Determination of Leaf Area in Dioscorea alata L. - A Critical Analysis

An attempt was made to compare the leaf area factor (F = 0.71) by linear measurement method reported earlier and the regression equation Y = 5.7789 + 0.77x, where ‘x’ = length x breadth, based on measurements made by Ravi and Chaudhary (1989) on two released varieties and 100 accessions of D. alata comprising 19 morphotypes collected from different agro-ecological niches in peninsular India. The results favours the use of the newly identified factor (F₁ = 0.82) and the linear regression equation Y = 100.319 + 22.79x, where x = breadth of the leaf for leaf area estimation in D. alafa over the previous one. From the critical analysis following different means, it was found that the leaf factor for D. alata as 0.82 and the regression equation, Y = 100.319 + 22.79x, where x = breadth of the leaf, showed least percentage of deviation from the actual leaf area.