Tropical Root Crops Research Articles

Water and Irrigation Needs of Tuber Crops in Coastal Climates: A Review

One of the most essential elements for plant growth is water. Large amounts of it are required by plants constantly throughout their life cycle. It significantly affects agricultural activities like irrigation, soil management, crop production, and chemical spraying environments, as well as plant processes like photosynthesis, respiration, absorption, transport, and use of mineral nutrients. This review examines the impacts of climate change on root and tuber crops, including rising temperatures, altered rainfall patterns, extreme weather events, and changes in pest and disease dynamics. These changes significantly affect root and tuber crop production, leading to lower yields, compromised quality, increased susceptibility to pests and diseases, and limited access to water resources. Adaptation strategies encompass various approaches, such as agronomic practices, crop diversification, improved water management, breeding for climate resilience, and agro ecological methods. In the world, the most significant root and tuber crops are cassava, sweet potatoes, and potatoes. Water will produce maximum production for root crops; however, water stress during critical stages might adversely affect the final output of root crops. The purpose of this article of review is to understand the water and irrigation needs of tuber crops (sweet potato, greater and lesser yams, aerial yams, elephant foot yams, xanthosoma, and cassava) that are effectively produced in Maharashtra's coastal climate. This review emphasizes the urgent need to address climate change impacts on tropical root and tuber crops. It highlights the critical role of adaptive measures in ensuring long-term sustainability and food security in a changing climate.

Women in Cassava Processing and Marketing in North Central Nigeria: Are they any Happier?

Cassava is one of the most important staple food items available in Nigeria. Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava and it’s considered the most important tropical root crop providing food and income to over 30 million farmers, processors and traders. The objective of this study is to ascertain the happiness status of women combining occupation of processing and marketing cassava with family responsibility in north-central Nigeria. This objective is motivated by novelty of such researches in the research area. The findings revealed that women in processing and marketing of cassava in north central Nigeria are happy. The study concludes that happiness question in the study area is influence by the people’s culture where one will hardly said he/she is unhappy. The study therefore, recommends that community leaders and local government authorities encourage women in cassava processing and marketing to always form cooperative societies. This will not only make them a formidable common front but will improve their contributions/supports to families from their cooperatives pool resources.

Pedological Investigation of Soil Quality Indicators in Tapioca Growing Soils

Background: Manihot esculenta, the most important tropical root crop which supply dietary staple food for about 800 million populations worldwide. Twenty soil profiles that represent the soil Pedology and soil quality are similar in their concept in relation to soil formation. In this regards, soil quality can be considered as part of the science of pedology. Significant differences in yield of Tapioca (Manihot esculenta) with selected soil properties and subsequent interpretations as influenced by land use are explained. Methods: Soil samples were taken from designated pedogenic horizons for physico-chemical properties in the laboratory. Soil textural class, saturated hydraulic conductivity, Cation Exchange Capacity, Base Saturation Percentage, soil organic carbon, exchangeable cations, available N, P, K content and available micronutrients were analysed. The general fertility of the soils in the area is discussed highlighting their potentials and constraints. Result: A comprehensive analysis of soils in the study area showed that shallow soil depth of less than 47 cm and more clay of 44% with high bulk density of 1.4 gcc-1, low hydraulic conductivity of 0.12 cmhr-1, low base saturation percentage of 77%, more exchangeable sodium percentage of 7.96% with low available N, P and K of 110, 10.75 and 142.25 kg ha-1, respectively in low yielding soils are the major constraints in the tract might behind the yield differences in Cassava.

Haplotype-resolved genome of heterozygous African cassava cultivar TMEB117 (Manihot esculenta)

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a vital tropical root crop providing essential dietary energy to over 800 million people in tropical and subtropical regions. As a climate-resilient crop, its significance grows as the human population expands. However, yield improvement faces challenges from biotic and abiotic stress and limited breeding. Advanced sequencing and assembly techniques enabled the generation of a highly accurate, nearly complete, haplotype-resolved genome of the African cassava cultivar TMEB117. It is the most accurate cassava genome sequence to date with a base-level accuracy of QV > 64, N50 > 35 Mbp, and 98.9% BUSCO completeness. Over 60% of the genome comprises repetitive elements. We predicted over 45,000 gene models for both haplotypes. This achievement offers valuable insights into the heterozygosity genome organization of the cassava genome, with improved accuracy, completeness, and phased genomes. Due to its high susceptibility to African Cassava Mosaic Virus (ACMV) infections compared to other cassava varieties, TMEB117 provides an ideal reference for studying virus resistance mechanisms, including epigenetic variations and smallRNA expressions.

