Dioscorea trifida

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist tropics and subtropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 26°c, but can tolerate 10 - 36°c^[1]. It can be killed by temperatures of 7°c or lower^[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,200 - 2,600mm, but tolerates 1,000 - 4,000mm^[1]. This species grows better at lower temperatures than most tropical yams^[2]. Prefers a sunny position, tolerating some shade^[1]. For best yields, most yams require a deep, well-drained, sandy loam that is not liable to water-logging^[2]. This species will succeed in a wide range of soils so long as there is plenty of organic matter and they are well drained^[2]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 6.7, tolerating 5.3 - 8^[1]. Daylengths of more than 12 hours are preferred during the early growing season since this encourages vegetative growth; daylengths of less than 12 hours towards the end of the growing season will encourage tuber formation and development^[2]. Crops can be obtained in 9 - 11 months from planting, yields of 15 - 20 tonnes per hectare have been achieved^[2]. Plants produce groups of 5 - 50 tubers from enlarged stolons or runners^[2]. This is perhaps the only cultivated yam species that has retained its full reproductive potential through seed formation^[2]. There are some named varieties^{[3, 2]}. A dioecious species, both male and female plants need to be grown if seed is required.