CASSAVA PRODUCTION

TECHNOLOGY

UPDATES

ALGERICO M. MARISCAL

Professor/Plant Breeder

Cassava Program Leader

PhilRootcrops, VSU, Visca, Baybay City, Leyte

Cassava is an introduced crop from Latin America most likely via Indonesia or Malaysia (often called as Java and Singapore in some areas of the country).

Major source of starch in the 70’s.

Brief exportation of dried chips

occurred in the 80’s. Is used as energy source in feeds and

alternative source of alcohol since the 90’s.

Introduction

• Grows in areas where other crops may have difficulties in growing

• Can survive long dry spell after 3 months of establishment

• Not tolerant to shading

• Can accumulate more carbohydrates per unit time than any other crops.

The Cassava Plant

•A perennial but treated as annual

•For starch, needs to grow at least 8

months in the field

•Can easily give yield of 20-30 mt/ha

when provided with appropriate care

(good seedpieces, fertilizer and

weeding

•Can easily “mix” with other crops

•Starch content of cassava is about 23% on the average

•In dried chips form, starch content is about 60-65%

•Theoritically, a ton of dried cassava can provide about 400 liters of ethanol while a ton of fresh cassava can provide about 160 liters of ethanol

Supplemental source of carbohydrates in food system dominated by other commodities.

Can also serve as as source of cash income and raw materials for processed products for rural and urban consumption.

Role of cassava in developing

country food system

1. Contract growing

2. Contract marketing

3. Non-committed produce,

selling directly to market or

assembler

MARKETING MODE

1. Fresh roots for food

2. Fresh roots for starch

3. Fresh roots and granulated dried

for feeds

4. Dried chips for feeds and alcohol

COMMON PRODUCT FORMAT

Uses of Cassava Alcohol

Cassava is also used to produce

liquor, industrial and medicinal school

Animal Feed

Cassava is one of the ingredients for

animal compounding

Food

Cassava starch is widely used in food

production such as instant noodles,

tapioca pearl and seasoning sauce

Textile

Cassava is used in yarn sizing and

material planting

Glue

Cassava is an important material in

making quality glues

Plywood

Good quality glue for plywood

binding is made from cassava

Monosodium Glutamates

Cassava is a prime raw material for

making MSG

Sweetener

Cassava is used to make glucose,

fructose, lactose, substitute for

sucrose in making beverages, jams

and canned fruits

Medicine

Cassava is used to mix with active

pharmaceutical materials to make

capsules and tablets

Paper

Cassava is used in paper

pressing, flattening and polishing

Cassava

Chips/Pellets

Cassava Starch

Biodegradable Products

Cassava starch can be mixed with

biodegradable polymer to produce a

packaging material

Cassava is one of the ingredients for

animal compounding

Cassava is also used to produce

liquor, industrial and medicinal

school

Cassava starch is widely used in food

production such as instant noodles,

tapioca pearl and seasoning sauce

Cassava is a prime raw material for

making MSG

Cassava is used to make glucose,

fructose, lactose, substitute for sucrose

in making beverages, jams and canned

fruits

Cassava is used to mix with active

pharmaceutical materials to make

capsules and tablets

Cassava is an important material in

making quality glues

Cassava starch can be mixed with

biodegradable polymer to produce a

packaging material

Good quality glue for plywood

binding is made from cassava

1. Cassava have broad adaptability that allows it to produce even under unfavorable growing conditions such as drought and poor soils.

2. It can produce edible roots even with

minimal inputs.

3. These and other features endow cassava with special capacity to contribute to food security, equity, poverty alleviation, and environmental protection.

Ecological adaptation

4. It grows in areas ranging from humid (>2000 mm annual rainfall) to semi-arid (500-750 mm) condition.

5. Grows at various altitude though altitude less than 1000 m is more favorable for most varieties.

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Jan Mar May Jul Sep Nov

Ra

infa

ll (

mm

)

0

5

10

15

20

Area Rainfall

Relationship between rainfall pattern and time of planting

NSIC RECOMMENDED CASSAVA

VARIETIES:

•There are 47 cassava varieties now registered

in NSIC for production

•23 varieties developed by PhilRootcrops

•24 varieties developed by IPB UPLB

Variety Name Ave. yield

(ton/ha)

Dry

matter

Starch

(%)

HCN Use

1. NSIC Cv-21 (SM 818-1) 28.2 38.2 27.6 moderat S, Fe

2. NSIC Cv-22 (KU-50) 31.3 38.0 38.0 modrate S, Fe, Fd

3. NSIC Cv-23 (OMR 33-12-3) 26.1 38.9 28.5 modrate S, Fe

4. NSIC Cv-24 (OMR 33-12-7) 24.1 38.0 27.2 modrate Fd, S

5. NSIC Cv-28 (OMR 36-05-09 29.1 40.1 30.1 low Fd, Fe, S

6. NSIC Cv-30 (CMR25-105-

112)

