Cassava growth and productive performance at different planting times in the Agreste of Alagoas, Northeastern Brazil

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different planting times and meteorological variables on the productive performance of industrial cassava in the Agreste region of Alagoas state, Brazil. The treatments were five planting dates, 25 days apart: D1 - April 10, D2 - May 5, D3 - May 30, D4 - June 24 and D5 - July 19. The experiment was conducted from April 2021 to September 2023 (two cultivation cycles), using randomized blocks, with four replicates. The variables analyzed were agrometeorological data, crop growth and yield. In the Agreste region of Alagoas, the average daily ET0 varies from 2.9 to 4.7 mm between the rainy and dry seasons, respectively. The average temperature of 24.3 °C meets the thermal demands of cassava cultivation. Although annual rainfall is sufficient to guarantee cassava production, it is seasonal, with a dry period from spring to summer, which compromises subsequent plantings. In the Agreste region of Alagoas, the best time to plant cassava is from April 10 to May 5, which is the beginning of the rainy season and ensures better vegetative canopy height (3.2 m), stem diameter (2.8 cm), leaf area index (3.0), maximum root length (43.1 cm), number (6.6) and yield (72.8 t ha-1), total biomass (145 t ha-1) and starch content (34.3%).