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| manioc | |
|---|---|
| Name | Manioc |
| Genus | Manihot |
| Species | esculenta |
| Family | Euphorbiaceae |
| Common names | cassava, yuca, mandioca |
manioc
Manioc is a perennial woody shrub cultivated as an annual for its starchy tuberous roots. It is a staple food for millions across Nigeria, Brazil, Thailand, India, and Indonesia, and it plays a central role in food security, industrial starch production, and biofuel feedstocks. Domesticated varieties exhibit broad genetic diversity studied by researchers at institutions such as the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, the CIMMYT-related networks, and the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Manioc belongs to the genus Manihot in the family Euphorbiaceae; its accepted scientific name is Manihot esculenta. Taxonomic work has involved botanists and institutions like Carl Linnaeus's successors, George Bentham, Joseph Dalton Hooker, and more recent revisions by researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Nomenclatural history intersects with colonial botanical exploration led by figures linked to the British Empire, Portuguese Empire, and the Spanish Empire, and with herbarium collections at the Smithsonian Institution and the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle.
Manioc is a dicotyledonous shrub with palmate leaves and tuberous storage roots; morphological descriptions reference comparative work by botanists at the Royal Society and descriptions in monographs used at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Its floral biology, including monoecious or dioecious tendencies, has been studied in contexts involving the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the University of California, Davis; floral characters are important for breeding programs hosted by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research networks. Genetic studies utilizing markers from projects at Harvard University, the Max Planck Society, and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have elucidated population structure and domestication patterns.
Cultivation techniques vary across regions from smallholder systems in the Sahel and the Amazon Rainforest to mechanized plantations in Brazil and Thailand. Agronomic research is conducted at centers such as the International Center for Tropical Agriculture and university programs at Cali, IITA, and University of São Paulo. Practices include vegetative propagation via cuttings, soil management informed by studies at the International Rice Research Institute, and varietal selection integrating work from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded projects and breeding trials at CIAT. Crop rotation, intercropping with maize and cowpea, and soil amendment trials often reference extension programs run by national ministries in Kenya, Ghana, and Venezuela.
Manioc roots and leaves are processed into staples such as gari, fufu, tapioca, and cassava flour consumed widely in Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Brazil, Peru, Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand. Industrial uses include starch extraction for paper and textile industries with companies and standards influenced by trade agreements negotiated at forums like the World Trade Organization and policies from the European Union. Ethanol production trials have involved energy programs in Brazil linked to the National Bank for Economic and Social Development and crop diversification initiatives promoted by institutions like the Inter-American Development Bank.
Many varieties contain cyanogenic glycosides requiring processing techniques standardized by food safety agencies such as the World Health Organization and national bodies like the United States Department of Agriculture and ANVISA. Processing methods—including soaking, fermentation, sun-drying, and wet-grating—have been documented in ethnobotanical studies by researchers affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, the British Museum, and universities like University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. Public health interventions in regions affected by chronic cyanide exposure involve collaborations with World Health Organization programs and nongovernmental organizations such as Doctors Without Borders.
Archaeobotanical and genetic evidence point to domestication in the South American lowlands with dispersal during pre-Columbian and post-contact periods involving trade routes that reached West Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central America. Historical accounts by explorers associated with the Spanish Empire and Portuguese Empire appear in archives alongside collections curated by the British Museum and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Manioc features in cultural practices, cuisines, and rituals studied by anthropologists at institutions such as the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and university departments at Harvard and Yale.
Major pests and diseases include cassava mosaic disease and cassava brown streak disease, with causal agents studied at laboratories like the Sainsbury Laboratory, the John Innes Centre, and research groups coordinated by the AfricaRice network. Integrated pest management strategies draw on work by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, national research systems in Uganda and Tanzania, and seed system programs supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. Biological control efforts have involved collaborations with the Food and Agriculture Organization and expert centers such as the International Potato Center.
Category:Root vegetables