ABSTRACT

Cassava, manihot esculenta Crantz is one of the most important root crops cultivated in the tropical Countries. In the past, Cassava was hardly known outside the tropics, but recently the knowledge of the Crop has expanded and it is grown throughout the world. It is now one of the largest produced staple food in the world (FAO, 1986). Cassava, manihot esculenta Crantz belongs to genus manihot and it is the oniy edible cultivated species of the genus. It originated in the New World, probably Brazil and South Mexico. The crop is a perennial shrub which produces enlarged tuberous roots. It is grown on diverse soil type and it is easy to Cultivate. It possesses a highly capacity for storage of calories and the root is an important source of carbohydrate for man and animal especially in the tropical and sub-tropical Countries (Okwu and Nwosu, 2000) Cassava is an extremely vital food crop in Africa providing more than half the total carbohydrate in Countries where they are used as staple food (Okwu, 1998). One of the reasons for its increased important as basal food is that it is cheaper, energizing and not easily digested when eaten. In addition to its food uses, it also has industrial potentials. Cassava  root contains a high quality starch. Thus, Cassava is the main raw material for starch industries. The starch produced in starch industries is used in laundry, food, sweetener, adhesive, chemical, pharmaceutical, textile, paper, soap and detergent, and feed industries (Balagopalan et al 1987). Increased population demand and low yielding of this crop provoked the attention of national governments to the improvement of this crop and the use of artificial fertilizer to improve the yield.