EFFECTS OF FERTILISER SOURCE ON NITROGEN USE EFFICIENCY, BIOMASS PARTITIONING, AND AGRONOMIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF SWEET POTATO VARIETIES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33003/fjs-2026-1007-4718Keywords:
Biomass Production, Cylas Weevil, Integrated Nutrient Management, Orange-Fleshed Sweet potato, Soil Fertility, Tillage Systems, White-Fleshed Sweet PotatoAbstract
Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) productivity in sub-Saharan Africa is constrained by degraded soils, low fertility, and infestation by the Cylas weevil (Cylas spp.). A three-year field study (2023–2025) at the University of Abuja, Nigeria, assessed the interactive effects of variety, tillage, and fertiliser on soil properties, growth, physiology, pest incidence, and storage root yield. A 2 × 3 × 4 factorial Randomised Complete Block Design with three replications tested two varieties (white-fleshed TIS 87/0087 and orange-fleshed UMUSP3), three tillage systems (Flat, Mound, Ridge), and four fertiliser regimes (Control, NPK 15:15:15, Poultry manure, Hyptis suaveolens green manure). Integrated management improved soil fertility, increasing pH from 4.5 to 6.5, organic carbon by 365%, total nitrogen by 727%, available phosphorus by 60%, and ECEC by 31%. Early crop establishment was high (sprouting 95–97.6%, survival 90–93.1%). The white-fleshed variety performed best under mound × NPK, achieving SPAD-N 36.53, vine length 237 cm, fresh biomass 10.08 kg/plot, and root yield 41.53 t/ha. The orange-fleshed variety yielded 36.15 t/ha under ridge × Poultry manure. Total root number (r = 0.815; path coefficient = 0.72) was the main yield determinant, while organic amendments reduced Cylas infestation by up to 77%. Economic analysis showed WFSP + mound + NPK gave the highest net return, whereas OFSP + Ridge + Poultry manure had the highest benefit-cost ratio (3.27). These findings provide genotype-specific production pathways and support integrated, precision-based tillage and nutrient management for sustainable, climate-smart, and nutrition-sensitive sweet potato production in degraded savanna soils.
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