General
Production:
·
Cassava is a tropical and subtropical crop grown for the
root part and in some cases for young leaves.
·
Popular sweet varieties are: Tanganyika and Kapumba.
·
Popular bitter varieties are: Mweru, Chila, Kapolombo
and Bangweulu.
·
A well-managed Cassava crop will yield 5.5 to 9 tons per
Lima.
·
Recommended time of planting mid-November to
mid-December.
Land
Preparation/Soil Type:
·
Deep loose well drained loamy soils with a pH range from
4.5 to 7.5 is ideal.
·
Effective rooting depth is 100cm to 150cm. Deep plough
field and harrow.
·
500kg of dolomitic lime must be applied 30-60 days prior
to planting and harrowed in to the soil to make ridges where Cassava cuttings
will be planted.
Planting:
·
Plant the 20 to 50cm cuttings vertically inclined or horizontally
at 60cm between plants and 100cm between ridges/rows to give a plant population
of 10,000 plants/hectare.
Fertilizer
Programme:
·
At land preparation apply 500kg dolomitic lime per
hectare (more if soils are too acidic), (125kg/Lima).
·
30 days from planting apply Cassava Basal 30gm/station -
5cm away from the plant and 5cm deep (63kg/Lima).
·
90 days from planting top-dress using VegTop24 at 30gm/station
(63kg/Lima).
·
150 days from planting top-dress using VegTop24 at 30gm/station
(63kg/Lima).
·
Fertilizer must be applied 5cm away from the plant and
5cm deep followed by irrigation to make it available to the plants.
Management
Practices:
·
Weeds compete with
plants for nutrients and space; they can reduce yields by more than 25%. Keep
the field free from weeds at all times.
·
Aphids and Caterpillars are common insect pests that can
be controlled by spraying Malathion while Anthracnose is a common disease that
is controlled by copper sprays.
This is where
we will be ending our discussion for today. Remember to share your comments, views and opinions.
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