Leaf area development and growth performance of cassava germplasm on a strongly acid ultisol of panama

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Abstract
A field experiment using local cassava cultivars was conducted on a Tropudult of Ocu, Panama to study leaf area development and growth performance of cassava germplasm under extreme soil acidity conditions. Plants were grown under a soil Al (KCl‐extractable Al) range of 4.0 to 5.7 cmol(p+)/kg. Under this high soil Al, leaf area index and dry matter production patterns of cassava cultivars were closely similar to those reported for plants grown in less constraining conditions. However, the sink capacity in most cultivars appeared to shift from roots to tops. Roots were weak competitors for assimilates, hence photosynthetic production was primarily aimed to develop and sustain canopy growth. This preferential distribution of assimilates to tops resulted in low harvest index values. The reduced sink size of roots appears to be attributable to the impairing effects of soil Al on root growth.