Characterization and Maintenance of Yam (Dioscorea Spp.) Germplasm

Three experiments were conducted with 60 germplasm accessions of yam (Dioscorea spp.) at Plant Genetic Resources Centre of BARI for characterization and conservation of germplasm. Fifty-nine germplasm accessions of D. alata L. and one accession of D. bulbifera L. from different districts of Bangladesh were used. Clockwise twining direction was found in D. bulbifera and anti-clockwise twining direction was exhibited in all D. alata germplasm accessions. Potato like aerial tuber was found in D. bulbifera. Round, oval, elongate, flattened to irregular aerial tuber shape were found. Grayed-brown, brown to grayed-orange skin colour with yellow, yellow-orange to grayed-orange of aerial tuber flesh colour were observed among the yam germplasm accessions. Oval-oblong, cylindrical, flattened, corm, rhizome to irregular shape of underground stem…