What Is Cassava?
Manihot esculenta, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca, is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South Uganda.
How To Grow Cassava In Uganda?
Your cassava will require optimum temperatures ranging from 25-30°C with a minimum temperature of 18°c. This explains the fall in yields where temperatures are above 30°C. A well distributed annual rainfall of 1000_1500mm is ideal but the crop can successfully grow in areas with rainfall ranging from 500-2500mm.
What Is The Correct Spacing For Cassava Planting In Uganda?
The optimal cassava plant spacing is 1 meter by 1 meter apart along each row and across ridges or mounds. The remaining space between the cassava plants can be used you grow vegetables, maize, legumes, and other plants.
How Do I Start A Cassava Plantation In Uganda?
Here are the steps anyone can follow to start a cassava farming business.
Select your site.
Prepare to make the soil more suitable for cassava farming.
Cassava stems to use for planting.
Prepare for cultivation.
Decide when to plant the cassava stem cuttings during the planting season.
Harvesting.
Processing cassava roots.
Which Month Is Best For Planting Cassava In Uganda?
The best month to begin planting cassava is in October, at the beginning of the short raining season. Subsequently, cassava matures rather quickly. Early-maturing high-yield varieties are harvested 6-7 months after planting, while the late-maturing variety can be ready for harvest after 12months.
How Long Do Cassava Take To Grow In Uganda?
Cassava has a relatively long growth cycle compared to other important crops. It takes an average of 10-12 months sometimes up to 24 months, for farmers to harvest the roots; maize, rice, and potato’s growth cycles span less than a third of that.
How Much Can I Earn From An Acre Of Cassava In Uganda?
Cassava is one of the low-cost food crops in the country, compared to maize or bananas. On average, you need sh50,000 to prepare an acre, sh90,000 to till the land and sh75,000 for stems. On the other hand, the gross earnings from an acre range from sh1,000,000-sh2m.
What Is The Best Way To Grow Cassava In Uganda?
The plant prefers well-drained soil and modest rainfall, but it can survive where soils are wet. Cassava roots do not tolerate freezing temperatures and the best growth is in full sun. Growing cassava yuca from start to harvest can take up to 18 months.
Which Fertilizer Is Best For Cassava In Uganda?
Initially, cassava should be fertilized with equal amounts of N, phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5) and potassium oxide (K2O) at a rate of 500 kg to 800 kg per ha of a compound fertilizer such as 15-15-15 or 16-16-16.
Can Cassava And Maize Be Planted Together In Uganda?
Cassava can be intercropped with other crops such as yam, maize and vegetables.
What Is The Lifespan Of Cassava In Uganda?
The usual life span is 15 to 24 months depending on the cultivar, climate and soil conditions, but later tubers become fibrous and woody. Some quick growing cultivars can be harvested in 6-7 months so you can plant and harvest them twice a year. However, for good yields you must harvest after 9 to 12 months.
Can Cassava Be Planted In December In Uganda?
Cassava fresh root yield. Cassava storage fresh root yield varied significantly between the planting months in each crop age (Fig. 3 A). For all crop ages, fresh root yields were higher when planted late (September and December).
Is Cassava Easy To Grow In Uganda?
Relatively simple to grow and one plant gives you an extremely generous harvest because it keeps growing from the same plant. The plant is practically pest free and drought resistant.
What Type Of Soil Is Best For Cassava In Uganda?
Cassava grows best on light sandy loams or on loamy sands which are moist, fertile and deep, but it also does well on soils ranging in texture from the sands to the clays and on soils of relatively low fertility.