ABSTRACT

Cassava roots are highly perishable when compared with roots of other temperate and tropical root and tuber crops. This may be associated, in evolutionary and physiological terms, with the fact that they do not have endogenous dormancy, and have no function in propagation and no primordial buds where sprouting can occur (Coursey and Booth, 1977; Passam and Noon, 1977). In general, due to physiological (see Fig. 2) and microbial deterioration, cassava roots cannot be stored under ambient conditions for more than about three days, without some pre-or post-harvest treatment or management (Wenham, 1995).