Performance of In Vitro Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) Plantlets Weaned with Locally Sourced Substrates

The performance of in vitro cassava plantlets weaned on different locally sourced substrates was evaluated. Nodal cuttings were excised from healthy six weeks old OG 001cassava variety in the culture room of tissue culture laboratory of National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria. The explants were washed, sterilized and cultured in vitro. The resulting plantlets were weaned on the following substrates - top soil (TS), river sand (RS), saw dust (SD), rice hull waste (RH), 2:1 top soil plus river sand (TS +RS), 2:1 river sand plus saw dust (RS + SD), 2:1 river sand plus rice husk (RS + RH), 2:1 top soil plus saw dust (TP + SD), 2:1 top soil plus rice husk (TP + RH), 2:1 saw dust plus rice husk (SD + RH) and 2:1 peat pellet plus vermiculite (PP + VE), which served as the control. Completely randomized design was used with ten replications. Results showed that plantlets weaned on PP + VE performed better than the other treatments at the end of the weaning period with significantly (P < 0.05) highest survival rate (98%), plant vigour (2.6), number of leaves (5) and number of nodes (8). This was closely followed by RS with survival rate, plant vigour, number of leaves and nodes of 63%, 1.4, 1.7 and 3.5, respectively. Plantlets weaned on the other substrates performed poorly. Although plantlets weaned on peat pellet + vermiculite mixture out-performed the other substrates, river sand if properly handled could be a potential substitute for the conventional substrate in weaning cassava plantlets.