Variations in the chemical composition of cassava ( Manihot esculenta Crantz) leaves and roots as affected by genotypic and environmental variation.

The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of cassava cultivars, in terms of cyanogenic potential and composition of macro- and micronutrients, sampled from different locations in rural Mozambique. Total cyanide concentrations in fresh cassava tissues were measured using portable cyanide testing kits, and elemental nutrients were later analyzed from dried plant tissue. Variation in cyanogenic potential and nutrient composition occurred both among cultivars and across locations.

Arbuscular mycorrhizas enhance plant interception of leached nutrients.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can increase plant growth and nutrition. However, their capacity to reduce the leaching of nutrients through the soil profile is less well understood. Here we present results of an experiment in which the effects of forming arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) on plant growth and nutrition, nutrient depletion from soil, and nutrient leaching, were investigated in microcosms containing the grass Phalaris aquatica L.