Research has revealed that Ghana loses about 40 per cent of its yam production to diseases and pests. Dr Jeffery Peters, head of the Yam Disease Research team, made this known in Tamale yesterday after a workshop on the control of yam diseases. It was attended by agricultural researchers and farmers. The participants discussed research findings on yam such as assessment of disease severity on yam foliage and survey of tubers to determine their yields and health. The research, carried out in the Northern, Upper West and Brong Ahafo regions, identified Anthracnose (fungus), Nematodes and viruses as well as termites and mini-buds as the main diseases and pests which affect yam yields. Dr. Peters said 10 per cent of farms sampled had labels of Anthracnose while 50 per cent had Nematodes, which reduce the yield, marketability and palatability of the yam. He said yam yields could be increased by over 300 per cent if farmers use clean seeds or collect seeds from plants that do not have high levels of the diseases. Dr. Peters said the next phase of the project, when approved, will examine the possibilities of establishing clean yam seed farms. He said the health of the yam field determines the length of storage of the staple food, adding that infected yam fields can be treated using natural products such as powdered dry leaves of false-yam, neem and teak. Dr. Peters said research has also revealed that the raised hut storage system is better than the traditional pit storage system because the latter controls rodents and has a better aeration which prevents the yam from rotting early.
