News

     Center of Agricultural Information have an assignment to the Division of Geo-Informatics (GI) on cassava field survey during 1-8 March 2024. The tasks are setting for cassava coordinates collection (64 sample plots) for cassava 2024 classification with satellite imageries. The field area survey is located in the west region of Thailand - Phetchaburi, Ratchaburi, and Kanchanaburi provinces, which are responsibility by ROAE10. Additionally, the GI staff have been interviewed farmers to gain the essential on planting information and production situations. The majority areas are cassava; however, there are mixed land use with young oil palm plantation areas (~ age 1-2 years). Cassava varieties are Rayong 5 Giant, Kasetsart (Kasetsart-81 and Kasetsart-89), Kaset Yak Phuang Phet, and Huay Bong. Fertilizer inputs are 0-0-60 or called Potassium fertilizer, which are enriched cassava heads to increase percentage of powder particularly in the booming stage (3-6 months). Meanwhile, farmers add fertilizer in 18-8-8 to coverage soil for stimulate stem growth. In the beginning, some cassava fields puts organic fertilizer (e.g., animal dungs, biological fermentation water). Diseases found the Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) and Thysanoptera. Cassava’s production is around 4-6 tons per rai. Farmers are usually harvest their production when 8-10 months duration. The planting period is May-June then they harvest in the February-March in the following year. The cassava’s price is 2.7-2.9 Baht/kilogram. Some areas found the shifting on planting period to be earlier with the reasons on higher prices, which is shifting to the March. Normally, cassava’s prices are highest in the December to January (3.2-3.4 Baht/kilogram). Some areas notice the rotation crops instead of cassava such as sweet corn, sugarcane, water melon, and smooth cayenne pineapple, etc. Some areas are also face seriously droughts and cause falling leaves; then, the cassava production tend decreasing in this season.