fred Dixon, Rasaq Salawu, Joseph Kwarteng
Starting
a
Cassava Farm
Starting
a
Cassava Farm
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
About this booklet
This booklet is one in a set of field guides prepared by the International Insti-
tute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to increase the technical knowledge of exten-
sion agents and enhance the integration of plant protection and plant produc-
tion practices in farmers efforts to grow a healthy crop of cassava. The booklet
is based largely on the extension and farmer training experience of the regional
project Ecologically Sustainable Cassava Plant Protection (ESCaPP), 1993
1997. ESCaPP was executed by IITAs Plant Health Management Division
(PHMD), in collaboration with national agricultural research and extension sys-
tems in Bénin, Cameroon, Ghana, and Nigeria, and funded by the Division of
Global and Interregional Programmes of the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP).
IITA is one of 16 nonprofit international agricultural research and training cen-
ters supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Re-
search (CGIAR). Their shared mission is the alleviation of hunger and poverty in
tropical developing countries by generating appropriate plant production and
protection technologies which benefit the poor and enhance agricultural pro-
duction while preserving the natural resource base. At IITA, PHMD is dedicated
to sustainable plant protection of primary food crops in Africa. The divisions
research philosophy is to identify and correct the ecological imbalances in agri-
cultural systems causing pest problems and to provide environmentally and
economically appropriate options for integrated pest management. (IPM)
For more information contact:
The Director
IITA Plant Health Management Division
Biological Control Center for Africa
08 B.P. 0932
Cotonou, Republic of Bénin
Fax: (229) 35 05 56
Tel: (229) 35 01 88
E-mail: IITA-benin@cgiar.org
Or visit IITAs website at: http://www.cgiar.org/iita Starting a Cassava Farm
IPM Field Guide for Extension Agents
Braima James
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Plant Health Management Division,
Cotonou, Bénin
John Yaninek
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Plant Health Management Division,
Cotonou, Bénin
Ambe Tumanteh
Institut de Recherche Agronomique et du Développement, Ekona, Cameroon
Norbert Maroya
Institut National des Recherches Agricoles du Bénin, Niaouli, Bénin
Rasaq Salawu
Ogun State Agricultural Development Project, Ogun State, Abeokuta, Nigeria
Alfred Dixon
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Crop Improvement Division, Ibadan,
Nigeria
Joseph A. Kwarteng
Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, University of Cape Coast,
Cape Coast, Ghana
© IITA 2000
ISBN 978-131-173-8
Printed in Nigeria by Wordsmithes Printers, Lagos Contents
What are the objectives of this guide? ------------------------------------------- 4
Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4
How do I select a good site for planting cassava? ------------------------------ 6
How do I improve the soil for planting cassava? ------------------------------- 8
How do I select the best cassava varieties to plant? -------------------------- 10
How do I select healthy cassava stem cuttings? ------------------------------- 12
How do I best plant cassava? ----------------------------------------------------- 16
Summary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19 5
IPM Field Guide
Starting a Cassava Farm
4
What are the objectives of this
guide?
This field guide has been prepared to help you
to: select good sites for cassava farms, improve soils for good cassava growth, select suitable cassava varieties for plant-
ing, and select, prepare, and plant healthy cassava
stem cuttings.
Introduction
Cassava is one of the most common food
crops grown and consumed in many parts of
Africa. The crop grows well in various soil
types and ecologies. It can be planted alone or
in association with many other crops, like
maize, groundnuts, vegetables, and rice. Grow-
ing cassava is not very labor intensive and usu-
ally requires 75125 person-days per hectare
from land preparation to harvesting. The stor-
age roots can be harvested 918 months after
planting. Under traditional farming practices,
one can expect between 8 and 15 tonnes of
storage roots per hectare of land planted only
with cassava. Even under harsh environmental
conditions cassava will provide some food
when other crops fail. In most places there is a
good market for cassava. The storage roots
can be processed into various food products
(Figures 1 and 2), and starch for domestic
consumption, local, and/or export markets.
Cassava leaves are nutritious vegetables (Fig-
ure 3). The leaves and storage roots can also
be used as animal feed. The stems can be sold
as planting material.
