Characteristics of High Yielding Cassava Varieties

Abstract

SUMMARYForty different cultivars of cassava were grown in unreplicated plots at a plant population of 20,000 plants/ha in fertile soil. Harvests were taken at 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 months after planting 18 varieties. The characteristics of the two highest yielding varieties, M Colombia 113 (66 t/ha) and M Colombia 22 (32 t/ha), were compared with the other types. M Colombia 22 is an early type (25 t/ha after 6 months) with a very high harvest index; M Colombia 113 yields little better than average 6 months after planting. High yield is associated with a balance between leaf production and root production, so that leaf area index does not decline excessively in the later growth stages. Changing canopy structure is unlikely to increase yields.