THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is a bounty nonetheless- a king-sized bunch of lesser yam (Dioscorea esculenta) that astounds one with its sheer size. For city-based farmer R Raveendran, the luxuriant harvest of 102 kilogram of Lesser Yam in a single bunch is the second bumper yield of sorts in a row. Last year, his yield was so interesting to the agricultural community that a few scientists who had arrived from Africa visited his farmstead, to see how the farmer created this magic. Because the lesser yam doesn't always grow this big in size.

And this year, the yield crossed 100 kg, with 44 pieces, the smallest one weighing just about 200g and the largest one being more than 10 kilos. “This is a variety of tuber that doesn't grow much. The average weight of the yield normally is around 20 kilos. When I informed a scientist at the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI), he said that the tuber normally weights just around 20 kilos," says Raveendran.

But the bountiful harvest did require a bit of innovation and perseverance. “Although we can do large scale cultivation, the lesser yam isn't that preferred,” says Raveendran. There are several reasons, the main one being the tuber will form only after the root grows up to 1 or 1.5 meters long. So if you plant it in your farm, you may have to pluck it from your neighbour's yard. And that is often one of the reasons that refrain one from planting it. The other is that its vines have thorns, which makes it very difficult during harvest. So although one kilo of this tuber will fetch you a handsome sum, it is rarely planted,” he adds.

So to counter the issue of tuber growing in someone else's yard, Raveendran prepared a 5ft high mound of a fertile mix of soil above a pit dug on the ground. The seed of the tuber was planted just above the mound and given proper shade. "I received good yield from the 15 seeds I planted. The seed taken from last year's yield was planted and as many as 70 seeds were planted. Apart from another bunch weighing 34 kg, the rest are all just about 20 kilos.  This 102 kilo was a bumper," he chuckles.

One of the intriguing aspects of the lesser yam is that it is drought resistant. "Lesser yam is very resistant to drought and doesn't require constant watering. It is safe to say it doesn't require watering. I just planted this and left it, knowing the rains will take care of it," says Raveendran. "The only time I ever watered it was when I had to apply 'Hridayamrutham', an organic manure that I developed," he adds. Apart from the fertile mix of soil where the seed was planted, only Hridayamrutham was used as a manure. "It was applied five times throughout the 11 months long growing period," he says. He attributes the success of the bountiful yield to the innovative planting technique and choosing the right time to plant. Raveendran always plants tubers during the Malayalam month of Kumbam. “Plant it then and you are assured a good yield,” he says.  The mammoth tuber is being exhibited at a farm fest at Attukal Devi Temple.