Identification of improved cassava varieties for early bulking appropriate for planting on tropical soils

Abstract

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a staple root crop grown in the tropical and other climates of Uganda. Cassava is an important storage root crop with largely undiscovered and potentially valuable crop variability importance in selecting suitable varieties for cassava productivity. The present study was aimed at identifying which improved cassava varieties bulk early and appropriate for planting on tropical soils basing on fresh storage root yield accumulated at the suggested time. Three cassava varieties were evaluated in a completely randomized design at NARO, Namulonge. Assessments were done from April to January 9 months after planting and their interactions, two were significantly different and two were not for the suggested cassava traits including root dry matter content, storage root mass, number and girth. The information generated will enlighten future breeding initiatives to develop early-bulking cassava varieties with other farmer preferred traits suitable on soils in Uganda