Enhancing Dioscorea persimilis Yield in Thai Nguyen through Improved Cultivation Technology

Abstract

A major challenge in cultivating the plant is its growth habit, as the tubers develop deeply in the soil and extend along the stems, making them difficult to harvest and susceptible to breakage during excavation. The experiment was performed to measure the effect of cultivation technology on growth and yield of Hoai Son medicinal plant Dioscorea persimilis at Định Hóa district, Thai Nguyen province from 2024 to 2025. The experiment was designed in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications by five treatments (T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5). The germination rate, plant height, stem diameter, leaf size, and tuber yield, were recorded. Results showed that the burlap bag method T4 treatment provided the highest germination rate (98.0%), greatest plant height (204.5 cm), stem diameter, leaf size, and tuber weight (0.68 kg), significantly outperforming the control at the 95% confidence level. These findings suggest that cultivation using burlap bags enhances growth and harvest efficiency of D. persimilis, offering a practical approach for improving production in mountainous areas of northern Vietnam.