The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effect of height and frequency of pruning on productivity of aerial part and roots of five cultivars of cassava. Two heights (0.50 m and 1.00 m) and three frequencies of prunings (at 6, 12 and 18 months, at 12 and 18 months and at 18 months) were evaluated using the cultivars Paxiubão, Paxiúba II, Metro III, Pretinha and Pirarucu. The production of green mass and limb percentage were inversely proportional to plant age. Except in the cultivar Paxiubão, root yield was reduced with the increase of pruning frequency. Root yield was reduced by the pruning height as much as by the pruning frequency, while the yield of green mass was influenced by the pruning frequency. Pruning height and pruning frequency reduced the content of root dry matter and elevated the index of root rot. Pruning frequency reduced the content of hydrocyanic acid in the root. The cultivar Paxiubão is recommended for simultaneous use of aerial part and root, with pruning at 6 and 12 months.
Manihot esculenta; dry matter; root rots; hydrocyanic acid
