Abstract
Meeting an increasing demand for cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) by industrial and commercial food sectors requires basic agronomic information on fertilizer requirements and appropriate fertilizer recommendations for high tuber yield and quality. A no-till study involving twenty fertilizer treatments consisting of different combinations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilizer rates was initiated in 2013 at Milha-14, in the coastal district of Dondo, Sofala province, Mozambique. The objective of the study was to assess cassava yield performance under different soil fertility and smallholder farm conditions. Applying only 60 kg/ha N (fertilizer combination: 60-0-0 kg/ha N-P2O5-K2O) yielded less (8.5 tons/ha) compared to the unfertilized control treatment (14.7 tons/ ha). Applying 60 kg/ha N combined with 60 kg/ha P2O5 (60-60-0 N-P2O5-K2O kg/ha) yielded the highest (27.7 tons/ha; p < 0.05). No response to K was observed, but K additions are recommended to avoid K mining. Key words: Cassava, tuber yield, fertilizer.
Highlights
Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a perennial, multiuse, subsistence crop domesticated in Brazil (Hillocks et al, 2002a) and grown throughout the tropics (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO, 2013)
The results showed that there was a significant increase in no-till cassava tuber yield due to fertilizer addition (p < 0.05), demonstrating that the crop responds to fertilizer application as was reported in several studies (Polthanee and Wongpichet, 2017; Ezui et al, 2016; Osundare, 2014; Agbaje and Akinlosotu, 2004; Graner and Coury, 1955; Krochmal and Samuels, 1970; de Cequeira and Howeler, 1980)
Cassava tuber yield was significantly increased by fertilizer addition
Summary
Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a perennial, multiuse, subsistence crop domesticated in Brazil (Hillocks et al, 2002a) and grown throughout the tropics (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO, 2013). Cassava alone contributes to approximately 6% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) (FAO-Mozambique, 2010) and about 628 kcal per person per day. The latter contribution places Mozambique among the top three countries globally that rely on cassava for caloric intake (ElSharkawy, 2004). Maize, which had a high diet share in the early 2000s, has decreased from 25 to 20% in food intake share. This decrease was attributed to lower yields and increased imports of other commodities such as wheat and rice (Promar Consulting, 2011)
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