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Early planting of cassava enhanced the response of improved cultivars to potassium fertilization in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo

dc.contributor.authorBirindwa, D.R.
dc.contributor.authorVan Laere, J.
dc.contributor.authorMunyahali, W.
dc.contributor.authorDe Bauw, P.
dc.contributor.authorDercon, G.
dc.contributor.authorKintche, K.
dc.contributor.authorMerckx, R.
dc.date.accessioned2023-03-30T11:23:59Z
dc.date.available2023-03-30T11:23:59Z
dc.date.issued2023-05-15
dc.identifier.citationBirindwa, D.R., Van Laere, J., Munyahali, W., De Bauw, P., Dercon, G., Kintche, K. & Merckx, R. (2023). Early planting of cassava enhanced the response of improved cultivars to potassium fertilization in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. Field Crops Research, 296, 108903: 1-13.
dc.identifier.issn0378-4290
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12478/8115
dc.description.abstractCassava is the most important crop in DRC, where it is both a staple and a cash crop. Over the last years, cassava productivity seems increasingly constrained by climate disturbances. To respond to these climatic disturbances, farmers opt to adjust the planting period to spread the risk by optimizing their chances to receive the most regular rainfall in the crucial first 100 days after planting. To investigate the potential of varying cassava planting time to mitigate the effect of changes in rainfall patterns, a full-factorial field experiment was conducted in two contrasting sites in South Kivu (DRC) including Kalehe, a highland and forest region and Uvira, a dry savannah at medium altitude. Effects of three planting periods (November 2018, January 2019, and March 2019), with and without potassium nutrients (NP and NPK), were assessed on the growth parameters of two cassava cultivars, Obama (improved) and M′ Bailo (landrace). The growth parameters included stem number, stem height, score of leaf retention and leaf lobe length and width in both sites up to four months after planting (MAP). Yield data on both the above-ground (stems and leaves) and the storage roots and related harvest index was only collected in Kalehe at 12 MAP. The highest storage root yield of 47 and 14 t ha􀀀 1 for Obama and M′ Bailo respectively were achieved when the cultivars were planted in November 2018 and received NPK fertilizer. Compared to the early planted cassava (November 2018), cassava planted in January and March 2019 produced 29% and 79% fewer storage roots. Similarly, at the fourth month of each planting, growth parameters of early planted cassava were higher than those of late planted cassava although the later planted crop was exposed to more intensive and regular rains in the early stages. Hence the highest aboveground biomass was observed for Obama planted in November while the cassava planted in January and March produced 41% and 76% less above-ground biomass, respectively. Obama storage root yield represented on average 1.7 times M′ Bailo storage root yield. K in the fertilizer amendment increased the storage root yield by 14% for M′ Bailo and 20% for Obama as compared to no K fertilization. Obama had a better and more stable harvest index of 55% while the M′ Bailo was 40%. Stem number, stem height, lobe length, and stem diameter were higher for both cultivars when planted in November 2018. This study revealed that the earlier the cassava was planted, the larger the yield. Thus, deciding to delay cassava planting to expose it to more regular rains in early stages can lead to an aggravation of the adverse effects of climate change. Although this study highlights the importance of combining early planting with improved cultivars for better yields, it did not establish evidence that the application of potassium could attenuate the negative effect of climate change on cassava productivity under rainfed conditions.
dc.description.sponsorshipVLIR-UOS
dc.format.extent1-13
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectPotassium
dc.subjectPlantin Date
dc.subjectClimate Change
dc.subjectResilience
dc.subjectAdaptation
dc.subjectCassava
dc.subjectDemocratic Republic of the Congo
dc.titleEarly planting of cassava enhanced the response of improved cultivars to potassium fertilization in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo
dc.typeJournal Article
cg.contributor.crpMaize
cg.contributor.crpRoots, Tubers and Bananas
cg.contributor.affiliationKatholieke Universiteit Leuven
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversite Catholique de Bukavu
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Atomic Energy Agency
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Institute of Tropical Agriculture
cg.contributor.affiliationResearch & Innovation Brokerage, Belgium
cg.coverage.regionAfrica
cg.coverage.regionCentral Africa
cg.coverage.countryDemocratic Republic of the Congo
cg.coverage.hubCentral Africa Hub
cg.researchthemeNatural Resource Management
cg.isijournalISI Journal
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and developing country institute
cg.iitasubjectAgronomy
cg.iitasubjectCassava
cg.iitasubjectClimate Change
cg.iitasubjectFood Security
cg.iitasubjectPlant Breeding
cg.iitasubjectPlant Production
cg.iitasubjectSmallholder Farmers
cg.iitasubjectSoil Fertility
cg.journalField Crops Research
cg.notesPublished online: 27 Mar 2023
cg.accessibilitystatusLimited Access
cg.reviewstatusPeer Review
cg.usagerightslicenseCopyrighted; all rights reserved
cg.targetaudienceScientists
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2023.108903
cg.iitaauthor.identifierKINTCHE Kokou: 0000-0001-5533-476X
cg.futureupdate.requiredNo
cg.identifier.issue108903
cg.identifier.volume296
cg.contributor.acknowledgementsThis study was made possible thanks to VLIR-UOS scholarship via the University of Leuven (KU Leuven), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), through the Consortium for Improving Agriculture-based Livelihoods in Central Africa (CIALCA; www.cialca.org).


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