Mulugeta Taye

Two storage experiments were done at Awassa College of Agriculture during the year 1995 to investigate the quality changes on cassava root. In each experiment, two cultivars namely, Amarokello red (local) and Umbure, and three storage methods, namely, earthen floor (ground), trench storage and sacks were factorially combined and were examined for vascular streak (primary deterioration), tuber weight loss, starch and total protein content. The blue coloured vascular streak which occurred closer to the rind was found non-significantly different between cultivars, and storage methods. Also, the starch content was almost similar between the storage methods, but was significantly (P The Journal of Food Technology in Africa Volume 5 Number 2 (April - June 2000), pp. 64-65

SUMMARYPlectranthus edulis (Vatke) Agnew is one of the tuber crops of the genus Plectranthus that is widely cultivated in Africa and Asia. P. edulis produces below-ground tubers on stolons originating from the stems, comparable to the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Farmers apply several laborious cultural practices to enhance shoot growth and yield, among which shoot tipping is very common. Tipping (pinching) is the removal of the shoot apex with one or two pairs of leaves from the main stems and branches. The rationale of this practice, especially when repeated more than once during one cropping season, is not fully understood. One similar experiment with two cultivars was carried out at two locations (Awassa and Wondogenet) in Ethiopia to assess and analyse the effects of shoot tipping and its frequency on crop development and tuber production. Tipping treatments included zero tipping, tipping once, tipping twice and tipping thrice, with the first tipping taking place 68 days afte...

SUMMARYPlectranthus edulis is an ancient tuber crop, cultivated in Ethiopia, which produces stem tubers on stolons below the ground; however, agronomic and physiological information on this crop is scarce. Three field experiments were carried out at each of two locations (Awassa and Wondogenet, Ethiopia). Expt 1 dealt with the effects of breaking a seed tuber into different numbers of seed pieces before planting, Expt 2 assessed the effect of the weight of the seed tuber piece and Expt 3 investigated the effect of planting different numbers of seed pieces per planting hole. Cultivar Lofuwa was planted in Awassa, whereas cvar Chankua was planted in Wondogenet. Breaking seed tubers in Expt 1 resulted in more main stems/hill, more tubers and smaller individual tubers. In Wondogenet, the tuber yield also increased. Breaking did not affect the number of stolons/m2. Expt 2 indicated that when only one seed piece was planted per planting hole, smaller seed pieces gave fewer stems, fewer stolons and fewer tubers/m2, smaller tubers and lower tuber yields. Expt 3 showed that planting more seed pieces/planting hole gave more stems, more stolons and more tubers/m2, thus increasing tuber fresh yield/m2, whereas the mean tuber weight was not consistently affected. Across all experiments, the tuber yield increased when the number of main stems increased up to three main stems/m2. Higher tuber yields resulting from experimental treatments were either achieved by an effect on number of tubers alone or by combined effects on number of tubers and mean tuber weight, but not by an effect on mean tuber weight alone. The number of small tubers was high in all experiments. Breaking a seed tuber into two or three pieces before planting them in one planting hole consistently resulted in increased numbers of main stems and tuber yield.