AGRICULTURAL INOCULANTS CORPORATION

“MICROBES AT WORK”

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CULTURAL PRACTICE FOR SWEET POTATO ( Ipomea batatas)

A. Area to be Planted

1. The soil must be friable preferably of sandy loam o sandy clay loam type,
easily drained and a pH of 6 to 6.5. If the soil is clayey or heavy use as
much organic matter e.g. composted rice husk, straw or hay, grasses and
weeds and incorporate them into the soil to modify the texture.

2. It must be free of nematodes and unwanted pests. If pests are present it is

advisable to fumigate the soil or treat it with Furadan, a granular insecticide
or an equivalent nematicide.

3. It must contain adequate amounts of organic matter ( 5-10%) up to a depth of

35-40 cm.

B. Land Preparation and Planting

1. The soil must be plowed deep preferably using a sub-soiler to a depth of at

least 40 cm. It must be harrowed to a fine tilth and the weeds must be
adequately controlled.

2. Make the furrows at about 60 to 70 cm apart and at a depth of about 30 cm.

3. Apply organic fertilizer on the furrow at the rate of about 10 to 12 bags (500-
600 kg) per hectare depending on organic matter content of the soil.

4. Plant cuttings, 30 to 35 cm long, on the furrow 35-40 cm apart.

C. Care and Maintenance of the Plants

1. Twenty-five (25) days after planting (DAP) side dress the plants about 2-3
grams of complete fertilizer (14-14-14) per plant. This translates to bout 2-3
bags of the inorganic fertilizer per hectare.
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“MICROBES AT WORK”

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2. Start spraying the sweet potato crop with 0.67% solution (1 liter mixed with
160 liters of water) of foliar fertilizer on the leaves, at 30 DAP and at 15-day
intervals up to 2 weeks before harvest.

3. Side dress the crop at 60 DAP with 1to 1.5 grams of urea (46-0-0) mixed
with 2 grams of muriate of potash (0-0-60) per plant. This translates to 1 to
1.5 bags of urea and 2 bags of the muriate of potash, respectively.

4. Spray the appropriate crop protection chemicals, if necessary. If applied it is

advisable to mix the chemical with the foliar fertilizer to economize on labor
cost.

D. Harvesting and Storage

1. Normally, sweet potato is harvested at 90 to 120 DAP depending on the

variety.

2. Harvesting can be done manually or with the aid of an animal-drawn plow or

sub-soiler. When using a plow or sub-soiler be careful not to hurt the tubers.

3. If the tubers will be sold right away wash them to remove the soil and replace
in sacks. If they will be stored just brush-off the soil and keep them in a cool,
dry place. As practiced by others they store sweet potato tubers below the
ground in dug-up holes where humidity is kept low to minimize or prevent the
tubers from sprouting.