EFFECT OF HARVEST TIMES ON PRODUCTIVITY AND CULINARY CHARACTERISTICS OF THREE ETHNOVARIETIES OF CASSAVA IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF PARANAITA, MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL
Manihot esculenta; “mandioca de fritar sem cozinhar”, “mandioca branca” and “branquinha”.
Manihot esculenta Crantz popularly known as cassava, is the only species of the genus Manihot domesticated for human consumption and cultivated for commercialization. Cassava is cultivated in different kinds of soil and climatic conditions, has productive potential and is of significant importance in the diet. The objective of this study was to carry out the morphoagronomic characterization and evaluate the culinary quality of three landraces of cassava in three harvest seasons, in the edaphoclimatic conditions of the municipality of Paranaíta, Mato Grosso, Brazil. The morphoagronomic and culinary characterization were carried out with three cassava landraces (“mandioca de fritar sem cozinhar”, “mandioca branca” and “branquinha”) at three different harvest times (6, 8 and 10 months post-planting). The following characteristics were evaluated: shoot and tuberous root productivity, harvest index, number of roots per plant, length and diameter of the root, skin color, cortex and pulp, root shape, epidermis texture, root constrictions, skin and cortex detachment, cooking time, cooked mass pattern and post-harvest root deterioration. The results show that the harvest times influence the yield characteristics, the landrace “mandioca de fritar sem cozinhar” at six months post-planting, standing out from the others in terms of shoot production as well as tuberous root productivity. As for the phenotypic characteristics evaluated in the roots of the landraces, there was variation, with the exception of pulp color and root constrictions. The “mandioca de fritar sem cozinhar” and “branquinha” cooked in a conventional pot were not influenced by the harvest times, as they presented regular cooking (21-30 minutes) in all evaluations. While the “mandioca branca” was affected, presenting regular cooking only in the eight-month harvest. In the other hand, the cooking time in a pressure cooker was not altered by the harvest seasons in any of the three cassava landraces. Cassava root peeling and cooked pasta pattern were not affected by harvest times. The roots of the landraces presented 20% of deterioration in the harvest at eight months post-planting and in the other harvest times they did not deteriorate, after being kept for five days post-harvest at ambient temperature. We concluded, therefore, that the best time to harvest the three landraces is in the sixth month after planting, being the “mandioca de fritar sem cozinhar” indicated for productive purposes, while for culinary purposes, the three landraces (“mandioca de fritar sem cozinhar”, “mandioca branca” and “branquinha”) are suitable for cultivation on the soil and climate conditions of the municipality of Paranaíta, Mato Grosso, Brazil.