Yield and Storage Quality of Improved Sweetpotato (Ipomoea Batatas [L.] Lam.) Cultivars in the Lake Victoria Basin, Kenya

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam.) is an important food crop in the tropics. In Kenya, it is mainly grown by small-scale fanners for food security during months of food scarcity. Nyanza Province produces 53% of the total national output (Irungu and Kidane-Mariam, 1992). Sweetpotato cultivation is common in the Nyatike and Mbita Divisions in the dry lowlands of Lake Victoria basin. The yield is low because of prevalent drought, weevil infestation and viral attack (Gudu and Were, 1996). The farmers in the two Divisions still grow land races in soils that are low in fertility, which further reduces the crop yield. Introduction of the high yielding, drought-tolerant cultivars that have been selected by the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and the International Potato Center (CIP) could improve yield. Apart from high yield potential, some of the cultivars are resistant to viral and pest attack (Mutuura et al., 1992).