Sweet Potato

This trial (Sangakkara, 1994) conducted at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka was conducted on a common short term variety of sweet potato using EM as a microbial inoculant to study the effect on crop production. The results showed that EM increased yields of sweet potato, especially in the dry season when the number of tubers, and bulking rates were generally lower (compared with the wet). The study also indicated that EM maintained the water holding capacity of the soil to a greater extent during the dry season. Treatments over a dry and wet season included (a) chemical fertiliser, (z) chemical fertiliser with organic amendments (c) these same treatments with EM and (d) control treatment with no alternatives.