Roots and Tubers Better Farming 16
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better farming series 16 roots and tubers FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATtONS n -s titl h been published in is ries, d igned as hand ear in edi le I agricu I ining cou hey ay be pu as a s or as individual docu en . 1. The plant: the living plant; the root 2. The plant: the stem; the buds; the leaves 3. The plant: the flower 4. The soil: how the soil is made up 5. The soil: how to conserve the soil 6. The soil: how to improve the soil 7. C p rming 8. nimal husbandry: feeding and care of animals 9. nimal husband : animal diseases; how animals reproduce rm business survey 11. e b eding 12. heep and goat breeding 13. eping chic ns 14. Farming with animal power 15. ereals 16. oots and tubers 17. Groundnuts Bananas 19. arket gardening 2 . Upland rice 21. et paddy or swamp rice 22. ocoa 23. Coffee 24. The oil palm 25. The rubber tree 26. The modern farm business 1 by arrangement with lnstitut africain developpement economique 1B 8008, Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire ICULTURE THE Rome 1977 Fi 1 ISBN 92-5-100155-3 ©French edition, lnstitut africain pour le developpement economique et social (I NADES) 1970 ©English edition, FAQ 1977 original texts were prepa r an n environment is is naturally reflected in the English version. it is expected that many of the manuals the series - a list ich will be inside t II al training in ma other parts the world. s can be made the text where necessa owmg imat and ecological condition ications permission issue th manual in languages are Ico med. Such ions shou Id ad- dressed Di Publications ivision, Food and iculture Organization the nited Nations, a del Terme di Caracalla, 1 Rome, fta , author of this English version is M .J. Henderson, r Chief of the F itorial Branch. mememmmmmeemmememamesameaaeee 3 4 Descri Different kinds 5 IS grOwn? I Ill Ill m lill Ill Q Ill m g e El m e D D £1 l!I m m m m 6 grow 1!1 'II Iii g 1!1 1!1 111 m B Q O a S 1!1 m m 111 111 1!1 D 0 a G 0 & 1!1 7 The place cassava in a crop rotation ....... , . 7 Preparing the ii cassava .... , , . 7 H to propagate cassava ....... , . , . , , ... , , , , 9 H to plant cassava, ....... , , ....... , , , , , , , 10 Looking the plantation .. , . , . , .. , .. , , . , . , 11 How to harvest and store cassava. , ........... , , 15 The use in food m m Ill Ill £1 Iii m e 0 m m m m m l!I l!I m m m m £1 m 17 Fresh cassava and cassava paste ............... , 17 Dried cassava and cassava flour .......... , . 17 Cooked cassava flours ............... , . 18 Starch and tapioca. 18 Cassava Ieaves . , . , . , . , . 19 • Description the plant , .... , , ............. There are many varieties yam ....... , ...... Where are ms grown? ...... , . , ............ , How to grow ms m m m Iii Iii Iii m· 12 a 0 • m m m m m = m l!I e 0 " e m Ill ... "' The place of yams in a crop rotation. , ........ , . How prepare the soil for yams ............. ow to propagate yams. 31 How to plant yams ... , .................... Looking after the plantation ..... , . , , ........ , arvesting and storing yams ........ , ....... , . 1 In r Ill l.!I G O 6 e £l 1/J W 9 6 a l:l S a liil l!I S O 0 • 41 ? a l!I a Iii ill a a Iii 1il e Ill e a a 41 potatoes a fill Ill a !II a a Iii Iii Ill a m l.!I a e Iii a l.!I Ill a Propagation of sweet potatoes ... , , . , , . , , , , ... , ing the plantation , , . , , , , , .... , , , , . , Yields of sweet and ng , , , , , , , , , , , , Sweet potatoes in human ption the e l!I G O D II Iii m C a Cl Iii 9 Ill a O a ll G Ill Iii ia or Xanthosoma , , , , , . , , .. , . , . , , .. , . , , , ro or cocoyam (Colocas/g)@ • . , , . , .... , . , , , . , 51 Where are tan ia and taro grown? .. , , , , , , , .. , , , . How grow tania Propagating Ill Ill Ill to ll e Ill e Ill Iii Ill Iii Iii a a m Ill a Ill a Q Ill JII a D II e II) G l!I Iii Planti Iii 111 !'I Ill tD am a e Ill ma a e Iii a Iii Iii Ill a Ill Ill Iii a Ill Ill Ill Iii Iii Ill ma Iii Ill ing after the plantation , , . , . , , , , . , ... , ... arvest1ng Ill a m Ill m Ill a a a Ill Iii a a e Iii Ill a Iii e Ill Iii a Ill Ill e • Iii Ill Ill a Ill e Storing the tube Tania and in human • 2 iefly and tube that is, inclu such as beans, peas, .Bambarra groundnuts, groundnuts, as sorghu millet, maize, their cereal • such sorghum, millet, mai 10. In th booklet we shall deal only th the main and tuberous plants ich are grown as food crops in that i cassava, sweet tania and taro ). potato, which is ai a tuber, will be dealt th in another booklet. 