Expected yield and economic improvements of a yam seed system in West Africa using agro‐physiological modelling

Societal Impact StatementYam is a major tropical root crop and a staple food for millions of people in West Africa. The model used in this study shows that promoting the use of improved seed tubers would help increase yields and profitability for farmers. This could lead to improved food security, increased income and higher standards of living. Additionally, the model serves as a useful decision‐support tool for farmers and technicians to choose, depending on the species, the optimum seed‐tuber weight and planting date. This study provides agronomic arguments to justify investments in the improvement of yam planting materials in West Africa.Summary Yam (Dioscorea spp.) is a major tropical root crop, grown mainly in West Africa using traditional extensive techniques. Farmers typically reuse seed tubers by setting aside up to 30% of their production for the next season, leading to high planting material variability that affects yields. Several initiatives aim to promote the use of improved seed tubers. However, to help their adoption, it is necessary to quantify the agronomic and economic advantages. To address this, a model for individual plant growth and development was developed based on six experiments in Benin from 2007 to 2009. This model simulates the combined effect of emergence (through photoperiod and temperature) and seed‐tuber weight on yam plant growth and development. Its predictions were highly correlated with observed plant tuber yield (R2 > 0.83). Results highlight the crucial role of key processes such as seed‐tuber physiological age and photoperiod sensitivity. The study shows that for the traditional planting dates, the use of improved planting material could lead to a yield increase of 22%–27% and a gain in profitability of 30% and 40% for Dioscorea alata and Dioscorea rotundata, respectively. The model proved to be a useful decision‐support tool for choosing an optimum seed‐tuber weight, depending on the species and the planting date. This study validates investments in yam seed systems in West Africa. However, beyond seed size and health, other factors such as dormancy, storage time and their management need to be considered to address emergence heterogeneity and its impact on yield.

Climate change impacts on tuber crops: vulnerabilities and adaptation strategies

Climate change poses significant challenges to root and tuber crops, requiring robust adaptation strategies to mitigate vulnerabilities. This review examines the impacts of climate change on root and tuber crops, including rising temperatures, altered rainfall patterns, extreme weather events, and changes in pest and disease dynamics. These changes significantly affect root and tuber crop production, leading to lower yields, compromised quality, increased susceptibility to pests and diseases, and limited access to water resources. Adaptation strategies encompass various approaches, such as agronomic practices, crop diversification, improved water management, breeding for climate resilience, and agroecological methods. However, addressing knowledge gaps and research needs is crucial for better-understanding climate change impacts and developing effective adaptation strategies for root and tuber crops. Future research should prioritize resilient cultivar identification, enhanced cropping systems, improved pest and disease management, and exploring socio-economic dimensions of adaptation. This review emphasizes the urgent need to address climate change impacts on tropical root and tuber crops. It highlights the critical role of adaptive measures in ensuring long-term sustainability and food security in a changing climate

Characterization of open chromatin in response to cold reveals transcription factor association with preferred binding distances in cassava

Cassava is a tropical root crop that is sensitive to low temperature. While the transcriptome for cold-responsive genes has been extensively studied, information on their regulation is largely unavailable. Here, we conducted assays of plant morphology, the transcriptome, and open chromatin in cassava under moderate cold stress (10 ℃). We observed reversible morphological changes in cassava plants under continuous cold stress, in which plants showed wilting of the apical leaf blade and petiole at 5 h and recovery at 48 h. Consistently, distinct expressional dynamics for genes in response to cold were detected at 5 h and 48 h in both tissues. We examined the genome-wide DNase I-hypersensitive sites (DHSs) and their dynamics using cold-treated leaf blades and petioles. We revealed that cold-induced DHSs (coiDHSs) substantially differed among tissues and treatments. However, the putative coiDHS-derived transcription factors (TFs) largely co-occurred across tissues and treatments, and 61 TFs commonly shared by all samples were isolated. A putative functional network with 30 interconnected TFs was created. The frequent empirical interactions among these TFs indicate their roles in the cold response. Notably, we found that the two pairs of known cold-responsive TFs AGL20-RGA and ERF5-ERF105 showed highly frequent co-occurrence in coiDHSs. Moreover, the binding-site distances differed among TF pairs or samples, indicating that there are preferred distances between cooperative TFs and that such distances may depend on biological conditions. The identification of conserved TFs and their cooperativity provides valuable information for elucidating the transcriptional networks underlying cold gene expression in cassava.

