Root System Development Including Root Branching in Cuttings of Cassava with Reference to Shoot Growth and Tuber Bulking

In spite of the important role it plays for water and nutrient acquisition, information on the root system development in cassava (Manihot esculenta Grantz) is limited. To examine the root length and branching pattern with reference to shoot growth and tuber bulking, we grew cassava plants in containers under natural climatic conditions in the southern end of Sumatra Island, Indonesia. One 20-cm length cutting of cassava (cv. Ardira IV) was planted in either a plastic bucket or a wooden box. The containers, which were filled with heavy clay soil, had different sizes depending on the growing period. At 30, 60, 100, 140, 180, and 270 days after planting (DAP), both the shoot and roots were sampled for quantitative analysis. The dry weight of both shoot and roots increased rapidly with the leaf area. The axile root number, however, decreased from 60 to 140 DAP as a result of the abscission of roots emerging from the basal part of the cutting during tuber bulking. The total root length reached its maximum at 60 DAP and significantly decreased thereafter because of decay and decomposition during tuber bulking. On the other hand, the root branching either increased the branching order or retained it, as determined from a topological point of view. The root branching during the later growing period compensated for the decrease in total root length and contributed to maintain a sufficient root surface area. The surviving roots with a well-developed branching pattern could absorb water and nutrients essential for tuber bulking