Effects of Planting Time and Harvest Age on Cassava (<i>Manihot esculenta</i>) in Northern Australia. I. Crop Growth and Yield in Moist Environments

Abstract

SUMMARY A range of planting times, with sequential harvests to age 24 months, was used to determine crop growth and yield of cassava at two locations, one having a humid tropical climate and the other humid sub-tropical. Yield was doubled during the second year at the sub-tropical site. At the tropical site yield was very high after one year, but root rots occurred in the second year. The dry matter percentage of storage roots fluctuated seasonally and was highest during the cooler months when canopy vigour was lowest. Known or inferred environmental controls of the yield-determining factors of growth rate, growth duration, and partitioning to harvestable organs were used to interpret the results and thus derive guidelines for timing of planting and harvesting in moist environments.