Future climate suitability of underutilized tropical tuber crops-‘Aroids’ in India

Elephant foot yam and taro are the two important aroids of tropical tuber crops, considered as underutilized in the context of climate change and food security. The present study focused to quantify the future climate suitability of aroids for future climate scenarios 2030, 2050, and 2070 for the two representative concentration pathways (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5). The district-wise future climate suitability of elephant foot yam and taro using MaxEnt across India was quantified. The percentage increase in climatically suitable area for taro is 49% and the same for elephant foot yam is 46% which is higher compared to those of tropical root crops. A total of 218 districts were identified as highly suitable for the cultivation of elephant foot yam for different RCPs across India. A total of 209 districts were observed as highly suitable for taro cultivation across India for the two RCPs. The information about the districtlevel suitability can assist decision-makers to understand the possible shifts in the climate suitability of aroids in India in the context of food security as they have higher productivity compared to other major food grain crops.

Isolation and Identification of Fungi Associated with the Spoilage of Cocoyam Corms

Cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta) is an important tropical root crop grown purposely for its starchy corms. This study was carried out to isolate and identify fungi associated with the spoilage of cocoyam corms. These organisms were isolated from spoilt corms by direct inoculation of the rotten tissues on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar. The fungal isolates were identified using cultural and morphological features such as colony appearance and also through microscopic characteristics. The isolated organisms include Rhizopus stolonifera, Rhizopus arrhizus, Fusarium oxysporum, and Aspergillus niger. Out of the 70 samples that were analyzed, 45 (64%) had Rhizopus stolonifera, 36 (51%) had Fusarium oxysporum, 52 (74%) had Rhizopus arrhizus while 61 (87%) had Aspergillus niger. A pathogenicity test was carried out on healthy corms using isolated microorganisms. The result showed that the organisms were responsible for the deterioration of the corms. These organisms may have infected these corms through contaminated working tools during harvest or improper storage by farmers. Corms are always infected by molds if not properly handled or stored. Hence, proper care should be taken while harvesting, handling, or storing these corms to avoid being infected by these pathogenic organisms since they can be detrimental to human health. It can also cause huge economic losses to farmers.

In Vitro Plant Response of Taro cv. ‘INIVIT MC- 2012’ (Colocasia Esculenta (L.) Schott) to Water Stress Induced with Polyethylene Glycol 6000

Modern Concepts & Developments in Agronomy In Vitro Plant Response of Taro cv. ‘INIVIT MC- 2012’ (Colocasia Esculenta (L.) Schott) to Water Stress Induced with Polyethylene Glycol 6000 Arletys Santos Pino*, Jorge López Torres, Aymé Rayas Cabrera and Víctor Medero Vega Division of Plant Biotechnology, Cuba *Corresponding author:Arletys Santos Pino, Associate Researcher, Division of Plant Biotechnology. Research Institute of Tropical Root and Tubers Crops, Santo Domingo, Villa Clara, Cuba Submission: September 12, 2022;Published: December 02, 2022 DOI: 10.31031/MCDA.2022.12.000779 ISSN 2637-7659Volume12 Issue 1

Climate change and cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) production: assessing impacts and potential adaptation strategies in Zimbabwe

