Comments on: Cassava: improving sustainability of farming systems http://r4dreview.org/2010/03/cassava-improving-sustainability-of-farming-systems/ Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:24:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Bernard http://r4dreview.org/2010/03/cassava-improving-sustainability-of-farming-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-3217 Bernard Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:23:59 +0000 http://r4dreview.org/?p=1581#comment-3217 pls can you help me get the latest research findings on cassava farming? pls can you help me get the latest research findings on cassava farming?

]]> By: Anthony http://r4dreview.org/2010/03/cassava-improving-sustainability-of-farming-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-2784 Anthony Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:51:52 +0000 http://r4dreview.org/?p=1581#comment-2784 I understand that Nigeria is making good effort towards increasing food crop sustainability via the usage of GMOs, although this is considered a brillant idea I strongly disapprove, simply because the storage systems employed in trying to preserve these crops are outdated and in ill state, the reasonable thing to be done is try to update and properly maintain our storage systems, this is much more easier than the use of GMOs in crop preservation. I am not condemning this, like I said it's a brillant idea, it is a fact that "A" must come before "B" so lets take care of the primary before proceeding with the secondary. Thanks. Anthony, Student of Microbiology, OSUN STATE UNIVERSITY. I understand that Nigeria is making good effort towards increasing food crop sustainability via the usage of GMOs, although this is considered a brillant idea I strongly disapprove, simply because the storage systems employed in trying to preserve these crops are outdated and in ill state, the reasonable thing to be done is try to update and properly maintain our storage systems, this is much more easier than the use of GMOs in crop preservation. I am not condemning this, like I said it’s a brillant idea, it is a fact that “A” must come before “B” so lets take care of the primary before proceeding with the secondary. Thanks.

Anthony,
Student of Microbiology, OSUN STATE UNIVERSITY.

]]> By: Anneke Fermont http://r4dreview.org/2010/03/cassava-improving-sustainability-of-farming-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-2605 Anneke Fermont Fri, 16 Apr 2010 07:35:32 +0000 http://r4dreview.org/?p=1581#comment-2605 Dear Noriharu Ae, IITA's research in East Africa has shown that whether cassava will respond to N, P, K and/or micro-nutrient fertilizer depends on your initial soil fertility status, but also on, for example, rainfall, competition by weeds and pests and diseases. Our research in Uganda and western Kenya showed that, on average, P was a limiting factor to cassava production in all trial locations, except in one on-station trial. K was limiting in all on-farm sites in Kenya, but never in Uganda. However, research from CIAT in Asia and Latin America has shown that if cassava is grown at high frequencies, for a long time, K always becomes a limiting nutrient. You will be able to find more details on our cassava-fertilizer work in Fermont, A.M., Tittonell, P., Baguma, Y., Ntawuruhunga, P, Giller, K.E. 2009. Towards understanding factors that govern fertilizer response in cassava: lessons from East Africa. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 86: 133-151. Details on N,P and K concentrations and dry matter contents of cassava plant parts (stem, roots, leaves)from our on-station trials in Uganda and Kenya can be found in chapter 6 of my Ph.D thesis (Cassava and Soil Fertility in Intensifying Smallholder Farming Systems of East Africa) that can be downloaded from http://library.wur.nl/WebQuery/wurpubs/lang/380229. We do not report nutrient concentrations and dry matter contents for specific fertilizer treatments, as response to fertilizer was poor in the on-station sites as a result of (relatively) fertile soils. Unfortunately, we do not have such data for the on-farm trials (it's a logistical challenge to obtain good samples from large numbers of on-farm trials + rather expensive). As a comparison, details on nutrient concentrations of cassava plant parts (leaves, stems, roots)from fertilized vs unfertilized cassava in a (on-station?) trial by CIAT in Columbia are given in Howeler, R.H. 2002. Cassava mineral nutrition and fertilization. In: R.J. Hillocks, J.M. Thresh and A.C. Bellotti (eds.), Cassava. Biology, Production and Utilization. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK, p. 115-148. I've not yet come across publications on nutrient concentrations in cassava plant parts from nutrient omission trials, or from contrasting soil types. I would be very interested to learn more about your research as well. Kind regards, Anneke Fermont Dear Noriharu Ae,

IITA’s research in East Africa has shown that whether cassava will respond to N, P, K and/or micro-nutrient fertilizer depends on your initial soil fertility status, but also on, for example, rainfall, competition by weeds and pests and diseases. Our research in Uganda and western Kenya showed that, on average, P was a limiting factor to cassava production in all trial locations, except in one on-station trial. K was limiting in all on-farm sites in Kenya, but never in Uganda. However, research from CIAT in Asia and Latin America has shown that if cassava is grown at high frequencies, for a long time, K always becomes a limiting nutrient.

You will be able to find more details on our cassava-fertilizer work in Fermont, A.M., Tittonell, P., Baguma, Y., Ntawuruhunga, P, Giller, K.E. 2009. Towards understanding factors that govern fertilizer response in cassava: lessons from East Africa. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 86: 133-151.

Details on N,P and K concentrations and dry matter contents of cassava plant parts (stem, roots, leaves)from our on-station trials in Uganda and Kenya can be found in chapter 6 of my Ph.D thesis (Cassava and Soil Fertility in Intensifying Smallholder Farming Systems of East Africa) that can be downloaded from http://library.wur.nl/WebQuery/wurpubs/lang/380229.
We do not report nutrient concentrations and dry matter contents for specific fertilizer treatments, as response to fertilizer was poor in the on-station sites as a result of (relatively) fertile soils.

Unfortunately, we do not have such data for the on-farm trials (it’s a logistical challenge to obtain good samples from large numbers of on-farm trials + rather expensive).

As a comparison, details on nutrient concentrations of cassava plant parts (leaves, stems, roots)from fertilized vs unfertilized cassava in a (on-station?) trial by CIAT in Columbia are given in Howeler, R.H. 2002. Cassava mineral nutrition and fertilization. In: R.J. Hillocks, J.M. Thresh and A.C. Bellotti (eds.), Cassava. Biology, Production and Utilization. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK, p. 115-148. I’ve not yet come across publications on nutrient concentrations in cassava plant parts from nutrient omission trials, or from contrasting soil types.

I would be very interested to learn more about your research as well.

Kind regards,

Anneke Fermont

]]> By: Noriharu Ae http://r4dreview.org/2010/03/cassava-improving-sustainability-of-farming-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-2603 Noriharu Ae Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:39:33 +0000 http://r4dreview.org/?p=1581#comment-2603 I learned that cassava has no responce to P fertilization, but does to K fertilization. I want to know the comparative datas on this points. If you have a P uptake and dry matter productions of these plant eith N and K fertilizers (without P), and also K uptake and dry matter productions under application of N and P (without K), please let me know these datas and/or publications. with best regards Noriharu Ae I learned that cassava has no responce to P fertilization, but does to K fertilization. I want to know the comparative datas on this points. If you have a P uptake and dry matter productions of these plant eith N and K fertilizers (without P), and also K uptake and dry matter productions under application of N and P (without K), please let me know these datas and/or publications.

with best regards

Noriharu Ae

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