32.4 40.1 29.4 low Fd, Fe, S

7. NSIC Cv-32 (CM 9165-17) 31.4 38.0 29.1 low Fd, Fe, S

8. NSIC Cv-34 (CM 9175-25 31.5 41.9 32.8 modrate S, Fe, Fd

9. NSIC Cv-35 (CMR 37-24-1) 42.3 39.0 29.1 modrate S, Fe, Fd

10.NSIC Cv-36 (OMR 36-62-03 31.5 41.8 27.5 modrate S, Fe

11.NSIC Cv-38 (SM 2065-2) 32.3 39.2 27.8 modrate S, Fe, Fd

12.NSIC Cv-43 (OMR 40-40-03 38.2 39.8 26.9 modrate Fl, S,Fe

13. NSIC Cv-44 (CMR 39-50-18 29.7 41.4 28.6 modrate Fl, S, Fe

14. NSIC Cv-45 (OMR 39-48-2 31.0 41.5 30.1 modrate Fl, S, Fe

Table 1. Cassava varieties release for cultivation from PhilRootcrop

since 2002 to 2007)

Table 2. Selected cassava varieties for food

Variety Ave. yield

(ton/ha)

Dry

Matter

(%)

Starch

Content

(%)

HCN

1. UPL Ca-2 (Lakan 1) 33.7 36.4 25 low

2.VCv-2 (CMC 40) 40.2 33.0 20.3 low

3. PSB Cv-13 (CMP 62-15) 26.4 34.8 22.8 low

4. PSB Cv-16 (CMP-32-10) 33.6 33.4 20.8 low

5. NSIC Cv-28 (LSU Cv-14) 29.1 40.1 30.1 low

6. NSIC Cv-29 (Rajah 1) 27.7 36.5 25.1 low

7. NSIC Cv-30 (Rayong 5)

8. NSIC Cv-32 (LSU Cv-16)

32.4

31.4

40.1

38.0

29.4

30.1

low

low

9. NSIC Cv-39 (Rajah 3) 37.0 37.9 27.1 low

10. NSIC Cc-42 (Rajah 4) 33.4 38.5 28.1 low

Table 3. Selected NSIC Registered Cassava varieties for industrial use

Variety

Average

yield

(t/ha)

Dry

Matter

(%)

Starch

Content

(%)

HCN

1. NSIC Cv-22 (KU-50) 31.3 38.0 27.0 Moderate

2. NSIC Cv-34 (LSU Cv-17) 31.5 42.9 32.8 Moderate

3. NSIC Cv-35 (LSU Cv-18) 42.3 39.0 29.1 Moderate

4. NSIC Cv-38 (LSU Cv-20) 32.3 39.2 27.8 Moderate

5. NSIC Cv-40 (Sultan 10) 40.7 37.6 26.8 Moderate

6. NSIC Cv-43 (LSU Cv-21) 38.2 39.8 26.9 Moderate

7. NSIC Cv-44 (LSU Cv-22)

8. NSIC Cv-45 (LSU Cv-23)

29.7

29.5

41.4

43.6

28.6

30.1

Moderate

Moderate

9. NSIC Cv-46 (Sultan 12)

10.NSIC Cv-41 (Sultan 11)

42.8

35.4

39.5

39.2

26.4

29.2

Moderate

Moderate

NSIC Cv-22 (KU-50)

Fresh yield (t/ha) = 33.3

Dry yield (t/ha) = 13.5

Dry matter (%) = 40.5

Starch content (%)= 29.4

HCN = Moderate

Flesh color = white

Maturity = 10-12 mos

NSIC Cv-30 (Rayong 5)

Fresh yield (t/ha) = 32.4

Dry yield (t/ha) = 12.6

Dry matter (%) = 39.0

Starch content (%)= 29.4

HCN = Low

Flesh color = White

Maturity = 10-12 mos

NSIC CV-22 (KU-50)

NSIC CV-30 (Rayong 5)

NSIC Cv-33 (Sultan 8)

Fresh yield (t/ha) = 37.2

Dry yield (t/ha) = 15.5

Dry matter (%) = 41.7

Starch content (%)= 30.6

HCN content = low

Flesh color = white

Maturity = 10-12 mos.

NSIC Cv-34 (LSU Cv-17)

Fresh yield (t/ha) = 31.5

Dry yield (t/ha) = 13.2

Dry matter (%) = 41.9

Starch content (%) = 32.8

HCN content = Low

Flesh color = white

Maturity = 10-12 mos.

