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Growing cassavaA guide to good agricultural practices

Produced by Christian Rural Aid Network (CRAN) and Africare for agricultural extension officers in Ghana - January 2014For more information, contact CRAN. P.O. Box UC 97, Cape Coast, C/R, Ghana.Tel. +233-3321-33572 Mobile: +233 20 201 9399

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1. Land preparation

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A good cassava site should:•Havedeeploamysoilswithmediumtohighfertility.Cassavadoesnotgrowwellinclayeyorstonysoilsorinsoilslessthan30cmdeep

•Bewell-drained•Beflatorgentlysloping

Prepare land to•removestumpsandbushes•controlweeds•getagoodseedbedandimprovesoilcontactwithstemcuttings

Landcanbepreparedby1. ploughingusingatractor,hand-heldhoeorusinganox-

drawnplough.Ifthesoiliswaterlogged,makingmoundsorridgesof0.3mhigh,spacedat1mapartimprovesdrainage

2. slashing down tall weeds:Slashorweed-nottoburn.Slashedweedsspreadonthefarmhelptotrapsoilmoisture,managesoilerosionandtohelpcontrolweeds.Withtimetheweedsrotandaddnutrientsasgreenmanure.Thisimprovessoilfertility.Afterslashing,plantcassavadirectlyintothedeadweedswithoutploughingtheland

3. spraying: Ifweedsareshort(lessthanknee-high),sprayapre-plantingherbicidelikeGlyphosate (Roundup)/Paraquat (Gramoxone).Usingpre-plantingherbicidessavesonlabourcostsduringweedingbyreducingthenumberofweedingsbeforecanopyclosurefromabout5to2

To improve soil fertility, you can add manure such as cow dung orpoultry droppings during land preparation.

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2. Stem selection

20-25 cm

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Plant improved certified cassava materials.Thesematurefaster,givegoodyieldsandaremoretoleranttomajorpestsanddiseases.ThecommonvarietiesintheVoltaregionareAfisiafi, Bankyehema, AgbelifiaandEsambankye.

Choosehealthystemsfromplantsthathaveminimalstemandleafdamageandarefreefromsignsofattackbydiseases.Selectthehardwoodportionofstemcuttings-notfromtopgreenstemsorthebottomportionsofplants.

Cuttingsshouldbe•atleast20-25cmlongand2cmthick•clean-cutandnotsplintered

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3. Planting

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•Plantfreshcuttingsataspacingof1mbetweenrows.Withinrows,spacetheplantsat1mapart.Youneedabout

10,000plantsperhectare

•Correctspacingisgoodforbettercropgrowth,easierweedingandreducesthespreadofpestsanddiseases.Spacingthatistoofarapartbetweenthecassavaplantsleadstoincreasedweedcompetitionandpooryields

•Formorecompactlyarrangedroots,plantcassavacuttingsatananglewith2/3ofthecuttingbelowthesoilsurface,andabout1/3abovetheground

•Followinggoodagronomicpracticeswhenplantingcanensurebetterqualityandquantityofcassavayields

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5. Field management

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•Weedscompetewithcassavaforwater,light,spaceandnutrients.Thisaffectsyieldsbyreducingcanopydevelopmentandrootbulking

•Cuttingsthatdonotsproutwithin3to4weeksofplantingshouldberemovedandreplacedimmediately

• New cuttings should be planted in new holes

•Thefirstweedingisdone3to4weeksafterplanting.Secondweedingcanbedone8to12weeksafterplanting;andthethirdweedingat20to24weeksafterplanting

•Weedingcanbebyhandorbyapplyingpost-emergenceherbicideslikeGlyphosate(Roundup)orParaquat(Gramoxone)maybeappliedtokillweedsthatemerge.Donotallowweedstoflower

• Take precaution when spraying herbicides, especially to protect the crop during its early stages

•Tomaximizeyieldandreduceweedsinyournextcrop,controlweedsincassavafromplantingtoharvest.

•Apply12bagsof50kgeachofNPK(15-15-15)perhectare

•Applyin‘half-moon’aroundthestemoftheplant

•ApplyonethirdoftheNPKfertilizerat4to6weeksafterplanting(Thisisthesameas1heapedtablespoonor20grammesperplant).ApplytheremainingNPKat8to10weeksafterplanting.(Thisisthesameas2-heapedtablespoonsor40grammesperplant)

•Applyingallfertilizertooearlymayleadtoincreasedlossesoffertilizer

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Mealy bug African Cassava Mosaic Virus

Variegated grasshopper Cassava Bacterial Blight

6. Common pests & diseases

Termite damage Anthracnose disease

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•Takecareofthecropsbylookingoutforpestsanddiseases

•MajordiseasesattackingcassavaareAfricanCassavaMosaicVirus,CassavaBacterialBlight,CassavaAnthracnoseDiseaseandRootRot.Mealybug,greenmite,termiteandvariegatedgrasshoppersarethemajorinsectpestsofcassava

•Pestsanddiseasescanbecontrolledbyplantingcleanhealthystemcuttings.

•Removingandburningdiseasedplantsalsohelpstoreducethespreadofdiseases.Pestsreducethegrowthandyieldofcassava

•Seekadviceonpestcontrolfromextensionstaff

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7. Harvesting & storage

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Harvesting •Harvestcassavaassoonasthetubersarematured.Delayedharvestingmayresultinfibrousorrottencassavaroots

•Whentoharvestisdeterminedbythecassavavariety,climateandsoilfactors.Harvestearlymaturingvarietiesbetween9-12monthsafterplanting;andlateseasonvarietiesbetween12-18monthsafterplanting.

•Cutoffthetoppartofthestem,removetherootscarefullyfromthesoilbyhand

Storing cassava roots and stems•Harvestedcassavarootscannotbestoredforlong.Theystarttoreduceinquality2to3daysafterharvest.Harvestonlyasneedarisesinordertoreducewastage

•Storefreshrootsinthegroundorinmoistsawdustordipinwater,andthenpackinpolysackfittedintoawetcocoasackandtiethebagtightly.Youcanalsostorepeeledrootsinapolythenebagandtheninarefrigerator

•Donotstorebruisedroots.Separatethemfromthehealthyrootsbeforestorage

•Storeonlymaturehealthystems.Tiethestemsintobundlesandstoreuprightunderatree;orstorestemsuprightinpitsunderatreeandapplywaterwheneverthesoilbecomesdry