Tropical root and tuber crops such as cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta (L.)) are important for food security and livelihoods and yet neglected in climate change impact studies and large-scale crop improvement programs. The aim of this study was to apply the maximum entropy modelling approach to assess production potential for the orphan crop cocoyam under current and projected climatic conditions by 2050 and 2070 in Zimbabwe. A robust model fit was achieved (AUC > 0.9) with variable importance showing that precipitation-related factors were most important in determining the suitability of cocoyam. About 4.3% of the country is suitable for cocoyam production in Zimbabwe under current climatic conditions with the most suitable areas in eastern districts of Chipinge, Chimanimani, Mutare, Mutasa, Nyanga and Makoni. By 2050, model means project a decrease of 6%, 9%, 10% and 15% under RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0 and RCP8.5, respectively. More drastic decreases are projected by 2070 with almost a quarter (23%) of the current suitable areas having lost their suitability for cocoyam production. There is a general model agreement in the direction of impacts except for RCP2.6 where CCSM4 model projects increases in suitability for cocoyam in the country while other models project decreases. We find that regulating canopy microclimate variation increases potential for cocoyam production under climate change and can be implemented to ensure resilience of cocoyam production systems. Therefore, stabilizing or improving orphan crops systems will substantially contribute to local food security and reduction of malnutrition especially during the lean season.

Tropical root-and tuber crops-based cropping systems — A review

Multiple cropping is the best way of sustainable intensification of crop production, from the limited resources. More flexibility in planting and harvesting of tropical root and tuber crops provide ample scope for various crop production systems. Intercropping of legumes, cereals, and vegetables in root and tuber crops increased system productivity with land-use efficiency, though yields of sole crop of roots and tubers decreased. Intercropping root and tuber crops in plantation and fruit tree crops gave additional returns. Weed suppression, pest and disease reduction and improvement in soil nutrient status are the additional benefits of root and tuber crops involved in multiple cropping systems. In rice (Oryza sativa L.)-based cropping system in the coastal plains of Odisha, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam.) is planted after harvesting of rice to take advantage of the residual soil moisture and fertilizers. Multiple cropping also reduces severity of pests and diseases. The climate smart root and tuber crops generate assured income under various cropping systems.

RXam2, a NLR from cassava (Manihot esculenta) contributes partially to the quantitative resistance to Xanthomonas phaseoli pv. manihotis.

The overexpression of RXam2, a cassava NLR (nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat) gene, by stable transformation and gene expression induction mediated by dTALEs, reduce cassava bacterial blight symptoms. Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a tropical root crop affected by different pathogens including Xanthomonas phaseoli pv. manihotis (Xpm), the causal agent of cassava bacterial blight (CBB). Previous studies have reported resistance to CBB as a quantitative and polygenic character. This study sought to validate the functional role of a NLR (nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat) associated with a QTL to Xpm strain CIO151 called RXam2. Transgenic cassava plants overexpressing RXam2 were generated and analyzed. Plants overexpressing RXam2 showed a reduction in bacterial growth to Xpm strains CIO151, 232 and 226. In addition, designer TALEs (dTALEs) were developed to specifically bind to the RXam2 promoter region. The Xpm strain transformed with dTALEs allowed the induction of the RXam2 gene expression after inoculation in cassava plants and was associated with a diminution in CBB symptoms. These findings suggest that RXam2 contributes to the understanding of the molecular basis of quantitative disease resistance.

Impact of climate change on the yield of tropical root and tuber crops vs. rice and potato in India

Impact of climate change on the yield of tropical root and tuber crops vs. rice and potato in India

Novel fructooligosaccharides of Dioscorea alata L. tuber have prebiotic potentialities

Dioscorea alata L. (Dioscoreaceae), commonly known as water yam, is a popular tuber crop vegetable used across the globe. It is mainly composed of starch (75–84% of the dry weight) with a small amount of proteins, lipids, and vitamins and is very rich in minerals. It has nutritional superiority compared with other tropical root crops. The main aim of the study was to extract and characterize the fructooligosaccharides (FOSs) fractions from the tuber of this plant and evaluate their prebiotic properties. The soluble FOSs were fractionated by the conventional solid-phase extraction method and were characterized by FT-IR, HPTLC, and ESI–MS analyses. In addition, the beneficial health attributes of these fractions were checked for in vitro and in vivo prebiotic properties in Swiss albino mice. The FT-IR, HPTLC, and ESI–MS analyses of the FOSs from the hot water and 80% ethanol fractions showed that both are rich in inulin-like prebiotics. Furthermore, these FOSs showed an excellent prebiotic activity score and had enhanced in vitro cholesterol-binding activities in the presence of probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains. Moreover, these had good antioxidant efficacies with IC50 values of 36.51 µg/ml and 33.12 µg/ml. In vivo treatment in Swiss albino mice, these FOSs had significantly lowered serum cholesterol (df = 6, p value < 2.2e−16), serum HDL (df = 6, p value = 3.68e−11), serum LDL (df = 6, p value < 2e−16), serum VLDL (df = 6, p value = 2.2e−13), serum triglycerides (df = 6, p value < 2e−16), blood sugar (df = 6, p value = 0.01857), serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (S.G.P.T., df = 6, p value = 0.01189), serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (S.G.O.T., df = 6, p value = 0.01239) but no significant difference found in weight gain (df = 6, p value = 0.166) and serum creatinine (df = 6, p value = 0.987). Furthermore, they enhanced IgA-mediated immunomodulation and influenced the gut colonization of probiotic LAB strains than the standard prebiotics, inulin. Thus, the study revealed that the FOSs from the storage tuber of D. alata possess some novel prebiotic that could contribute to human nutrition. This is the first report of the prebiotic FOS characterization from this plant.