NSIC Cv-35 (LSU Cv-18)

Fresh yield (t/ha) = 42.3

Dry yield (t/ha) = 16.9

Dry matter (%) = 40.0

Starch content (%)= 29.1

HCN content = Moderate

Flesh color = White

Maturity = 10-12 mos

NSIC Cv-45 (LSU Cv-23)

Fresh yield (t/ha) = 31.0

Dry yield (t/ha) = 13.5

Dry matter ( %) = 41.5

Starch content (%) = 30.1

HCN content = Moderate

Flesh color = Yellow

Maturity = 10-12 mos

Cassava production

technologies

Characteristic Optimum range Marginal range

Slope

Soil drainage

Soil texture

Salinity

pH

Calcium

carbonate

content

0 – 8%

Well drained

Silt loam to clay

loam

0-2 mmho/cm

5.2 – 7.0

0-1%

8 – 15%

Moderately

Sandy loam to

kaolinitic clay

2-4 mmho/cm

4.5 – 8.2

1-10%

Source : PCARRD Bul 19-A

Table 1. Soil Characteristics for Cassava

Production

Method of Land Preparation Yield (ton/ha)

Ridge

Flat

Flat + hilling-up

28.57

30.33

28.24

Table 2. Effect of Land Preparation on

Yield of Cassava

0

40

80

120

160

1 2 3 4 5 6

Ac

cu

mu

lati

ve

dry

so

il lo

ss

(t/

ha

)

1 plow + 2 harrow

1 plow

No tillage

Planting holes

2 plow + 2 harrow + ridge

Effect of various methods of land preparation to erosion in

cassava grown on 25 and 15% slopes in Hainan island of

China, 1992.

Length of cutting

Root yield

(ton/ha)

No. of

Branche

s

Harvest

index

Whole stem

Half of the whole

stem

Short (25 cm)

17.8

21.7

34.8

3.7

2.6

1.4

.30

.37

.50

Table 3. Effect of length of stem

cutting on cassava

Age of Cuttings

(months)

Survival (%)

4

6

8

10

12

53

93

95

97

97

Table 4. Effect of age of cassava cuttings

on plant survival

Table 5. Effect of storage duration on growth and yield of

cassava. Cuttings were treated with fungicides

before storage

Storage

duration (days)

Sprouting

(%)

Weight of tops

(ton/ha)

Weight of roots

(ton/ha)

0 100 a 33 a* 25 b

60 100 a 32 ab 30 a

120 100 a 30 b 24 b

180 98 b 29 b 27 ab

•Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different

•Source: D. Leihner, CIAT, 1980

Planting Position Germination

percentage

Total yield

(ton/ha)

Horizontal

Inclined

Vertical

LSD = .05

96.66

96.66

97.33

20.7

25.0

29.6

Table 6. Effect of planting position on

yield and germination of cassava

Planting Depth (cm)

Tuber yield (t/ha)

5

10

15

18.0

16.2

13.2

Table 7. Effect of planting depth of

cassava on yield

Spacing (cm x cm)

Plants/ha

Yield (ton/ha)

60 x 60

60 x 100

80 x 100

100 x 100

120 x 120

27,777

16,666

12,500

10,000

6,944

26.63

27.39

28.12

29.42

25.55

Table 8. Effect of spacing of yield of

cassava

Weed control

method

Effectiveness

(%)

Yield

(tons/ha)

No weeding

Manual (hand or

implement)

Chemical

0

100

99

0.75

19.36

27.92

Table 9. Effect of weed control on yield

of cassava

Nutrient Rate of nutrient

(kg/ha)

Fertilizer equivalent

(kg/ha)

N

P

K

50 – 100

50 – 75

75 - 120

250-500 ammosol or

111-222 urea

250-375

superphosphate

125-200 muriate of

potash

Table 10. Fertilization guide for cassava

production

Treatment Tuber yield (t/ha)

Cassava

Cassava + cowpea

Cassava + corn

Cassava + sweetpotato

LSD

29.7

23.2

17.7

15.4

6.5

Table 11. Effect of intercropping on

yield of cassava

Treatment

Corn yield

(ton/ha)

Cassava yield

(ton/ha)

Cassava alone

Corn alone

Cassava + 1 corn/m

Cassava + 2 corn/m

Cassava + 3 corn/m

-

1.72

1.44

1.24

1.57

26.4

-

18.2

12.8

4.7

Table 12. Effect of intercrop density

on yield of cassava

Cropping Yield (tons/ha)

1st

2nd

3rd

40.6

37.6

25.6

Table 13. Effect of continuous

cropping on yield of cassava

0

10

20

30

40

1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998

Cassava r

oo

t yie

ld (

t/h

a0

Effect of N, P and K application on cassava yield s during 19 years of

continuous cropping in Khon Kaen, Thailand. N1, P1 and K1 correspond

to applications of 50 kg/ha of N, P2O5 and K2O, respectively.

