Abstract

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important economical crop of Thailand. The outbreak of cassava mosaic disease (CMD) caused the shortage of clean cassava stems. Cutting stacks of mature cassava plant at 8 – 10 months are used as asexually propagated materials. Thus the propagation of cassava clean seedlings can be done only one time a year. The objective of this preliminary study was to develop the cutting technique of young cassava stem to rapid the clean cassava seedling production system. Five-month-old nodal and shoot cutting pieces inoculated in various concentration levels of 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) solution for ten minutes were planted in the mixed growing media including peat moss and sand. These propagule segments were incubated in the closed chamber radiated with artificial light for 45 days. It was found that nodal segment treated with 20 mg/l NAA solution develop shoot and roots at lower rate compared to the propagule samples received none- NAA treatment. The stage of development of nodal segment affected the frequency of shoot and root development of new seedlings.