Genomic mating in outbred species: predicting cross usefulness with additive and total genetic covariance matrices.

Diverse crops are both outbred and clonally propagated. Breeders typically use truncation selection of parents and invest significant time, land, and money evaluating the progeny of crosses to find exceptional genotypes. We developed and tested genomic mate selection criteria suitable for organisms of arbitrary homozygosity level where the full-sibling progeny are of direct interest as future parents and/or cultivars. We extended cross variance and covariance variance prediction to include dominance effects and predicted the multivariate selection index genetic variance of crosses based on haplotypes of proposed parents, marker effects, and recombination frequencies. We combined the predicted mean and variance into usefulness criteria for parent and variety development. We present an empirical study of cassava (Manihot esculenta), a staple tropical root crop. We assessed the potential to predict the multivariate genetic distribution (means, variances, and trait covariances) of 462 cassava families in terms of additive and total value using cross-validation. Most variance (89%) and covariance (70%) prediction accuracy estimates were greater than zero. The usefulness of crosses was accurately predicted with good correspondence between the predicted and the actual mean performance of family members breeders selected for advancement as new parents and candidate varieties. We also used a directional dominance model to quantify significant inbreeding depression for most traits. We predicted 47,083 possible crosses of 306 parents and contrasted them to those previously tested to show how mate selection can reveal the new potential within the germplasm. We enable breeders to consider the potential of crosses to produce future parents (progeny with top breeding values) and varieties (progeny with top own performance).

A Combined Nutrient/Biocontrol Agent Mixture Improve Cassava Tuber Yield and Cassava Mosaic Disease

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important tropical root crop and a major dietary energy source for more than 500 million people. The major production constraints in cassava are the occurrence of nutrient deficiency and cassava mosaic disease (CMD). Hence to increase the cassava yield, it is critical to develop a technology to overcome the problems associated with nutrient deficiencies and CMD. Series of field experiments were conducted to evaluate and validate a new mixture containing biocontrol agent and nutrients on different genotypes and locations. The result indicated that foliar spray of combined nutrient/biocontrol agent mixture at 21 d interval from one to five-month after planting (MAP) had significantly decreased the incidence of nutrient deficiency symptom and CMD incidence resulting in an increased tuber yield. There were significant differences among the cassava genotypes for CMD reaction and foliar spray of combined nutrient/biocontrol agent mixture at 21 d interval from 1 to 5 MAP. The genotype H226 had lower CMD incidence and higher tuber yield. The multilocation trial indicated that foliar spray of combined nutrient/biocontrol agent mixture at 21 d interval from 1 to 5 MAP significantly improved the tuber yield (24%) and decreased the CMD incidence (65%) than unsprayed control. Metabolomic study indicates that foliar spray of combined nutrient/biocontrol agent mixture has altered lipid biosynthesis and metabolism, as evidenced by increased accumulation of octadecatrienoic acid (2.28-fold) trilinolein (126.3-fold) in combined nutrient/biocontrol agent mixture sprayed plants over unsprayed control. Overall, it is evident that foliar spray of combined nutrient/biocontrol agent mixture from 1 to 5 MAP has decreased CMD incidence and increased the tuber yield.

