Sweet cassava clones performance in terms of roots morphological characteristics and yield cultivated in an agroecological system

Abstract

Cassava is a staple food of significant importance in Brazil and worldwide, due to its wide use, nutritional value and accessibility. In an agroecological system, the use of cultivars adapted to the soil and climate characteristics of each region, as well as the cultivation system, is key to the success of the crop and income for the farmer. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of sweet cassava clones cultivated in an agroecological system. The trial was conducted at the Instituto Federal do Paraná (IFPR), Ivaiporã Campus, in randomized block design, and the following clones were evaluated: ‘IDR 13-42’, ‘IDR 15-1196’, ‘IDR 14-394’, ‘IDR 16-307’, ‘IDR 15-644’, ‘IDR 16-1052’, ‘IDR 16-1054’, ‘IDR 14-392’, ‘Crioula Amarelinha’, ‘Crioula Branquinha’, ‘Lunardelli’ and ‘Cândido de Abreu’. The following parameters were evaluated: number of roots per plant, root length and diameter, root mass, root rest mass and yield. As a result, it was observed that all the studied materials presented a number of roots compatible with the commercial varieties without significant differences and that of the 12 clones, seven are promising to be cultivated in agroecological systems according to morphological characteristics and root yield. The clones ‘IDR 15-1196’, ‘IDR 14-394’, ‘IDR 16-307’, ‘IDR 13-42’, ‘IDR 16-1054’, ‘IDR 15-644’ and ‘Crioula Branquinha’ presented superior performance for most of the evaluated parameters, especially for root mass, root length, root diameter and consequently root yield, suggesting potential for commercial cultivation. The clone ‘IDR 15-1196’ presented the highest yield among the others evaluated.