Correlation and path coefficient analysis of yield characters of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) varieties as influenced by minero-organic fertilizer

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the wet seasons of 2019 and 2020 at the Research farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kaduna State University (09^o34’N and 08^o 18’ E, 740 m above sea level) in the southern Guinea savannah Nigeria, to determine the contributions of some crop characters to tuber yield of two sweet potato varieties as influenced by minero-organic fertilizer (MOF). The treatments consisted of three levels of minero-organic fertilizer (0, 500 and 1000 kg ha^-1), and two sweet potato varieties. The treatments were laid out in a randomized complete block design and replicated three times. The correlations between number of tubers per plot (0.7740**) and tuber weight per plot (0.7804**) with total tuber yield were positive and highly significant. The direct effect on tuber yield based on the combined data was by number of tubers per plot (0.8023), which also made the highest direct percent contribution to tuber yield (18.79%). Shoot dry weight made the least indirect effect to tuber yield (-0.0507). The greatest positive combined contribution of 17.29% was made by number of tubers per plant via number of tubers per plot. The study revealed that number of tubers per plot should be explored by researchers during improvement programme of sweet potato.