Effect of Planting Land Forms and Orientation of Stem Cuttings on Yield of Cassava.

Abstract

To ascertain whether tillage land forms and orientation of cassava stem cuttings at planting affect yield, a factorial experiment comprising three landforms and three stem orientations were tested in 2010 and 2012 at Wenchi. The land forms were: (i) no till, (ii) mounds and (iii) ridges, while stem orientations comprised: (a) vertical, (b) horizontal and (c) inclined. The nine treatment combinations were replicated four times in a randomized complete block design (RCBD), and the test crop was the variety, Tekbankye. No till yielded a mean of 17.96 tonnes/ha in tuberous roots, while mounds gave 21.21 tonnes/ha and ridges yielded 23.35 tonnes/ha. Vertical cuttings averaged 21.06 tonnes/ha, horizontal ones gave 21.22 tonnes/ha and those inclined yielded 20.25 tonnes/ha. These yields were not significantly different at the 5% level. Similarly, landforms did not differ significantly in number of tuberous roots per hectare, averaging 357,000, but orientation was significant, with vertical cuttings giving 388,600, while horizontal and inclined cuttings gave 314,400 and 367,900 / ha, respectively. Vertical cuttings bore their tuberous roots deeper (about 60 cm) into the soil and were more compactly packed at the tips of the cuttings. They caused bruises and breakages at harvest and thereby reduced shelf life. Tuberous roots from the horizontal cuttings were about 25cm deep, and inclined cuttings were intermediate between the other two.