Yield Response of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) to One and Two Banded Fertilizer Applications on a Limed Guyana Peaty Clay Soil

Abstract

A trial was conducted on a Guyana peaty clay to determine the effects of lime and split NPK applications on cassava yields. All plots received broadcast lime at the rate of 6.72 t/ha. Treatments were lime only (control); 400 kg/ha in a 3:1:2 ratio of N, P₂O₅ and K₂O one month after planting; and the same amount banded as two equal doses at 1 month and 5 months after planting. There was no significant increase in fresh root weight attributable to the fertilizer treatments. However, stems and leaves increased in fresh matter by 110 and 35%, respectively when plots received one full dose of NPK at 1 month and when the same amount split in two equal split doses, was applied at 1 month and 5 months after planting. The likelihood of an improper NPK balance associated with increased vegetative growth is discussed.