Definition of Cassava Plant: Classification, Morphological Characteristics, Benefits, and Cultivation Methods

Cassava plant is a plant meaning that is quite easy to cultivate and has many benefits. In addition, the sides of the stem tubers and leaves can be used for consumption as a side dish. Besides others, many also use this cassava plant as an alternative consumption ingredient for basic food because it is witnessed that this cassava plant contains more carbohydrates.

Therefore, it is not imaginary that many humans use cassava as a basic material for processed foods such as tiwul, getuk, or cassava sponge foods. In the industrial sector, it is used as a raw material for making tapioca flour. This article will review related to cassava clearly starting from the categorization, some morphological features, benefits, and steps of its cultivation.

Cassava

Cassava has the Latin name manihot esculenta is an example of a long root tuber or tree root with an average physique having a line in the middle of about 2 to 3 cm and a length of 50 to 80 cm, depending on the type of cassava cultivated.

The flesh of the tubers has a white or yellowish color.cassava or what is often mentioned as cassava or tree kettle, is a tropical and subtropical perennial plant of the family Euphorbiaceae. Cassava tubers are widely popular as the basic food meaning of carbohydrate production and its leaves are useful as vegetables.

Understanding Cassava

Cassava is a plant that can be used as an herbal medicine in addition to being a vegetable and food, namely as a medicine for rheumatism, fever, injury, night blindness, beriberi, boils, diarrhea, worms, dysentery, headache, and can increase stamina.

The bulbs on the tree boiler are not strongly placed even if they are placed in a cooler or refrigerator. Signs of damage are followed by the release of a dark blue color due to the creation of cyanide acid which has a toxin character for people.

Cassava Categorization

As for the scientific categorization of this cassava plant, among others;

Kingdom = Plantae

Divided = Magnoliophyta

Class=Magnoliopsida

Ordo=Euphorbials

Family=Euphorbiaceae

Genus = Manihot

Species=Cammellia Sinensis

Varietas = anihot esculenta crantz

Cassava Morphology

As for the morphology of this cassava plant, among them;

Stalk

Cassava is counted in the relatives of Euphorbiaceae. Some characteristics of cassava have stalks that are plates with a height of about 1.5 m to 4 m. The real form of understanding the stalk of cassava is round 2.5cm to 4cm in diameter, and made of wood and cork. The character of the cassava tree stalk has a brown or purplish color and can branch in double or even three.

Leaf

The character of the leaves on the cassava plant is calculated as compound leaves with leaves in the form of an ellipse with a pointed tip. The morphology of cassava leaves has a light green, yellowish-green, and even purplish-green color. It has a long leaf stem with a green, red, yellow color until it can be combined from its 3rd.

Flower

Cassava plant flowers are present on each armpit of the branch. For female flowers, it can develop first and ripen when the plant is 3 to four weeks old. If the definition of a flower is not fertilized within a period of 24 hours therefore the flower will wither and shed. For male flowers the cassava plant will ripen in the next one-month time period, until its pollination occurs crosswise.

Want

Plant roots enter the soil to a depth of 0.5 to 0.6 m. Some cassava roots are used to store foodstuffs such as carbohydrates. Therefore the fruits of cassava can be mentioned with stalk tubers.

Because it is a place to store food reserves in a fairly large size and even conquer other root sizes. The following large tuber roots that can be mentioned with cassava tubers. The color of cassava tubers is brown or gray. The inner shell has a reddish-yellow color quite white with yellow and white flesh colors.

Benefits of Cassava

The benefits that reside in this cassava as a plant, among others;

Improves digestion

A tree kettle is a tuber that contains a lot of Insoluble Fiber or fiber that cannot be dissolved in water. This type of fiber has a role in making the digestive process smooth such as defecation, and can absorb and remove toxins in the intestines, so that digestion will be healthier.

Heals headaches

Residents can use cassava leaves to cure headaches. The trick is to sometimes compress the side of the forehead with cassava leaves. The step to make is to take a few strands of cassava leaves and then ground until soft, then compress on the area that feels pain.

