Assessing Yield Responses of Four Improved Cassava (Manihot Esculenta Crantz) Varieties Using Different Storage Methods in Jos Nigeria

Cassava stakes storage and storage duration pose substantial problems to small scale farmers in terms of moisture loss, carbohydrate loss, yield and income in Nigeria. Hence, an experiment was conducted for two consecutive seasons, 2022 and 2023 in Jos South local government area of plateau state to investigate the effect of planting materials, storage methods and storage duration on stakes moisture loss, stake percent sprouting, stake carbohydrate consumption, and yield of four cassava varieties. The experiment was laid out in a split-split plot design with 3 replications. The main plot treatments consisted of four cassava varieties: TMEB 419, Babataba, IBA000070 and Obasonjo-2. The sub-plot treatments consisted of three storage methods: (1) Placing stakes in perforated nylon bags outdoors by digging a hole approximately 25-30 cm deep, (2) Placing stakes in perforated nylon bags outdoors under the tree shade covered with much materials and (3) Placing stakes in perforated nylon bags outdoors directly under the sun covered with mulch materials, and the sub-sub-plots consisted of 4 storage durations of planting material: 0, 20, 40 and 60 days. The results showed that there were significant differences observed in; storage methods, duration of storage, percentage stake moisture, percentage sprouting, carbohydrate content, and yield of four varieties of cassava. Length of storage duration significantly affected percent moisture, percent carbohydrate content and percent sprouting. The storage methods of placing stakes directly under the sun covered with mulch material drastically reduced percentage stake moisture, percentage sprouting, percent carbohydrate content, yield and yield components of cassava varieties in both seasons than either method of placing stakes under the tree shade covered with mulch materials, or placing in an approximately 25-30 cm hole. In both cropping seasons, variety (IBA000070) consistently maintained high stake moisture, high sprouting percentage, high carbohydrate content at 40 and 60 days, produced lower number of tubers rot plot-1, had higher values of tuber weight plant-1, high yield ha-1 as well as in the combined analysis. Conversely, variety (Obasonjo-2) decreased significantly in percentage stake moisture, carbohydrate and sprouting at 40 and 60 days, produced higher number of tubers rot plot-1 and lower values of tuber weight plant-1 in both seasons. Storage methods of placing stakes under tree shade produced higher yield (30.07 t. ha-1) compare to other methods. For storage duration, the result indicated that 60 days of storage reduced the percentage stake moisture, carbohydrate content and percent sprouting, and affected the final yield. Hence, storage duration of planting material should not exceed between 35-40 days with placing stakes in perforated nylon bags placed under tree shade. Variety (IBA000070) was outstanding among the four varieties can be adopted by farmers in Jos.