Journal of Global Ecology and Environment

Component interaction is key in determining the success of every Agroforestry system. Allelopathy is a key determinant of the co-existence of different components of Agroforestry systems. This study was carried out to ascertain the effects of Azadirachta indica on the growth and taste of Manihot esculenta. The study was carried out at the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources (FRNR) demonstration farm, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. Five different concentrations of A. indica (0% (control), 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) were obtained from dried and pounded parts of A. indica mixed with water. The aqueous mixture was watered onto M. esculenta for a period of six months. Generally, treatments with 75% A. indica concentration recorded the highest growth whilst treatments with 100% A. indica concentration recorded the lowest growth. In terms of taste, treatments with 100% A. indica concentration were most bitter while treatments with 0% concentration were the sweetest.

The study showed that the different treatments had a significant difference on both the growth and taste of M. esculenta. In general, A. indica had allelopathic effect on the taste of cassava and as such, further studies should be conducted to determine the appropriate planting distance that would minimise the effects of A. indica on M. esculenta taste and growth.