Evaluation of Different Nursery Techniques in Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

Abstract

Under rainfed conditions, where crop growing period is short, cassava is cultivated by nursery transplanting. Usually cassava nursery is maintained in a corner of the field by close planting. Maximum root damage was reported during uprooting of such nurseries, if the age is about four weeks. Dapog nursery is a type of nursery prepared on the polyethylene sheet having certain depth (5 cm) of bedding material like soil, sand, compost, mud etc. with regular water management. This nursery can be raised any place. During 2009, cassava nursery was raised in different type of bedding materials in Dapog method and was evaluated at the Regional Centre of Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Bhubaneswar. The experiment was conducted in randomized block design with nine treatments and replicated thrice. The treatments were dapog (hydro), dapog (sand), dapog (soil), dapog (compost), dapog (sand + soil; 1:1 ratio), dapog (sand + compost; 1:1 ratio), dapog (soil+ compost; 1:1 ratio), dapog (sand+ soil+ compost; 1:1:1 ratio), and soil (check). The highest number of root callus/plant (14.5) was found in Dapog (hydro) nursery one week after nursery planting. Dapog (hydro) nursery recorded highest number of roots/plant. Compost alone or along with other bedding materials was found higher with number of roots/plant than sand or soil and their combination. When nursery was uprooted, minimum root damage was noticed in dapog (hydro) and maximum root damage was observed in soil (check) irrespective age of nursery. With the increase of age of nursery the percentage of establishment was decreased. Dapog (hydro) nursery gave the best establishment results among all the type of nursery and 100% establishment up to two weeks of age and 95% establishment up to 4 weeks of age.   Up to two weeks old dapog (hydro) nursery gave higher yield than other treatments and age of nurseries.