Storage Root Production of Cassava (<em>Manihot esculenta </em>Crantz) as Affected by Number of Nodes per Cutting and De-budding of Axillary Buds Under Container Gardening in the Wet Zone of Sri Lanka

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of the number of nodes per cutting and the de-budding of axillary buds on the growth and yield of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in container gardening. This study involves two sub-experiments for destructive sampling at three and six months after planting. There were ten treatments (T1-T10) according to the number of nodes (3, 5 & 7 per cutting) removal of axillary buds or de-budding procedure. Each treatment with three replicates was randomly allocated into a complete randomized block design using the cassava variety Krikawadi. There was a significant variation on the growth and yield performances of cassava among different treatments. The number, length, and width of the storage roots, fresh and dry weight of storage roots, and above-ground biomass at three and six months after planting were significantly different among treatments. Despite the treatments, storage roots increased their diameter, but not the length six months after planting. At the end of the experiment, the fresh and dry weight of storage roots, root weight ratio, and root to shoot ratio were greater in T7 which was 7-nodded cuttings without the de-budding procedure. Therefore, it is concluded that 7-nodded cuttings without performing de-budding procedures could produce optimum yield of storage roots under container gardening in the Wet Zone of Sri Lanka.