Influence of irrigation, planting density and vegetative propagation on yield of rhizomes of starch the arrowroot

Abstract

The arrowroot is considered a non-conventional vegetable which has aroused interest in the food industry because of its starch content with differentiated characteristics and high commercial value. However, agronomic management information is scarce, making it difficult to compete with other species of similar purpose, and more studies are needed regarding the crop. The aim of this study was to define adequate agronomic practices in crop aiming the productivity the rhizome, yield the starch of arrowroot. The factors evaluated were the different levels of irrigation, the planting and the plant densities. The randomized block design was used in the field trial while the totally randomized block design was used in the laboratory tests. Through the treatments, crop yield ranged from 0.68 (seedlings; without irrigation; 31250 plants ha-1) to 60.09 t ha-1 (seedlings; irrigated; 31250 plants ha-1), while starch production ranged from 50 to 6350 kg ha-1. The highest yield of rhizomes was obtained in plants produced by seedlings along with the highest density of plants, and the highest production of arrowroot starch was extracted from rhizomes from plants produced by seedlings without irrigation and a density of 50000 plants ha-1.