In order to grow a healthy crop of cassava
you will need to combine plant production
and plant protection practices. These include
site selection, soil improvement, variety and
planting material selection, and planting and
post-planting measures against weeds, pests,
and diseases. The companion field guides on
Weed Control in Cassava Farms, Pest Con-
trol in Cassava Farms, and Disease Control
in Cassava Farms cover specific details of
weeds, pests and diseases.
Figure 2:
Gari preparation
Figure 3:
Good cassava leaf
harvest
Figure 1:
Assorted
cassava products 7
IPM Field Guide
Starting a Cassava Farm
6
Figure 4: Testing soil texture by the feel
method
How do I select a good site for
planting cassava?
Cassava grows best in areas with deep and
well-drained loamy soils, adequate rainfall, and
warm and moist climatic conditions. The fac-
tors which guide you to determine if an area
will be suitable for growing cassava include veg-
etation cover, soil texture and fertility, topogra-
phy of land, and the field history of the area.
Look for an area with thick vegetation
cover: Sites with dense vegetation cover are
likely to have fertile soils. The dense vegetation
shades the soil from direct sunlight, reduces
the amount of moisture that is lost from the
soil through evaporation, and minimizes run-off
water which may otherwise cause soil erosion.
The dense vegetation also drops a lot of leaves
which rot and add nutrients to the soil. In addi-
tion, decaying leaves encourage an increase in
the number of earthworms and other small in-
vertebrates in the soil, which in turn help to
increase the air in the soil and make it better
for growing cassava.
Look for an area with good soil texture:
The best soil for growing cassava is deep,
loamy soil. Such soils are rich in nutrients, low
in gravel, hold water well, and are easy to work
or till. The way to tell if the soil is loamy is to
moisten a small amount of it and try to shape
it into a ball (Figure 4). If you press the ball and
it falls apart, then your soil is loamy. If it feels
gritty and you are not able to shape the
moistened soil into a ball, then the soil is
sandy. If you shape the soil into a ball, and the
soil does not fall apart when pressed, then the
soil contains a lot of clay and is a clayey soil.
Sandy and clayey soils are not the most suit-
able soils for growing cassava.
Look for an area with fertile soil: Fertile
soils usually have a dark color, for example,
dark red or dark brown. The dark color shows
that the soil has a lot of organic matter. If the
soil looks gray and sometimes contains green
or blue spots, it means that there is poor
drainage and waterlogging. Do not grow cas-
sava on soils that get waterlogged.
Look for an area with flat or gently slop-
ing land: The best farmland for cassava is flat
or gently sloping. Steep slopes are easily
eroded and are therefore not very good areas
for growing cassava. Valleys and depression ar-
eas are also not very suitable because they
usually get waterlogged and do not allow cas-
sava roots to develop well. You may, however,
plant early maturing cassava varieties on
mounds or ridges in inland valleys during the
dry season.
Know the history of the site: Information
such as how the land was previously used, and
the types of weeds, diseases, and pests in the
area, can help you in selecting a site for your
cassava farm. Such information can help you
to avoid a site with problems or make good
plans for plant protection. Table 1 can be used
to summarize the agronomic and cassava
plant protection history of a site.
For site description, tick (+) appropriate boxes.
For pests, diseases and weeds, indicate importance of the problem as:
+
=
not serious
++
=
serious
+++
=
very serious
Pests, diseases, and weeds
Table 1: Site description and history
Site description
Vegetation cover
Scanty
Dense natural fallow
Dense improved fallow
Soil texture
Sandy
Loamy
Clayey
Soil fertility
Poor
Good
Topography
Flat
Hilly/steep slopes
Depression area
Previous crop
Cassava
Yam
Sweetpotato
Rice
Maize
Sorghum
Cowpea/legumes
Other (specify)
Cassava pests in the locality
Cassava green mite
Cassava mealybug
Variegated grasshopper
Spiraling whitefly
Cassava root scale
Termites
White scale insects
Vertebrates
Other (specify)
Cassava diseases in the locality
Cassava mosaic disease
Cassava bacterial blight
Cassava anthracnose disease
Cassava bud necrosis
Root rots
Leaf spots
Other (specify)
Common weeds