HOW TO MAKE WEALTH IN CASSAVA FARMING BUSINESS HOW TO MAKE WEALTH IN CASSAVA FARMING BUSINESS | Page 25

A COMPREHENSIVE & PRACTICAL GUIDE ON HOW TO START CASSAVA FARMING & PROCESSING BUSINESS By: Micheal B. O. 2. Look for an area with good soil texture: The best soil for growing cassava is deep, loamy soil. Such soils are rich in nutrients, low in gravel, hold water well, and are easy to work or till. The way to tell if the soil is loamy is to moisten a small amount of it and try to shape it into a ball (Figure 4). If you press the ball and it falls apart, then your soil is loamy. If it feels gritty and you are not able to shape the moistened soil into a ball, then the soil is sandy. If you shape the soil into a ball, and the soil does not fall apart when pressed, then the soil contains a lot of clay and is a clayey soil. Sandy and clayey soils are not the most suitable soils for growing cassava. 3. Look for an area with fertile soil: Fertile soils usually have a dark color, for example, dark red or dark brown. The dark color shows that the soil has a lot of organic matter. If the soil looks gray and sometimes contains green or blue spots, it means that there is poor drainage and waterlogging. Do not grow cassava on soils that get waterlogged. 4. Look for an area with flat or gently sloping land: The best farmland for cassava is flat or gently sloping. Steep slopes are easily eroded and are therefore not very good areas for growing cassava. Valleys and depression areas are also not very suitable because they usually get waterlogged and do not allow cassava roots to develop well. You may, however, plant early maturing cassava varieties on mounds or ridges in inland valleys during the dry season. 5. Know the history of the site: Information such as how the land was previously used, and the types of weeds, diseases, and pests in the area, can help you in selecting a site for your cassava farm. Such information can help you to avoid a site with problems or make good plans for plant protection. Table 1 can be used to summarize the agronomic and cassava plant protection history of a site. HOW DO I IMPROVE THE SOIL FOR PLANTING CASSAVA? If you do not select a good site for growing cassava you may have to spend a lot of time and materials to improve the soil. Cassava plants on good soils grow vigorously and are able to withstand some damage by pests and diseases. The following are examples of cultural practices you can use to improve soil properties. 1. Manure your farm: At land preparation, you can add organic manure to the soil to increase soil nutrients, improve soil structure, and improve the ability of the soil to hold water. Organic manure can be in the form of green manure or other dead plant or animal manure. In green manuring, plant foliage (fresh leaves and young green stems) is ploughed into the soil. Green manure improves soil properties as the foliage rots. Egusi melon and leguminous crops, for example, groundnuts and beans, make good green manure. Inorganic fertilizers can also be applied to increase soil Hotlines: 09090040011, 09031617999. 25. E-mail: [email protected]