Abstract

In a newly planted tapioca field it is commonly observed that the young plants that have just sprung up seldom present a uniform stand for vigour and growth. Also it is seen that the young plants coming out of the top setts of a whole stem have an unhealthy look. It was felt that the differences in the vigour and stand of these young plants arising from the different zones of the entire stem might be due to differences in the potentiality of the buds for producing vigorous shoots. A preliminary trial by planting setts cut from the different zones of a whole stem was conducted to test this point. The variety used was "Valenca". Setts were cut from each of three equally divided parts of a whole stem, and those from different stems but belonging to the same zone were planted in one group. They were planted upright, at equal distances, on ridges, in conformity with the local practice. The sprouting of the buds was noted to commence on the third day after planting and occurred simultaneously in all the buds irrespective of their location above or below ground. But all the buds in a single sett did not grow up into normal branches. Only the top bud or the one below it, as a rule, grew up although shoots from both the buds and even from a third bud in rare cases, were not quite uncommon. The first set of growth measurements was recorded 50 days after planting and a second set 45 days later. Forty plants were measured for each zone and the same plants were measured each time. The data are presented below.

Keywords: