Materia seca e índice de cosecha como indicadores de producción en accesiones de yuca

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a strategically important crop in Mexico; however, germplasm characterization has been based mainly on fresh root yield, which limits the physiological interpretation of its production. This study aimed to analyze dry matter yield and harvest index as indicators of productive variability among Mexican cassava accessions. A total of 14 accessions were evaluated under field conditions using a completely randomized design, determining root yield, root dry matter content and yield (DM, DMY), starch content and yield (SC, SY) and harvest index. The nonparametric analysis showed highly significant differences among accessions for all variables evaluated (p< 0.01). Accession MMCOT07 presented the most outstanding performance, with the highest values of RY (88.01 t ha-1), DMY (34.37 t ha-1) and SY (30.08 t ha-1), associated with high DM (39.39%) and SC (34.46%) contents. Other accessions showed contrasting combinations of yield and quality, reflecting differential biomass partitioning strategies. The correlation analysis confirmed strong associations among RY, DMY and SY (p≥ 0.98), whereas the harvest index provided complementary information on physiological efficiency. These results demonstrate that DMY and harvest index are key variables for a more accurate functional characterization of Mexican cassava germplasm.