Sweet Potato

  • Season:  Kharif and Rabi
  • Soil type: Well drained loamy soil
  • Planting time: Under rainfed condition, second fortnight of June to July is optimum time of planting, October-November is optimum for planting of rabisweet potato in upland and December –January is suitable for irrigated summer crop.
  • Seed rate:  33000-34000 vine cuttings/acre.
  • Selection of vines: Cuttings obtained from the apical portion of vine is preferable for planting.
  • Seed treatment: Vine dipping in chloropyriphos @ 25ml in 10 litres of water for 30 minutes.
  • Methods of planting: Make ridges of 25-30 cm height at 60 cm apart  and plant the cuttings at 20 cm spacing on the ridges.
  • Nutrient management: 
  • Rainfed kharif crop: (Basal: FYM 2t + urea 22kg + SSP 125kg + MOP 25kg)/acre and (top dressing at 30 DAP: Urea 22kg + MOP 25kg)/acre
  • Irrigated crop: (Basal: FYM 2t + urea 33kg+ SSP 125kg+MOP 25kg)/acre and (top dressing at 30 DAP: Urea 33kg +MOP 25kg)/ acre.
  • Weed management: First intercultural operation followed by hand weeding at2 5-30 DAP and second hand weeding at 40-45 DAP if required.
  • Water management: Irrigated rabi and summer crop needs 4-6 irrigation depending on soil type. Do not allow water stagnation in sweet potato field during kharif season. Soil moisture during initial one month of crop is critical for sweet potato tuber yield.
  • Harvesting: Remove the vines and dig out the tubers without injuring the tubers. In a well-managed crop farmer can get tuber yield  of 6-10 t /acre