Cassava diseases to watch out for

Hybrid cassava that has been developed by Professor Mathews Dida (right) of Tom Mboya University that is resistant to Striga weed. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

Cassava is one of the most important staple food crops in the continent. It is an important food security crop in a number of countries as the last line of defence against famine. Cassava is cultivated not just for consumption but also to provide raw materials for emerging industries that depend on products from the roots, particularly starch. One advantage of growing cassava is its ability to thrive in nutrient-deficient soils. However, diseases remain the biggest threat to the production of this crop. Unfortunately, cassava farmers do very little or nothing to control diseases and pests. Today, we will explore the common diseases that affect cassava.