ISSN 2375-0693
African Journal of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development ISSN 2375-0693 Vol. 6 (2), pp. 598-603, February, 2018. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Varieties of cassava for yield, N accumulation and their effect on soil chemical properties
Nana Kwame Kwasi
University of Ghana Agricultural Research Centre, Kade, Institute of Agricultural Research, University of Ghana, Legon, P. O. Box 38, Legon, Ghana. E-mail: [email protected]
Accepted 15 November, 2017
Abstract
We evaluated five varieties of cassava for yield, N accumulation and their effect on soil chemical properties. Soil phosphorus content increased drastically after 14 months of crop growth while soil organic carbon, N and exchangeable K contents reduced during the same period. Fresh root yield ranged from 17 t ha-1 to 35.9 t ha-1, while total dry matter production also ranged from about 18 t ha-1 to about 25 t ha-1. Total N accumulation in the total plant biomass varied from about 228 kg N ha-1 to about 288 kg N ha- 1. The amount of total N uptake exported from the soil through crop harvest ranged from about 59 kg N ha-1 to about 123 kg N ha-1 while the total N uptake recycled into the soil through the return of crop residue ranged from 127 kg N ha-1 to about 189 kg N ha-1. The study suggests that cassava varieties with high root dry matter yield have the potential of exporting large quantities of nutrients from the soil while varieties with high leaf litter deposition is likely to recycle substantial amount of the plant nutrient uptake.
Key words: Biomass, leaf litter, nutrients, root dry matter, soil chemical properties.