The effect of planting distance on the growth and yield of sweet potato clone Arf-03 on alluvial soil

Abstract

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L) is one of the alternative foods for food diversity. The need for sweet potatoes is increasing as consumption of materials and industrial raw materials have bright prospects, so various efforts are needed to increase production. One of the efforts to improve cultivation techniques to increase sweet potato production is by setting optimal planting spacing so that plant needs are met. Spacing is very closely related to nutrient absorption and photosynthesis processes, so plant growth increases. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of planting distance on the growth and yield of ARF-03 clone sweet potatoes on alluvial soils and obtain optimal planting spacing for the growth and yield of sweet potatoes. The planting distance treatment given in this study was P1 = 20 cm × 100 cm, P2 = 30 cm × 100 cm, and P3 = 40 cm × 100 cm, using RAK as a reference for the placement of experimental units. The results of the growth of ARF-03 sweet potato plants on planting distance treatment showed that planting spacing had a significant effect on the length of the main tendrils, the number of branches, the fresh weight of the plant header, the dry weight of the plant header, the weight of tubers per plant, and the weight of tubers per bed. However, it has no real effect on the variables of the number of tubers, the length of the tubers, or the diameter of the tubers. The plant reaches its highest growth rate at a distance of 40 cm × 100 cm and its highest yield at a distance of 30 cm × 100 cm, with a bulb weight of 425.75 g per plant.