Cures diarrhea

Cassava leaves can apparently be used to cure diarrhea. The trick is to boil cassava leaves in water for approximately 900 cc, then let it stand until only half of it is left or about 450 cc. Next, strain the cassava leaves until they are half back. Furthermore, the boiled water just now is drunk about 2x a day, namely in the afternoon and in the morning.

Educating the brain

Based on the results of research, it is explained that in cassava leaves there are many amino acids that are most needed by the body to help convert carbohydrates into energy and to help recondition skin and bones, and improve memory, brain performance and various other amino acid metabolic processes.

Cassava leaves have the most beneficial benefits for the human brain. In the relationship to educate the brain there are many amino acids found in cassava leaves, namely phenylalanine acid, tyrosine, glutamic, and tryptophan.

Purulent and Burning Injury Medications

Heal purulent injuries by using fresh cassava stalks that are ground and then attached to the affected part of the body. For injuries, the remaining scratching of the cassava stalk is grated and then attached to the sore spot and then bandaged.

Cassava stalks can be useful for healing injuries. For injury medicine due to being attacked by a hot object, namely on the cassava tuber shredded and then squeezed, the water is allowed to stand for a moment until the starch is settled, then the starch is applied to the injured area.

Dealing with Rheumatism

For external use, namely by taking about five strands of cassava leaves, 15 gr of red ginger and whiting are added as necessary and then add water as necessary. After that, then stir until it becomes a potion and give it to the affected part of the body.

For deep use, take 100 g of cassava stalks and one stalk of lemongrass and then add 15 gr of ginger boiled with water about 1000 cc to a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius and water only 400 cc left. Next strain and drink the water about 200 cc, work regularly 2x a day.

Deworming

To cure deworming in children, namely by taking 60 gr of cassava stalk bark and 30 gr of Chinese ketepeng leaves and boiling with water about 600 cc until only 300 cc remains. Then strain and drink the water close to sleep. And to deal with beriberi disease, namely by taking 200 g of cassava leaves and then eating them as a lahapan.

Cassava Cultivation Steps

We find this cassava plant cultivation in many regions in Indonesia. Because this cassava plant is really easy to plant and care for. The process in the cultivation of cassava plants, including the following;

Cassava Growing Requirements

In order to grow well, cassava plants need a good situation. Although it can also thrive in barren locations. Getting enough sunlight is only the height of the place, which is 0 to 800 m at sea level and the soil has a fairly good drainage.

There is no waterhole because it can cause the tubers to rot, the soil is not so dense and hard, a good rainfall of about 760 to 2500 mm/th with a dry month of not more than six months.

Planting cassava

The cassava plant community is counted in plants that can grow in many places. It is in a barren and very dry area. That way this plant is really easy to keep because there is no special place for it to grow.

However, if planted in a barren area, the yield of tubers cannot be as large as when planted in fertile agricultural places, but tree boilers as an alternative crop that can grow in areas with fairly low fertility rates, what else if you look at pruning techniques and recent discoveries that can be connected to rubber cassava plants. Therefore, the development is better again.

Cassava planting and care

The soil that has been fattened is therefore ready for cassava planting after being allowed to stand for one week after the transplanting period. Plant cassava steaks that have been prepared by sticking them in the underground part, within a distance of planting cassava, which is about 90 to 100 cm so that the plants get enough sunlight.

After the cassava seedlings are planted one week later it must be looked at to make sure the plants can grow all or maybe not, if there are plants that die because it must be as soon as embroidery or planted with new seedlings.

Cassava gardens that are three weeks old need to be carried out weeding by taking grass or other plants growing around the cassava plant. Weeding is carried out three weeks later. Start lowering the branched leaves when the plant enters the 2nd month, leaving only 2 cassava stalks that are strong and can grow face to face so that they catch more sunlight.

This is just now material that we can share with all groups regarding the understanding of cassava plants, categorization, morphological characteristics, benefits, and cultivation steps. Hopefully it can be useful and become a recommendation for those who need it.