By Chinyere Anyanwu
IITA-CGIAR, in collaboration with the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), has released three new yam varieties – UMUDa35-Delight, UMUDr33-Blessing and UMUDr34-Sunshine for farmers. The announcement was made at the 31st Meeting of the National Committee on Naming, Registration and Release of Crop Varieties, Livestock Breed/Fisheries held in Ibadan recently.
The new yam varieties, UMUDa35-Delight is D. alata (water yam), while UMUDr33-Blessing and UMUDr34-Sunshine are both D. rotundata (white yam). The new varieties originated from IITA and were released to farmers through NRCRI, Umudike. They were released because of their remarkable attributes, such as high yield, high dry matter, and flour production, as well as good boiling and pounding capabilities. The new varieties are all resistant to the yam mosaic virus and anthracnose.
The water yam variety, UMUDa35-Delight, possesses some morphological characteristics such as a green sagittate leaf, vigorous and cylindrical tuber, dark brown skin tuber and creamy white tuber flesh. With a maturation period between 240 and 270 days and a potential yield (t/ha) of 45.7, it thrives in the southern Guinea savanna, derived savanna, and humid rainforest.
This nutrient-rich variety has ash (3.3 per cent), protein (7.3 per cent), crude fibre (2.0 per cent). Newly released UMUDr34-Sunshine produces rough, brown skin tubers with small corm cylindrical shape.
amylose (34.4 per cent), sugar (5.6 per cent), and phytate (0.8 per cent). The results showed yam to be a reasonably good source of minerals.
The UMUDr33-Blessing, a white yam variety, possesses some morphological characteristics such as a green cordate leaf, cylindrical tuber, dark green petiole, smooth light brown skin tuber, and creamy white tuber flesh. It matures between 230 and 260 days, has a potential yield of 33 t/ha, and flourishes in the southern Guinea savanna, derived savanna, and humid rainforest. Apart from its high yield and high dry matter, it also has low peel loss.
The following nutrients were identified as being present in the variety: Protein (4.77 per cent), fat (0.33 per cent), crude fibre (1.62 per cent), amylose (34.41 per cent), sugar (5.13 per cent), phytate (1.04 per cent), and CHO (81.8 per cent).
The other white yam variety, UMUDr34-Sunshine, has morphological characteristics such as a green cordate leaf, cylindrical tuber, pale green petiole, rough brown skin tuber, and creamy white tuber flesh. Maturing between 250 and 270 days, it has a potential yield of 31.8 t/ha and thrives in the southern Guinea savanna and derived savanna. Its excellent boiling and pounding qualities are some outstanding traits.
White yam UMUDr35-Delight has hairy tubers with dark brown skin and spiny skin cylindrical shape. The following nutrients were identified as being present in the variety: Protein (5.84 per cent), fat (0.31 per cent), crude fibre (1.41 per cent), amylose (38.10 per cent), sugar (5.25 per cent), phytate (1.02 per cent) and CHO (80.90 per cent).