Performance of two cassava varieties submitted to different spacings, grown in the cerrado region

Abstract

Cassava is the fourth culture in the world’s most important food productions and is the first in the tropical region. The average yield among cassava producers in Tocantins is of only 15 tons per hectare. Therefore, there is a dearth of information on the cassava, which makes necessary the performance of studies and evaluation of crop as for its characteristics. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of two cassava varieties (sweet and bitter), with different spacings. The experimental design was a factorial scheme 2 x 3 x 4, with two varieties, IAC 12 (bitter) and Cocoa (sweet) and three spacings (0.90 x 0.50 m), (0.90 x 0.70 m), (0.90 x 0.90 m) with four replications. The evaluated variables were: a) Plant height (AP), b) Root Weight (RW), c) Starch content (SC); d) Dry Matter of Root (DM); e) Determination of pH of the cassava mass. The values obtained were subjected to analysis of variance and the averages were compared by Tukey test at 5% of probability. The variety Cocoa grown under the three spacings was the one which better stood as for the plant height. Insofar as the spacing was increased, the production of dry mass of the roots decreased. The values of pH and starch content of the roots were not influenced by spacing and varieties. The spacing which better adjusted in function of the cassava roots productivity was the one of (0.9 x 0.7 m), which is a viable option to the producer, which can provide lower cost of cuttings per planted area and yield for the cultivation conditions in Tocantins.