2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Manioc (lat. Manihot) - a genus of shrubby plants of the Euphorbia family. The genus has more than 100 species, of which the most common is the type - Edible Manioc (lat. Manihot esculenta). The plant is cultivated in countries with subtropical and tropical climates as a food crop. Other names are maniot or cassava.
Characteristics of culture
Manioc is a perennial fast-growing plant up to 4 m high. The leaves are finger-dissected, green, thyroid, arranged alternately. Flowers are small, dioecious, collected in long paniculate inflorescences. The fruit is a capsule. Tuberous rhizomes, swollen, up to 1 m long, average weight - 10-12 kg.
The subtleties of growing
Manioc is a thermophilic culture that prefers well-lit areas, protected from the action of strong squall winds. Negatively refers to prolonged drought. The optimum growing temperature throughout the growing season is 25-30C. Soils for cassava are desirable loose, drained, fertile, neutral, with a high humus content. The culture of saline, waterlogged, acidic and waterlogged soils does not accept. The shadow also negatively affects the development of culture.
Cassava is propagated vegetatively and by seeds. The seed method is applicable only for breeding purposes. Cutting is the most common method. Cuttings are cut from the middle or lower part of the stem of plants aged 9-12 months. The optimum length of the cuttings is 10-40 cm. It is recommended to plant cuttings between the end of the dry and the beginning of the rainy seasons. The moisture supply of the planting material is one of the main conditions for successful cultivation. A plot for a culture is prepared 20-30 days before the intended planting: the soil is dug to a depth of 15-20 cm and mineral fertilizers are applied. Deep cultivation of the soil is undesirable, since the plants in this case form too long root tubers, which are very difficult to harvest.
Cassava planting is carried out in a wide-row method. It is not forbidden to overseed other crops such as yams, beans, watermelon, etc. You can plant cassava in grooves or ridges. Cuttings are planted longitudinally. The distance between the grooves is 80-120 cm, between the cuttings - 60-70 cm. Vertical planting is also possible. For this method, high ridges are prepared. The distance between cuttings in this case is 80-160 cm. Early ripening varieties of cassava can be planted more densely.
Care comes down to hilling, weeding, watering and top dressing. Since cassava draws all minerals out of the soil, feeding is a vital procedure. The culture especially needs nitrogen, potash and phosphorus fertilizers, microelements will not harm. The growing season of early-ripening cassava varieties varies from 6 to 8 months, late-ripening - from 12 to 16 months. For this reason, it is difficult to grow a crop in Russia.
Harvesting and storage
Harvesting of cassava begins with massive seed ripening and leaf fall. Unripe tubers do not have special taste, they do not boil well. Harvesting is done by hand. The cassava stalk is cut at a height of 40-50 cm, after which the rhizomes are pulled out. Rhizomes are poorly stored, especially in the subtropics and tropics. As a rule, they become unusable 2-3 days after harvesting. That is why on the day of collection they are washed, cleaned, crushed, dried in the open sun for 3-5 days and ground to a powdery state.
