"Contest: What I would Cultivate If given a free land"

Being given a free land isn't easy and even a large one. Having a large land requires that ability to utilize the land by cultivate crops like cassava, Yam, okra, Plantain and maize.

Farming also requires total consistency and literacy to work efficiently and smoothly. Best of luck to all the participants.

What's would you cultivate if given a large expanse of land?

If I am opportuned to have a large expanse of land I will like to cultivate cassava. Cassava as a tubber crop has a lot importance in West Africa, My country Nigeria in particular.

Cassava is mainly used for Garri, Abacha, fufu etc.

• Why did you choose that particular plant/crop?

The reason behind my choice for cassava is because.

• Cassava is a cash crop the fetches a lot money in my country and has a high valued rate in my country, in terms of tubber crops.

• Cassava does not require a lot of rain and a lot of sunlight, it just require equal amount of rainfall and sunlight.

• Cassava as a crop grows in majority of the lands in the world depending on the climatic factors.

• There is a specie of cassava that can be cultivated in any pice of land, which makes it more easier to cultivate it in any land I am been given.

• Cassava being a tubber crop can be processed into "Garri". Garri is very important in Nigeria and a bag of Garri in Nigeria is 66,500 which costs 225 steem.

• How long will it take to mature and harvest?

Cassava as a tubber crop take about a year mature completely, which makes it an annual crop.

When the planting season comes, i.e within March and April. The cassava branches/sticks are been cultivated in the heaps of the soil. After the cassava has lasted for four months the cassava is then weeded, during the four months of cultivation is the time the cassava branches begin to produce tubbers.

After the next four months the cassava is the weeded on the eight month to prevent weeds from competing with the cassava. After the wedding on the eight month the cassava is weeded or sprayed with chemicals that can keep the weed.

On the 12 months after cultivation, you will then weed the farm or also apply chemicals. After the wedding or chemical application, you can know harvest your cassava or either wait for an extra three months to allow the cassava tubber mature enough if the soil lacks fertility.

• What are the common pest and disease of that plant/crop. Also share how to control it.

Cassava is a tubber crop that usually attracted to pest and these pest are.

• Whiteflies

• Grasshopper

• Mealybugs

• Rodents

• Birds

Cassava has some diseases that usually attack them which are viruses in particular and these viruses are.

Me in my families cassava plantation.

1. Cassava brown streak virus (CBSV)

2. East Africa cassava mosaic virus [EACMV].

    Ways of controlling crop pest 

• Pesticides can apply to kill and stop the activities of pest in the farm.

• Make sure you harvest your crops at the appointed time for harvest.

• Allow other insects or animals that are enemies of those pest to feed on them to ensure proper control of the pest.

• Mealybugs and other insects can traped using insect traps and also killed with soapy water.

• Biopesticides can be used in the process of controlling Whiteflies, grasshopper and mealybugs.

Method of controlling diseases of cassava tubber.

• Making the removal of plants and weeds that may lead to symptoms of diseases.

• Harvest the cassava tubber early to prevent severe losses.

• ensure to participate in the regular weeding of the farm throughout the time of planting, maturity and harvest time to remove weeds that can generate germs causing virus.

• Make sure the land that you are planting cassava on will not cause any cassava disease.

I will like to invite @josepha, @adylinah, @mbetobongluke and @aspiya and @ahmneska to participate in this contest.

✓Thanks for reading my post