Growth and harvest conditions did not significantly
affect minor component composition except
the cyanide content (PB0.05). The ranges of
values for the minor components were as expected
for cassava (Balagopalan et al., 1988), protein
(1.51–3.97%), lipid (0.10–0.33%), fiber (1.23–
3.50%) and phenolic compounds (0.10–0.17%).
Only cyanide content was dependent on growth
and harvest conditions (PB0.05). This is clearly
seen in both crops, cyanide content of the plants,
after water deprivation, regardless of the development
stage, was high relative to plants provided
adequate water (Table 3). Cyanide content was
96.6–253.8 and 70.3–119.1 mg:g for peeled roots
harvested after the initial drought at 6 months
and after the rain at 8 months for the crop with
initial water stress. Likewise, cyanide content was
99.7–284.9 and 7.5–34.3 mg:g in the roots harvested
after the late drought at 10 months and
after the rain at 12 months, respectively, for the
crop without initial water stress. This observation
confirms a previous report that cyanide is concentrated
in the roots during drought conditions
(Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical,
1990). Presumably water deficit may retard the
transport mechanism of essential minerals for
plant growth. A previous study has already shown
a correlation between potassium application and
cyanide content of cassava plants. Higher application
of potassium in cassava can markedly lower
the cyanide content of the roots (Howerler, 1985).