Planting recommendations for yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) in lowland conditions
The purpose of this work was to test yacon planting practices in low elevation conditions. The experimental design was a randomized block design (RBD) with subdivided plots and four replications. Treatments comprised of three planting methods: furrow; ridges and pits; each treatment was divided into subplots, which were four planting depths: 5, 10, 15, and 20 cm. The following variables were tested: sprouting speed, vigorous sprouting rate, average time for sprouting, rhizophore mortality rate, soil temperature and moisture, shoot dry weight, and yield of rhizophores, tuberous roots, total yield, and marketable tuberous roots. The planting methods using pits and furrows had lower seedling mortality rates (30,2 and 41,4% compared to ridges), while furrow led to a higher total tuber yield (17,5 and 18,9% higher than ridges and pits), using depths of 5 and 10 cm. The system with pits also achieved significant yields at 10 cm depth. Using ridges as the planting method would be possible, at depths of 10 and 15 cm, but yields would be lowered. For the conditions of this study, the highest yield of marketable roots was obtained using furrow at 5 and 10 cm of panting depth