The Effect of Different Shade Levels on Growth and Tuber Yield of Sweet Potato: II. Tuber Yield

Abstract

AbstractEight sweet potato cultivars (Ipomoea batatas Lam.) were grown under four different light regimes (0, 26, 42 and 60 % light reduction (LR)) at two experimental sites of the International Potato Center (CIP) in Peru during the 1990 and 1991 growing season. Increasing shade diminished the tuber yield of five cultivars, two showed a tolerance for slight (26 % LR) and moderate (42 % LR) shade and one had the same yield in full sunshine and slight shade. Shade mainly reduced the sink‐size (tubers m −2) of sweet potato and to a lesser extent the sink‐strength. The growth of the plant top was hardly affected by shade; slight shade even favoured shoot development of some cultivars. The plant top was the stronger sink under shade conditions and tuber yield was not only reduced by lesser assimilate production as a whole but also by an altered assimilate partitioning.