Its cultivation needs little labour input so it is cheap to produce.Ĭassava is a benchmark for food security, because it is affordable by the poor. Sweet varieties have the defensive cyanide cells near the surfaces of the roots so they must be thoroughly peeled down until it is all a dense white colour.Ĭassava is an important source of starchy food in tropical regions. These varieties must be treated by shredding, pressing and washing to get rid of the cyanide, then processed into flour and tapioca balls that become like jelly in drinks and deserts. The bitter varieties are very productive, but contain defensive cells that contain bitter cyanide in the roots. The two main varieties are the potentially toxic bitter varieties and the safer sweet varieties. It may have come from the drier parts of Mexico or Brazil and been first cultivated by the Maya people. Muk shu (wood potato) in China, munsumpalung in Thailand and tapiok in Papua New Guinea.Ĭassava is not found in the wild so its origin is known. The common names include cassava, manihot, manioc, mandioc tapioca, tapioka, and mandioca in Brazil and Paraguay, yuca in South America, ubi singkong in India, ubi kayu (stick yam) in Malaysia, Most varieties of cassava are diploid with 2n chromosome number = 36, but some triploid and tetraploid high yielding varieties exist. Latex occurs in all parts of the plant and a related species Manihot glaziovii was formerly used in commercial rubber plantations to make rubber. ( Hevea brasiliensis) castor oil ( Ricinus comunis) and ornamentals, e.g. Good yields can be obtained on heavily cropped soils so cassava is suitable as the last crop in a rotation.ĭuring drought, cassava stops growing and drops its leaves, but it usually recovers well after new rain.Īsk an agriculture extension officer to recommend a suitable variety for the cassava project.Ĭassava has the scientific name, Manihot esculenta and is in the Family Euphorbiaceae, the spruce family, which includes natural rubber The aim of this project is not to grow a large area of cassava, but to grow a small area so students can easily watch it growing and keep it free of weeds.Ī good size for a cassava garden is 10 m long and 2 m wide, with 32 cassava plants, 60 × 120 cm apart.ĭouble digging is needed to make the soil soft and to kill the weeds.Ī light sandy soil best with good drainage, but almost any soil type can be used except salty or waterlogged soils. It has its origin in South America and is now widely grown in tropical Africa. However, thorough cooking denatures the harmful toxins to make it safe to eat. Manihot esculenta variegata, Cassava (variegated), Daleys Fruit Tree NurseryĬassava is a shrub to about 1-3m, thin stems, large palm-shaped leaves, with high yield of tuberous roots, the main part that is eaten, but also its leaves are edible vegetables.Ī most productive use of subsistence land, but all cassava is poisonous containing hydrocyanic acid, with the more toxic varieties. Manihot esculenta, Cassava, Daleys Fruit Tree Nursery Grow cassava and make tapioca balls for deserts.Ģ0.0 Uses of cassava and cassava products
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