Growing Sweet Potato in Makueni

Soil suitability analysis based on Makueni's nutrient profile

Makueni County is a solid choice for Sweet Potato, with a soil-match score of 61/100. At an average pH of 7.5 the soil sits above Sweet Potato's preferred 4.5–7 range, which can limit uptake of phosphorus and micronutrients. Nitrogen (0.86 g/kg), phosphorus (29.6 mg/kg) and potassium (351 mg/kg) all meet Sweet Potato's requirements, so a maintenance fertilizer programme is enough. The county's predominantly sandy loam soils suit Sweet Potato, which favours sandy loam. Sweet Potato's full potential is about 5,000 kg/acre (~KES 90,000/acre at KES 18/kg), but at Makueni's 61/100 suitability a realistic target here is closer to 3,813 kg/acre (~KES 68,634/acre) unless the constraints above are addressed.