Improved cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) growth and production by application of potassium

Abstract

Indonesia is the fifth countries in term of cassava production in the world. The biggest cassava area in Indonesia is Lampung. One of the important nutrient fertilizers to improve cassava production is potassium. Consequently, the objective of this study was to evaluate distribution of photoassimilate by determining cassava growth and production under different potassium dosages. Treatment was arranged by factorial (2x3) in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with two reps. The first factor was two cassava clones, UJ3 and UJ5 and the second factor was three potassium (KCl) dosages, 0, 150, and 300 kg/ha. The variables observed in this study were plant height, stem diameter, fresh weight and dry weight of leaf, total root number and swollen root number, distribution of root number, root length, root distribution, and root weight. The result showed that under fertilizer of 300 kg KCl/ha, stem dry weight of UJ3 and UJ5 was not significantly different however root fresh weight of UJ3 seemed higher compared to that of UJ5. It seems that UJ3 cassava clone is more responsive to potassium fertilizer than UJ5 cassava clone.