Abstract
A field experiment involving four improved cassava (manihot esculanta, crantz) varieties and one local check was carried out at four different locations of South Omo zone (Kurea, Jinka on station, Geza and Shepi Kebelles) during the 2018 to 2019 cropping seasons under rain fed conditions to identify the best performing variety/ies to the target areas of South Omo zone. The cassava varieties included in the field experiment were four improved (Kelo, Qulle, Hawassa-04, Chancho) and a local check. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Growth, yield and yield components were studied. The result showed that plant height was significantly affected by variety while number of primary and secondary branch was not significantly influenced by variety. Total root number per plant, tuber weight and total yield per hectare also showed a significance difference among varieties. The highest total root yield per hectare (24.77 t/ha) was recorded from Hawassa-04 where as Chancho, Kelo, Qule and local check show no significance difference among each other. Therefore, it can be concluded that use of the improved cassava varieties such as Hawassa-04 is advisable and could be appropriate for cassava production in the test area even though further testing is required to put the recommendation on a strong basis.
Highlights
Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important staple crop recognized as a 21st century crop mostly for smallholder farmers [1, 2]
Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is cultivated throughout the lowland tropics, typically between 30°N and 30°S of the equator, in areas where the annual mean temperature is greater than 18°C [5]
The diverse uses of cassava largely explain its popularity in the tropics [7]
Summary
Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important staple crop recognized as a 21st century crop mostly for smallholder farmers [1, 2]. Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is cultivated throughout the lowland tropics, typically between 30°N and 30°S of the equator, in areas where the annual mean temperature is greater than 18°C [5]. Cassava is an important crop in Africa where it serves as a famine reserve crop, industrial raw material and livestock feed [6]. Despite its enormous production potential, adaptation to a great diversity of environments, its recognized tolerance of biotic and abiotic constraints to production, and its diversity of uses, cassava has not yet been managed to fully develop its potential in tropical agriculture due to numerous factors. Among the factors that constrained the production of cassava is lack of early maturing, high yielding and low hydrogen cyanide containing varieties [8]
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