Performance of Pona and Afebetoyen yam cultivars in two improved storage structures in the Yendi Municipality

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June, 2016
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Abstract
Two improved prototype storage barns (circular and rectangular) were constructed by the Improved Yam Storage for Food Security and Income Project (IYSFSIP) at Zang community in the Yendi Municipality to store white yam tubers (Dioscorea rotundata) for a period of four months. The objectives of the study were to determine sprouting rate, weight loss, rotting, shelf life and dormancy rate of two cultivars (Pona and Afebetoyen). It was found out that, the circular barn performed better than the rectangular one as it recorded average temperatures of 30.6 °C and 31.1 °C respectively with ambient temperature of 31.8 °C. Average relative humidity recorded in the circular barn was 52.1 % as against 53.7 % in the rectangular barn and ambient relative humidity was 53.4 %. Pona recorded averagely 31.5 % sprouting to Afebetoyen tubers which recorded 50.8 % in the circular barn, in the rectangular barn the reverse occurred; Pona recorded averagely 57 % against 51 % for Afebetoyen. Averagely 4.2 % of Pona got rotten as against 1.3 % for Afebetoyen in the circular barn. In the rectangular barn, the average amount of Pona that got rotten was 1.7 % and Afebetoyen was 2.10 %. Weight loss recorded 7.1 % averagely in Pona as against 7.8 % for Afebetoyen in the circular barn. However, in the rectangular barn both cultivars (Pona and Afebetoyen) recorded 8.9 %. Pona sprouts recorded 2.1 % and 0.94 % for Afebetoyen in the circular barn. In the rectangular barn, sprouts in Pona an average of 2.1 % against 1.2 % for sprouts of Afebetoyen. There was no recorded incidence of pest/rodent attack on any of the tubers in the two barns for the entire storage period. However it was observed that, the rectangular barn performed better than the circular barn in controlling tuber rot.
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A thesis submitted to The School of Research and Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of M.Phil in Food and Post Harvest Engineering,
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