Three decades of cassava cultivation in Brazil: Potentialities and perspectives

Abstract

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) shows high phenotypic plasticity, acclimatization, wide adaptability, and resilience to adverse edaphoclimatic conditions. In this context, this systematic review aims to identify what were the factors that determined the production of cassava in Brazil in the last three decades, and to direct what are the possible perspectives of the crop in the country. The methodology to produce this review was based on studies that which integrate the academic information produced in different situations (1990-2020), environments, states, groups of researchers and existing scientific evidence for this theme. Based on the information, a binary matrix of information was assembled based on the following characters, plant density per hectare, soil type, city, state, average air temperature, planting line spacing, plant spacing on the planting line, implantation date, implantation station, harvesting station, productivity per hectare, days for harvest, liming, fertilization, precipitation and climate. It is evident that in the last 30 years the productivity of cassava in Brazil has been increased, mainly in low-income populations and those located in rural areas. There are prospects for increasing cassava production for fresh sale and industry. The crop is characterized as rustic, highly adaptive, tolerant of water stress and acidic soils, being highly influenced by the climate, rainfall, air temperature, and incident solar radiation. Productivity is determined by the time of implantation, liming, fertilization, density, and plant arrangement.