Impact of climate change on water requirement of tropical root and tuber crops in India

Impact of climate change on water requirement of tropical root and tuber crops in India

Dissemination strategies and the adoption of improved agricultural technologies: The case of improved cassava varieties in Ghana

Cassava (Manihot esculanta Crantz) is an important tropical root crop for food security and national economies in Africa. In Ghana, it is the most important staple food also used in breweries, bakery and confectionery industries. Several high-yielding and disease resistant improved cassava varieties (ICVs) have been released and are being promoted through diverse dissemination channels. Past studies investigate the role of information in the adoption of agricultural technologies without accounting for the diversity in the dissemination strategies. The paper explores the diversity of dissemination strategies in examining the adoption of improved cassava varieties using a sequential mixed-method approach which combines exploratory interviews and focus group discussions with a questionnaire-based quantitative survey and the Cragg's two-part model. The paper uses data collected from 608 farmers randomly selected from major cassava producing communities in the Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo regions in Ghana, West Africa. The results show statistically significant and identical impact of information through demonstrations, distribution of planting materials, farmer-to-farmer and media on the probability of ICV adoption. Other drivers of adoption are the membership of farmers based organizations (FBO), planting of two or more varieties and having large livestock size. However, ICV adoption and intensity was hampered by household size, distances to the nearest tarred road and market, and grey-skin color. These attributes need to be integral of dissemination campaigns for cassava variety adoption.

Performance of laying hens fed graded levels of dried yellow cocoyam corm meal (&lt;I&gt;Xanthosoma sagittifolium&lt;/I&gt;) as partial replacement for maize

Yellow cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium), a tropical root crop is presently underutilized as energy feedstuff in poultry diets. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of dried cocoyam corm meal as partial replacement for maize on egg laying and haematological parameters of layer hens. Fifty-six (56) days feeding trial was conducted using one hundred and twenty (120) Isa brown layer hens of twenty weeks (20 weeks) old. Sample of the cocoyam corm meal used for this study was analyzed in the laboratory to determine its proximate nutrient composition. Results showed moisture content 79%, ash 4%, fat 1.1%, fibre 5.5%, carbohydrate 24%, protein 8.05% and energy 3160.05kcal/kg DM. The cocoyam corm meal was used to formulate layer hens’ diets: T1, T2, T3, and T4 at 0%, 10%, 15% and 20% inclusion levels respectively. The experimental layer hens were divided into four treatment groups of thirty (30) hens each which was further replicated three times, ten (10) birds per replicate in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Each group of the experimental birds was subjected to one of the experimental diets for the period of 56 days and drinking water was also provided regularly. At the expiration of the experiment, three (3) birds were selected from each group for haematological parameters evaluation. Average daily feed and total feed intake showed no significant (P&gt;0.05) difference though T4 was higher (P&lt;0.05) among the treatments and T1 was the least (P&lt;0.05). Total body weight gained was significantly (P&lt;0.05) higher at T4. T2 was significantly (P&lt;0.05) the lowest among other treatments. T1 had a significant (P&lt;0.05) highest hen day egg production followed by T2 and T3 which were statistically the same (P&gt;0.05) while T4 had the lowest (P&lt;0.05) among the treatments. T2 had the heaviest (P&lt;0.05) egg weight of 65.40g while T1 had the lowest (P&lt;0.05) (61.76g) though still within the same category of large in USDA (2000) egg weight rating. Feed efficiency of feed/g egg weight was higher at T2 (1.27). T4 (1.38) had the lowest (P&lt;0.05) feed conversion efficiency with no significance (P&gt;0.05) difference among values obtained from other treatments. T1 had the highest pack cell volume (P&lt;0.05). Red blood cell, count, haemoglobin and white blood cell count values which did not differ significantly (P&gt;0.05) among the values of T2, followed by T3. Results obtained in the haematological parameters evaluated showed significant difference (P&lt;0.05) recorded in some values; T3 had the highest haemoglobin (20.46 pg) followed by T4 (20.34 pg), T1 had the least (19.80 pg) but still within the recommended range for layer hens for optimal performance. It is concluded that dried cocoyam corm meal (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) is an ideal ingredient in layer hens diets up to 15% inclusion level for good performance.&#x0D; Key words: Egg production, growth, haematology, proximate composition.