Biochemical Indicators for Storability of Eight Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) Tuberous Roots in Postharvest Storage Process

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important food and bio-energy crop, which grows in marginal land by subsistent farmers in tropics and subtropics. Cassava contains abundant starch in its tuberous roots, but easily turns rot after harvest, which greatly affects storage life and subsequent starch processing. In this study, tuberous roots of eight varieties (lines) were evaluated at 3, 7, 12, 17, and 27 days after harvest. The results showed that storability of tuberous roots was SMHRA755 C205SC5BRA4407G-2T1BRA258. The association between the storability and each of dry matter, starch content, and HCN content was evaluated by a linear regression analysis. There were negative correlation of storability with dry matter (r=0.687, P=0.05) and starch content (r=0.696, P=0.05), and no correlation between the storability and HCN content. In addition, SMH showed the higher storability, lower dry matter and starch content, but BRA258 and T1 showed lower storability, higher dry matter and starch content. These special genotypes should be useful for cassava breeding in the future.