Premium
The changes in cyanide content of cassava ( Manihot esculenta crantz) tissues during plant development
Author(s) -
Cooke Rodney D.,
de la Cruz Elba M.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2740330312
Subject(s) - cyanide , manihot esculenta , meristem , horticulture , parenchyma , biology , botany , chemistry , shoot , inorganic chemistry
The cyanide concentrations in the leaves, meristems, root cortex and root parenchymal tissues of cassava (cv. Valencia) were investigated at 2‐month intervals up to a plant age of 17 months. Six plants were analysed at each interval and sampling methods investigated to ensure that the cyanide estimations (by enzymic assay) were representative for each plant. Root yield per plant increased to 10 months and then remained almost constant to 17 months. Leaf weight per plant reached a maximum at 6 months (380 g per plant), decreased to 12 months and then slowly increased. Cyanide concentrations in the root parenchymal tissue and root cortex were not significantly different between 6 and 14 months; both tissues displayed peak concentrations at 6 and 14 months. Cyanide concentration maxima in the leaves appeared to precede those shown by the roots. Meristem concentrations showed similar trends to those shown by the leaves. The precise plant age at harvest had little effect on the potential toxicity of the roots. A modification to the earlier published procedure for leaf tissue is described. The cyanide concentration in old (green) leaves was < 50% of that in young leaves of the same plant. Intra‐leaf and inter‐leaf cyanide concentration variations are described, and the importance to low‐cyanide cassava screening programmes indicated.