Cassava is one of the most important staple foods
crop, especially for the production of starch, ani-
in the human diet in the tropics, and ranked as
the sixth most important source of calories in the
human diet worldwide (FAO 1996; Alfredo et
al. 2000). Oguntunde (2005) reported that total
production of cassava in Africa had increased from
35 to 80 million tons between 1965 and 1995, with
Nigeria leading the rest of Africa. In many parts
of Africa, cassava leaves and tender shoots are
consumed; because the leaves contain about 7%
of protein (fresh weight) and a high level of lysine
(Mabrouk et al. 1987). Cassava is a competitive