Edaphic influences on nutritional quality of naturally grown cassava under urban and peri-urban conditions

Abstract Cassava ( Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a potential food security crop widely consumed in tropical and subtropical countries. In Assam, India, wild cassava variants flourish in both rural and urban areas, although there is limited data on their nutritional qualities. This study evaluates the nutritional and anti-nutritional composition of cassava collected from natural landscapes of Kamrup Metro and Kamrup Rural districts of Assam, India, representing as urban and peri-urban areas respectively. Samples were analyzed for nutritional composition (moisture, protein, lipid, ash, starch), essential minerals (Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu), and anti-nutritional factors (phenol, oxalic acid, tannin, and fiber). Significant differences were found in protein, fat, fiber, starch, and phenol amongst the samples. This can be attributed to the influence of edaphic conditions across the sampled sites, as revealed by the results of Pearson's correlation coefficients between soil physico-chemical parameters with nutritional compositions of leaves and tubers of cassava collected from urban and peri-urban areas. The sample from urban area consistently showed elevated levels of starch, lipids, phenols, tannins, oxalates, and fiber, which are the biomarkers commonly associated with stress-response physiology in plants. These findings have significant implications for crop improvement, urban agro-ecology, and climate-resilient food systems.