology,
thus raising hope and more options for the
propagation of virus- and disease-free planting
materials, for rapidly multiplying the much
needed clean seed yam tubers in large quantities.
Aeroponics System is the process of growing
plants in the air or mist environment without the
use of soil or an aggregate medium. Until now,
the technology is a novelty in the growing of
yams as it is only widely used by commercial
potato seed producers in eastern Africa (Kenya,
Uganda, Tanzania etc.), and southern Africa
(Mozambique, Malawi etc.).
IITA scientists led by Dr. Norbert Maroya, Project
Manager for the Yam Improvement for Incomes
and Food Security in West Africa (YIIFSWA)
project, together with a team of scientists
engaged in the research formally unveiled the
outcome of their research breakthrough on
successfully growing seed yams in the air using
aeroponics technology. The team had
successfully propagated yam by directly planting
vine cuttings in Aeroponics System (AS) boxes to
produce mini-tubers in the air.
Dr Maroya said with this approach they are
optimistic that farmers will begin to have clean
seed yams for better harvest, adding that
preliminary results had showed that vine rooting
in Aeroponics System had at least 95 percent
success rate compared to vine rooting in
carbonized rice husk with a maximum rate of 70
percent.
Rooting time was much shorter in aeroponics
and it is noteworthy that Aeroponics is coming at
an opportune time for African farmers.
Traditionally, seed yam production is expensive
and inefficient. Farmers save about 25 to 30
percent of their harvest for planting the same area
in the following season, meaning less money in
their pockets.
Moreover, these saved seeds are often infested
with pathogens that significantly reduce farmers'
yield year after year.
However with an established Aeroponics System
for seed yam propagation at the premises of an
interested private investor, seed company or
humanitarian non-governmental organization;
yam producers can have access to clean seed
yams.