Thread: Cassava growing use of salt

Currently advised by my wifes family that our future cassava planting needs to have salt spread around to kill some bug/animal from infesting it --have looked at various threads but not seen any reference to use of salt
Advice would be much appreciated

First time I've heard of salt being used to grow Cassava.

Yes, thats why Im asking it doesnt seem to make sense

I found this that says salt decreases the growth rate.

Salt Tolerance and Regulation of Enzymes of Starch Synthesis in Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

JS Hawker and GM Smith

Australian Journal of Plant Physiology 9(5) 509 - 518

Abstract

The growth rate of cassava plants (Manihot esculenta cv. MAUS7) decreased with increasing concentrations of NaCl from 0 to 75 mM in nutrient solutions supplied regularly in a porous growth medium in a glasshouse. Tuber weight was reduced to one-half between 30 and 50 mM NaCl and there was some burning of apical leaves at 50 and 75 mM NaCl. By comparison with other plants, this cultivar of cassava can be considered to have medium sensitivity to salinity. Na+ and Cl- concentrations increased in all tissues with increasing concentrations of supplied NaCl, except that Na+ remained low in laminae until the 75 mM treatment. K+ levels decreased in tubers. Starch concentrations remained the same in tubers, and K+ stimulated starch bound ADPglucose starch synthase by 1 .5-fold. Leaves and tubers contained activities of ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase and ADPglucose-starch synthase similar to those found in leaves and storage organs of other starch synthesizing plants. ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase from leaves was stimulated 20-fold by 3-phosphoglyceric acid (3PGA) while the enzyme from tubers was almost completely dependent on 3PGA at pH 8.5. The A0.5 values for 3PGA (the concentration required for one-half maximal activation) for the leaf and tuber enzymes at pH 8.5 were 1.31 mM and 7.41 mM respectively. At pH 7.5 the leaf enzyme was stimulated 26-fold and the tuber enzyme was again almost completely dependent on 3PGA. The A0.5 values at pH 7.5 were 1.17 mM and 3.8 mM, respectively. The I0.5 values for PI (concentrations required to cause 50% inhibition) in the presence of 3PGA were 2 mM, 0.25 mM and 0.04 mM for leaf enzyme at pH 8.5 and tuber enzyme at pH 8.5 and 7.7 respectively. The results support the view that it is not possible to generalize about the magnitude of the control of ADPglucose synthesis in leaves as opposed to non-chlorophyllous tissues.

CSIRO PUBLISHING - Functional Plant Biology

thanks superman--i thought it could not make sense --however there might be misunderstanding as normally (just with regard to cassava) the family seem to know what they are doing

They may be talking about Potassium salts and not sodium ?

Potassium salts favour the formation of starch, and nitrogen and phosphorus are essential for growth.

Cassava processing - Acknowledgments, Foreword, Introduction, Cassava cultivation

Originally Posted by donald36

Currently advised by my wifes family that our future cassava planting needs to have salt spread around to kill some bug/animal from infesting it --have looked at various threads but not seen any reference to use of salt
Advice would be much appreciated

Dunno anything like that. You near Khorat? I heard they have a big problem with mealybug infestation of cassava there ....other than that there are tropical whitefly and red mites as well as two blights - cassava bacterial blight and brown leaf spot disease - in Thailand, but again, "salt" does not seem to be a treatment option, with the exception of potassium salts of fatty acids (!) which is apparently used for mealybug control.

If you see the plants, this might give you a clue (although its african based, but some of the pests are the same) -scroll to the bottom for the diseases ;

www.infonet-biovision.org - Cassava

If you see mealy bugs on your plants, there are several control options:

Wash them away. Mealy bugs can be dislodged with a steady stream of water. Repeat the treatment as necessary. This is best for light infestations.

Insecticidal soap. Insecticidal soaps are available on the market (such as Safer's Insecticidal Soap), or you can make your own by using a dish detergent such as Ivory Liquid. Try to find a product free of perfumes and additives that might harm plants. Mix the soap in a weak concentration with water (starting a 1 teaspoon per gallon and increasing as necessary). Spray on plants.

Neem oil. Neem oil is derived from the neem tree. Use according to label instructions. In addition to its insecticidal properties, neem is also a fungicide and has systemic benefits (meaning the plant absorbs it so it can control insects it doesn't directly contact). According to the Environmental Protection Association, neem is safe for use on vegetables and food plants as well as ornamentals.

Kitchen insect spray. This all-purpose insect spray was developed by the editors of Organic Gardening magazine and came to me by way of Rodale's Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control. To make a batch, combine 1 garlic bulb, 1 small onion, and 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a food processor or blender and process into a paste. Mix into 1 quart of water and steep for 1 hour. Strain through a cheesecloth and add 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap. Mix well. The mixture can be stored for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

Mealybugs—How to Control Mealybugs

^ Good solution.

Salt is used in the UK to kill slugs.

I've seen the locals use salt in their apartments to keep ants at bay. They seem to use it like the old fashioned bug powder. It seems to work. The ants don't seem to cross the 'salt barriers'.

Maybe the folks think it will work outdoors for growing thing too!

I couldn't have put it better Tsicar.

^Ditto

Salt, NaCl would be the last thing I would introduce into soil even if it may help with some pests etc.

Gradual built up of salt over time will render the land useless, you only have to look at the Australian experiences in the wheatbelt areas.

Tsicar is absolutely correct, if it wasn't thought of in Thailand then it can't be any good. And as many here know, thinking is not their strong suit.

Just remember there is a big difference between farmers and those who live on the land.

Thais will always listen to anyone in a long sleeve shirt or a new car....always.

Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai

Calcium Chloride,

Sodium chloride..............

Originally Posted by tsicar

Originally Posted by donald36

thanks superman--i thought it could not make sense --however there might be misunderstanding as normally (just with regard to cassava) the family seem to know what they are doing

do not EVER assume that the thais know what they are doing, ESPECIALLY when it comes to farming crops or livestock.
use the internet to glean as much information as possible and follow your head from then on.
just 'coz they have been doing it for hundeds of years does not mean they learned anything at all in all that time:
they are stuck in a cultural time-warp and their arrogance and ignorance will not allow them to move on or accept any technology developed, tested and proven anywhere in the world except in thailand.
idiots trapped by their own traditional, cultural and religious beliefs, the 'kkin lot of them.

Thanks for that great bit of common sense and everyone else for your advices, I will really now get into what they are talking about before any salt touches anything

Originally Posted by donald36

Currently advised by my wifes family that our future cassava planting needs to have salt spread around to kill some bug/animal from infesting it --have looked at various threads but not seen any reference to use of salt
Advice would be much appreciated

Salt is a great weedkiller, however, after you put it down your land will be infertile for about 10 years!

Take a look here

Soil salinity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There also was one perticularly hiso Thai that tried to manage water here and ended up drowning thousands of acres of previously fertile land with sea water, it killed everything, but I won't go too much into that as I don't like Thai prisons.

There is one place that I saw salt work and that was to make coconut trees develop coconuts - we had a few trees that did nothing for years and some old bloke came around and chucked a handfull of salt into the top branches, a month later the thing was hanging with coconut pods.

If you salt the soil, you will kill it for 10 years! I would rather use a weedkiller.

Thanks everyone, the eventual solution has come out as spreading chicken shit

Originally Posted by donald36

Thanks everyone, the eventual solution has come out as spreading chicken shit

LOL - one of the pleasures of living and working in Thailand - the potential for seriously crossd wires is endless...