Cassava

Cassava

　　Cassava is a shrub-like perennial crop that was introduced to China in the 1820s and is now widely cultivated in Hainan. Hainan cassava is rich in starch, soft, smooth, and fine-textured when eaten, with no residue. Moreover, there is a type of floury cassava that is non-toxic, so you don’t have to worry about poisoning even if you eat a lot of it.

　　Cassava has extremely wide agricultural uses. In agriculture, cassava roots serve as high-quality feed for poultry, livestock, and fish, while also being an environmentally friendly, green food product. Industrially, cassava can be processed into over 2,000 products across five major categories: starch sugars, starch-based products, alcohols, organic chemicals, and fine chemicals. These are widely used in various sectors such as industry, agriculture, national defense, and science and technology, touching upon all aspects of people’s clothing, food, housing, daily use, and transportation. Cassava is a rare renewable energy crop.

　　Cassava is a tropical and subtropical crop, suitable for cultivation in regions with more than nine frost-free months per year and an average annual temperature above 18°C. The minimum temperature for cassava sprouting and seedling emergence is 14–15°C, with normal growth occurring at 18–20°C, and optimal growth at 25–29°C. Growth slows at 14°C, and stops below 10°C, with cold damage occurring. Hainan, being in a tropical climate zone, is one of the few places in the country where cassava can be produced year-round. Hainan has become the largest national research center for cassava germplasm, varieties, comprehensive utilization, and starch processing production. Research on cassava varieties is at the international leading level, with multiple projects winning first prize in the National Science and Technology Progress Awards.

　　Cassava is also very easy to plant. Just dig a hole in the ground or plow a furrow, cut cassava stems into segments, place them in the soil, and cover them with earth. During the growing period, just apply fertilizer once or twice and remove weeds, and you can harvest the crop when it matures. Pulling cassava out of the ground is also a bit of a skill—you shouldn’t pull too hard all at once, or the cassava might break off underground. Instead, gently pull upward first to loosen the soil covering the cassava, then slowly pull it out.