3 It has i origin in South America and is n dely grown in tropical its base the plant consists of one or more stems 2 3 centimetres in diameter; usually each stem divides into ree branches, each branch in rn divides into three, and on. When a is cu the sap that flows is ite and looks mu like milk. Inside the stem is pith. The stem cassava is n hard; it is easi broken by a strong wind. Cassava have a long stalk and a much divided leaf-blade. The leaf veins are green or red. yam leaf rs it continue ant. con n a great deal these are inly b the Before giving cassava to people or · animals, I L."--'JLIII .... 5 a If ly. a II ra1 the yield smalL stems are n gh and d I h t cassava best in ii that is permeable, n too compact, m ich air and water circulate well. the fatten up and do not rot. Besides the fat roots that store many Ii roots take water and mineral sal from the soiL a the field is very poor and must be left fallow. 6 i exam e, first mai o ndnu are then pl ins are pl ted, and finally cassava, In some places, cassava is planted at the same time as or after, The cassava cuttings. are m sides the moun In other places, i is between the cassava an or beans, fonio or ndnuts. develop well, cassava need I by the hoe or pl gh. So II to or centimetres, so that the can get well down. After tilling, at the beginning of the rai season, make or This breaks up the soil and it stores up water; the roots have plenty of loose earth in which to develop. 7 manure Centrosema them a· I ittle before the rams, and dig them in after 5 18 These organic manures enrich with organic matter and mineral To plete the manuri you can apply m containing nitrogen, !Um. 1 1 The use of mineral fertilizers may be profitable if the farmer sells the cassava to: gari or tapioca factor-ies .. Many . experiments made in Ghana and Nigeria have shown that yields per hectare are increased chiefly by nitrogen fertilizers such as ammonium sulphate (21 %nitrogen), urea (46% nitrogen) and phosphorus fertilizers such as single superphosphate (16 to 20% phosphoric acid), triple superphosphate (46% phosphoric acid) and ground natural phosphate (20 to 40% phosphoric acid). Potassium fertilizers such as potassium chloride (60% potassium) and potassium sulphate (50% potassium} have a [ess marked effect. However, the yield of cassava falls greatly when the soil lacks potassium fertilizers. If the farmer applies fertilizers and looks after his plantation well, the yield of cassava reaches 25 to 65 tons per hectare. 8 d. be . m. Cut each stem i There should be 6 growth buds Each stem can be made i 4 5 cuttings. 9 ece season. r stra or slanting. earth, ieavi 3 bu .~.· \:.: ..... Then the roots that develop will be well nourished by the soiL Usually the rows are 1 to 1.5 metres apart, and the plants 1 metre apart. With this spacing, there are between 7 000 and 10 cassava plants to the hectare. But the number of cuttings to the hectare varies with region 1 soil and variety. If cassava is planted at the right density, the yield is heavy; the roots occupy all the soil and fewer weeds grow, so that fewer cultivations are needed. 10 L E an big e ng. n break it up so to nouri L F IS Cassava is often attacked at cal led d El::P:::ll•l;;:P Leaves plants attacked mosaic look as though crumpled, and show Iight spots. If the attack is serious, yields a sharply reduced. 11 di d d • ths and give they are no r human 1s means a plant cassav in a pl that is often fl If a cassava field is flooded """'C!\ro the bers are al must get the nd ve quick! rot 12 L F P • tis, and rabbi are the chief rodents that may cause great damage in a field of cassava. These animals eat the stems, the young shoots, and especially the roots. Other animals such as the wild boar and the pig are equally damaging to cassava. They are very fond of it, and with their powerful snouts they push over the plants and dig up large quantities of roots. by putting poison in the fields, by laying traps, or by digging deep-ditches round the cassava plantations.