Optimization of Corm Size and Plant Spacing for Enhanced Yield and Marketable Corm Production in Elephant Foot Yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius)

Abstract

Elephant foot yam is commonly propagated through seed corms and its cultivation is constrained by high seed corm requirements. There is limited information available on optimizing plant spacing and seed corm size on marketable corm yield. An experiment was conducted at the Department of Vegetable Science, HC&RI, TNAU, Coimbatore, with ten treatments and three replications, to study the effect of seed corm size and planting spacing on growth and yield of elephant foot yam. Seed corms of 100 g, 150 g, 200 g, and 750 g were planted at spacings of 30 × 30 cm, 45 × 30 cm, 45 × 45 cm, and 90 × 60 cm, respectively. Vegetative parameters were recorded at the fourth and sixth months after planting, while corm yield attributes were measured at harvest. Pooled analysis of two years of data revealed that the largest seed corm planted at the widest spacing (T10 – 750 g at 90 × 60 cm) produced the highest values for plant height (54.88 and 64.49 cm), pseudo stem girth (8.70 and 12.04 cm), and canopy spread (86.56 and 107.37 cm) at the fourth and sixth months, respectively. Similarly, T10 recorded the highest corm diameter (17.33 cm) and corm yield per plant (3.64 kg), followed by T9 (200 g at 45 × 45 cm) with 16.35 cm and 1.65 kg, respectively. The highest plot yield (26.85 kg) and estimated yield (50.40 t/ha) were recorded in T7 (200 g at 30 × 30 cm), followed by T9 with 24.21 kg plot yield and 49.50 t/ha estimated yield. T7 with the highest total yield, indicating the positive influence of higher planting density on productivity. Although the denser planting enhanced yield, its economic efficiency was slightly lower due to higher seed corm costs. However, Treatment T9 with moderate spacing (200 g corms at 45 × 45 cm) exhibited the highest benefit-cost ratio (BCR) provides an optimal balance between yield and profitability suitable for small-scale farmers.