Figure 2. Decline in fresh root yields due to continuous cultivation without

fertilizers in three soil series in Thailand.

Source: Sittibusaya, 1993; Howeler, 1995.

Cas

sava

root

yie

ld (

t/ha)

= Sattahip

= Huaipong

= Korat 5

10

15

20

25

30

0 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990

Crop year

Average fresh and dry root yield , as well as the amount

of nutrients removed when cassava roots or the whole

plant is harvested based on data from the literature.

Plant part

Yield (t/ha)

Fresh Dry

Nutrient

removal

N

P

K

Ca

Mg

Roots

Whole plant

Roots

Whole plant

Roots

Whole plant

28.87

28.87

28.87

11.43

18.99

11.43

18.99

11.43

18.99

Kg ha-1

Kg t-1

fresh

roots

Kg t-1

dry

roots

67.1

179.5

2.32

6.22

5.87

15.70

11.2

22.7

0.39

0.79

0.98

1.99

88.1

156.1

3.05

5.41

7.71

13.66

13.5

81.8

0.47

2.83

1.18

7.16

7.9

25.8

0.27

0.89

0.69

2.26

Techonology for traditional

cassava-growing areas

1. Good soil preparation

2. Selection and treatment of planting materials

3. Planting at the beginning of the rainy season

4. Planting 20 cm stakes in a vertical position with buds

facing up

5. Planting on ridges where soil are heavy and rainfall

is more than 1200 mm/year.

6. Planting 10,000 stakes per hectare unless the

different areas indicates a different population

CIAT Recommendation

Universal Practices for Good

Cassava Production

1.Selection of healthy and mature

planting materials

2. Planting time

3. Good weed control

Intercropping!

Growing two or more crop species at the same land in the same period of time.

Mixed intercropping

Row intercropping

Relay intercropping

Strip intercropping

Row intercropping: the simultaneous growing of two or more crop species in an regular arrangement, i.e., with a well-defined plating pattern

Sweetpotato is planted in between rows of cassava

Cassava field intercrop with sweetpotato

Mixed intercropping: the simultaneous growing of two or more crop species in an irregular arrangement, i.e., without a well-defined plating pattern

Mixed intercropping is most common in cassava growing areas especially under rain-fed condition

Relay intercropping: Planting one or more crops within an established crop in a way that the final stage of the first crop coincides with the initial development of other crops

Strip intercropping: the simultaneous growing of two or more crop species in strips wide enough to allow independent cultivation but, at the same time, sufficiently narrow to include crop interactions

Disadvantages of Intercropping!

Reduce possibility for mechanization (i.e. at

planting and harvesting)

May be more difficult fertilizers and pesticides application

More complicated management of crops

Degree of interference among crop components (competition)

Advantages of Intercropping!

Better satisfaction of food (dietary) variability

To provide diversity of crops

Higher yield stability and less risk

Better control of diseases and pests

Reduce weed competition

Conserve soil (soil erosion) and water

More efficient use of labor and land resources

Higher gross return per unit area of land

Summary

• Cassava if given all the necessary cultural

management practices would in return

give the potential yield that could help in

bridging the gap of the need for food and

industry.

•Continue to develop new cassava varieties intended to

specific use such as for food, feed, and fuel

•Breeding for important characters to address climate change

•Integrated soil management to address sustainable cassava

production

•Integrated pest and disease management

•Multisectoral collaboration in the providing feedstuff to

industry, such as bioethanol, starch and feed

•Joint government and private sector efforts in technology

transfer

Research Direction and Support

The potential of root and tubers in the years to

come:

“Root and tuber crops have myriad and complex roles to play

in feeding the world in the coming decades. By 2020, roots

and tubers will be integrated into emerging markets through

the efficient and environmentally sound production of a

diversified range of high-quality, competitive products for food,

feed and industry. These crops’ adaptation to marginal

environments, their contribution to household food security,

and their great flexibility in mixed farming systems make them

an important component of a targeted strategy that seeks to

improve the welfare of the rural poor. We estimate that by 2020

well over two billion people in Asia, Africa and Latin America

will use root and tubers for food, feed and income. Many of

these people will be among the poorest of the poor.”

(Scott et al. 2000)

THANK YOU VERY MUCH