Despite its importance regarding food security and household income, few studies have focused on yam (Dioscorea alata) crop physiology. Yet a better understanding of mechanisms and determinants of yield and quality production would enhance breeding programs capability to choose relevant key traits and develop high throughput methodologies to evaluate them. Based on recent results on yam interplant variability and competition we identify desirable key traits and implement phenotyping methods applicable within breeding programs. These phenotyping methods take advantage of increasing accessibility of sensor technologies and analysis methods. Our effort aimed at bringing those technologies into the field in order to capture highlighted yam heterogeneity and linked them with robust analysis methods allowing for high throughput phenotyping in tropical conditions. Finally, evaluation of on-field varietal performance are linked to ongoing research on identification and phenotyping of yam quality traits allowing us to study genotype by environment interaction on yam yield and quality.