TY - JOUR
T1 - Phosphorus affects storage root yield of cassava through root numbers
AU - Omondi, John Okoth
AU - Lazarovitch, Naftali
AU - Rachmilevitch, Shimon
AU - Yermiyahu, Uri
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2019/10/21
Y1 - 2019/10/21
N2 - The objective of this study was to determine the effect of phosphorus applied through fertigation on growth and root yield of cassava. This was achieved through a greenhouse pot-experiment consisting of 1, 4, 7, 10, 20 and 30 mg P L−1. Increasing P from 1 to 30 mg P L−1 realized a 57.1 and 150.0% increase in leaf blade P in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Similarly, chlorophyll content and shoot growth increased as P concentration in solution increased. However, leaf stomatal conductance and net photosynthesis reached a maximum in 7 and 20 mg P L−1 in 2014 and 2015, respectively. This trend of stomatal conductance and net photosynthesis was consistent with that of dry root yield and storage roots numbers. Regressing dry root yield against storage root numbers showed that R2 = 0.80. Phosphorus encourages formation of storage roots and the duration of cassava’s growth affects the amount of P required for maximum root yield.
AB - The objective of this study was to determine the effect of phosphorus applied through fertigation on growth and root yield of cassava. This was achieved through a greenhouse pot-experiment consisting of 1, 4, 7, 10, 20 and 30 mg P L−1. Increasing P from 1 to 30 mg P L−1 realized a 57.1 and 150.0% increase in leaf blade P in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Similarly, chlorophyll content and shoot growth increased as P concentration in solution increased. However, leaf stomatal conductance and net photosynthesis reached a maximum in 7 and 20 mg P L−1 in 2014 and 2015, respectively. This trend of stomatal conductance and net photosynthesis was consistent with that of dry root yield and storage roots numbers. Regressing dry root yield against storage root numbers showed that R2 = 0.80. Phosphorus encourages formation of storage roots and the duration of cassava’s growth affects the amount of P required for maximum root yield.
KW - fertigation
KW - fertilizer
KW - irrigation
KW - macro-elements
KW - roots
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85070977494&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/01904167.2019.1655033
DO - 10.1080/01904167.2019.1655033
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85070977494
SN - 0190-4167
VL - 42
SP - 2070
EP - 2079
JO - Journal of Plant Nutrition
JF - Journal of Plant Nutrition
IS - 17
ER -