Asian Journal of Research and Review in Agriculture

A participatory field demonstration was conducted in Dijo Woreda, Halaba Zone, Central Ethiopia, to evaluate the effectiveness of irrigation scheduling under solar pump irrigation systems for sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) production. The study aimed to promote water-efficient irrigation practices and enhance crop productivity through the active involvement of local farmers and stakeholders. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the response of Orange Flesh Sweet Potato to different irrigation scheduling methods in combination with recommended 3t/ha vermi-compost rate. Two treatments were compared: 100% Maximum Allowable Depletion (MAD) with recommended 3t/ha vermi-compost and the local farmer’s irrigation practice with recommended vermi-compost. The study measured parameters such as number of roots per plant (NRPP), vein length (VL), root length (RL), root diameter (RD), marketable yield (MY), unmarketable yield (UMY), and total yield (TY). The results revealed that applying 100% MAD with recommended 3t/ha vermi-compost significantly increased root yield and morphological traits compared to the farmer's practice. The highest marketable yield (30,341.4 kg/ha) and total yield (32,345.6 kg/ha) were recorded under 100% MAD with 3t/ha vermi-compost. This suggests that combining scientific irrigation scheduling with organic soil amendments can enhance orange flesh sweet potato productivity in the study area.