Yield and Profitability of Newly Recommended Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) NSIC Sp36 Variety as Affected by Planting Density

Abstract

Appropriate planting density is necessary to achieve high crop productivity. Hence, this study aimed to determine the optimum planting density and assess the profitability per hectare of NSIC's newly recommended sweetpotato variety. The treatments were as follows: T 1.0 m x 0.50 m at two cuttings per hill, T-1.0 m x 0.25 12 m at one cutting per hill, T- 1.0 m x 0.25 m at two cuttings per hill, T-1.0m x 0.30m at 3 4 one cutting per hill, and T-1.0 m x 0.30 m at two cuttings per hill. The experiment 5 was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The results revealed that sweetpotato planted at wider spacing of 1.0 m x 0.50 m at two cuttings per hill produced more primary lateral vines (7.13), bigger leaf area -1 index (4.29), fresh herbage weight (21.22 tha ), and highest weight (g) of marketable roots per hill. On the other hand, planting density of 1.0 m x 0.25 m at one and two cuttings per hill obtained the highest weight of total root yield at 13.43 t ha -1 -1 and 14.04 t ha respectively. Likewise, sweetpotato grown in 1.0 m x 0.25 m at one -1 cutting per hill obtained the highest gross margin of PhP160,240.00 ha due to higher root yield and less cost of planting materials. This was followed by plants planted in 1.0 m x 0.25 m at two cuttings per hill with PhP159,702.00 ha .