Cultivation of Tapioca
Tapioca culture varies with the purposes for which it is grown.
Tapioca is either planted as a single crop or intercropped with maize, legumes, vegetables, rubber, oil palm or other plants. Mixed planting reduces the danger of loss caused by unfavorable weather and pests by spreading the risk over plants with different susceptibilities.
For agricultural purposes, Tapioca is propagated exclusively from cuttings. It is raised from seed only for the purpose of selection Seeds produce plants with fewer and smaller roots than those of the parents and as many as half of the seeds may fail to germinate. On the other hand, cuttings taken from the stalks of the plant take root rapidly and easily, producing plants identical in character with the parent plants.
Around the world, Tapioca is a vital staple for about 500 million people. Tapioca's starchy roots produce more food energy per unit of land than any other staple crop. Its leaves, commonly eaten as a vegetable in parts of Asia and provide vitamins and protein. Nutritionally, the Tapioca is comparable to potatoes, except that it has twice the fiber content and a higher level of potassium.
