Determination of Growing Season Duration of Cassava in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examines the duration of growing seasons of cassava in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. The main objective of the study is to know the changes occurring in the characteristics of rainfall like variations in the amount of rainfall, rainy days and its distribution. The rainfall data used was obtained from Agro-climatology and Ecological project, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Resources, Akure, Ondo State; synoptic stations in Akure, Ado-Ekiti and Osogbo for a decade (2006 to 2015). The length of the growing season for a number of food crops in Akure with particular emphasis on cassava (manihot spp.) was determined. The data collected was also analyzed using the measure of central tendency. The results obtained showed that the rainfall onset and retreat of rainfall varies from year to year but the average onset could be put between the month of April and May while the retreat is in November.