ABSTRACT
Cassava has been regarded as a rugged, hardy crop that is tolerant of disease and pest problems and is grown mostly by subsistence farmers. Most cassava varieties are the outcome of selection by generations of farmers, so they are adapted to the ecological conditions of the locality in which they are grown. Cassava bacterial blight, probably the crop's most costly disease, is widely distributed throughout the Americas, Asia, and Africa. In Latin America, consumers in some areas prefer cassava roots with a white skin, while others, often within the same country, prefer roots that have a brown skin with a pink undersurface. Cassava does, however, respond to fertilizer applications, and in many areas, yields can be sharply increased by fertilization. Cassava researchers have emphasized the use of stable host-plant resistance, biological control, cultural and phytosanitary practices, and, as a last resort, a limited use of chemicals.
