Effect of different sources of planting material on growth, yield and quality attributes in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz.)

Background: Cassava is an industrial tropical tuber crop and it is used for human and animal consumption: but also used as a raw material for various agro-based industries. Cassava is commercially propagated by using stem cuttings. These stem cuttings are often infected with viral and bacterial diseases which affect yield adversely. With this background, the present experiment was taken up to identify an elite virus free planting material with improved yield and qualitative characters in two promising cultivars of tapioca viz., H 226 and CO 2 using tissue cultured plants and different types of setts from field grown plants as planting materials. Methods: An experiment was carried out to assess the effect of planting materials on the growth, yield and quality of Cassava varieties viz., H 226 and CO 2. The experiment was laid out in a Factorial Randomized Block Design with four treatments in two varieties and three replications. Observations were recorded on various growth, yield and quality attributes of the crop. Results: Significant results on plant height, stem girth, number of branches and number of leaves are recorded with tissue cultured plants. There is no significant difference among the treatments for starch, HCN and protein contents. There is a significant difference in starch content among the varieties. The variety CO 2 possessed more starch content than H 226. Conclusion: Among the four treatments (different kinds of planting materials) followed in this study, the treatment T1 Tissue cultured plants recorded lesser incidence of cassava mosaic virus, more number of fibrous roots, highest values for plant height, stem girth and tuber yield. Among the varieties, CO 2 showed the least incidence of cassava mosaic virus. The CO 2 tissue culture plants could give better yield in the field conditions.