Accumulation and efficiency of phosphorus use in irrigated cassava cultivars in the Brazilian semiarid region

Phosphorus is of fundamental importance for the energy supply necessary for plant metabolism, but it is still understudied for important agricultural crops such as cassava. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accumulation and efficiency of phosphorus use in different cassava cultivars in the semiarid region. Two experiments were carried out during two agricultural seasons 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 in Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil. The experimental design was randomized blocks, in split plots, with four replicates. In the plots, five doses of phosphorus (P) (0, 60, 120, 180, and 240 kg ha-1 of P2O5) were applied in the planting furrow, and four cassava cultivars (Água Morna, BRS Gema de Ovo, Recife, and Venâncio) were cultivated in the subplots. The cultivars Água Morna and Recife export more phosphorus through their roots. The cultivars Venâncio and Água Morna show greater agronomic efficiency when fertilized with 60 kg ha-1 of P2O5. The apparent P recovery efficiency presented the following order: ‘BRS Gema de Ovo’ > ‘Água Morna’ > ‘Venâncio’ > ‘Recife’, with higher indices at the dose of 60 kg ha-1 of P2O5.