Biophysic Factors Related to a Local Famous Sweet Potato Variety (Ipomoea batatas L.) Production: A Study Based on Local Knowledge and Field Data in Indonesia

Abstract

Cilembu sweet potato is one of the famous local sweet potatoes in Indonesia. The aim of this study is to determine biophysic factors related to Cilembu sweet potato production based on local knowledge and field data. The research was conducted between September 2014 and October 2015. The methods used simple analytical hierarchy processes and selection guide of land use requirements for local knowledge exploration and Pearson correlation for biophysic factors related to Cilembu production. The samples of study include expert farmers, sweet potatoes and soil samples were selected using purposive sampling technique. The samples of soil and sweet potato were collected during harvest from each cultivation field. The result showed that soil and climate are the dominant environmental factors affecting Cilembu sweet potato production based on farmer perceptions. Correlation analysis confirms the farmers' perception analysis and the field data shows that soil and climate factors have significance correlation to yield and sugar content of Cilembu production. This study is useful for preliminary stage of local varieties land suitability criteria development, more so in the situation of limited data and expertise on the topic.