EFFECT OF TILLAGE, CROPPING SYSTEM AND FERTILIZER ON ROOT ROT AND YIELD COMPONENTS OF CASSAVA (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

Abstract

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is regarded as a subsistence crop of low-income families or as a famine-reserve crop that is affected by root rot disease which affects its yield component. This study was carried out to evaluate the
effect of tillage, planting system and fertilizer application on cassava root rot and yield component. The cassava variety used was TME 419. Cassava roots showing symptoms of rot disease were collected from the experimental field in FUNAAB. There were two (2) tillage levels (flat and ridge), two (2) cropping systems (sole cassava and cassava intercropped with maize), two (2) fertilizer levels (Control and NPK 15-15-15). The experiment was laid in split-split plot design with four replications. The main plot was tillage; sub plot was planting system, while the sub-sub was fertilizer. Data were taken on number of good roots, number of bad roots, number of small roots, weight of small roots (Kgha-1 ) and weight of rotten roots (Kgha-1 ) and weight of bad roots (Kgha-1 ).Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance at P<0.05. The results from Table 1 shows that ridging had the highest number of good tubers, weight of good tubers and number of small tubers than planting on flat tillage. It was observed that, cassava planted solely on ridge was significantly different from others in number of good tubers and its weight as seen in Table 2. In conclusion, cassava can be planted solely on ridge with fertilizer application because it increased the number of good roots and the weight of good roots than planting on flat ridge with fertilizer, even though this does not increase the root rot disease of cassava