Discorea alata L.
Ubi (Dioscorea alata L.) or locally known as yam is a favorite root crops usually used in the ice cream industries as a food coloring and source of sweet aroma that invites ice cream users to buy. It natural violet color and inviting aroma makes ubi a high value crops and a dollar earner for the Philippines.
It’s a vine crop which produces both aerial tubers called bulbils and underground tubers or roots a unique characteristics of this root crop. The bulbils weighing a few grams and to over a kilogram come out from the leaf axils three (3) months after planting. The underground tubers weighing one to six kilograms can be harvested six months after planting.
The other uses of Ubi includes, roasted, flakes, chips, processed powdered form. Dried powdered ubi is used for the preparation of ice cream, cakes, pastries and desserts. Its dried powdered peeling is used as raw material for the manufacture of food coloring.
Ubi thrives best in any types of soil, but preferred on sandy loam or silt loam soil rich in organic material, well-drained condition. It tolerates better with enough moisture during its growing period.
Planting for ubi is done by non-sprouted setts, where they’re planted in a seedbed or the pre-sprouted setts.
Sprouted setts are set in the plots distanced at 1m x 50cm or 60cm x 60cm at a planting of around 10cm deep during rainy days or 15cm during summer months.
When the plants starts producing vines, put stakes where they can climb to avoid crossing over each other for ease of plant managements such as; weeding and monitoring.
Ubi is resistant to some pests and diseases, there are no serious pests and diseases that attacks this plant. Controlling them is not a problem.
The maturity age for ubi is 31 weeks from planting, others recommends 5 – 8 months or 11 – 12 months. For manufacturing purposes the maturity should be longer from 11 – 12 months to make the roots mature as possible.
Which ever maturity age you prefer, what is important is harvesting should jibe what purpose you intend to use its roots. For cooking, younger and tender roots is much better.
Happy gardening!
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