Estimating Cassava Yield Potential and Assessing Yield Gaps in Rio Grande Do Sul State

Estimating Cassava Yield Potential and Assessing Yield Gaps in Rio Grande Do Sul State | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Estimating Cassava Yield Potential and Assessing Yield Gaps in Rio Grande Do Sul State Charles Patrick Oliveira de Freitas, Marcel Angel Guevara Ordoñez, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7594588/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Manihot esculenta Crantz (cassava) has been cultivated for over 8,000 years in Latin America, playing a vital role in traditional knowledge systems, cultural identity, and food security. Today, cassava remains a key staple crop, especially for smallholder farmers in developing regions. However, with the projected global population growth, increasing crop productivity has become essential. Despite Brazil being the fifth-largest cassava producer, its productivity remains relatively low. This study aimed to estimate the potential yield of cassava in Rio Grande do Sul (southern Brazil) and to identify and quantify existing yield gaps. The Global Yield Gap Atlas (GYGA) framework was applied, considering cultivated areas and climatic conditions across the state. Yield potentials were simulated using the SIMANIHOT model, and yield gaps were calculated based on productivity data from IBGE and regional farmers. Results showed that potential yields ranged from 49.2 to 62.2 Mg ha-1, with a state average of 54.7 Mg ha-1. The water-limited yield potential was 53.3 Mg ha-1, while yield gaps ranged from 66.3 to 79.3%. These gaps were mainly associated with suboptimal management practices and, to a lesser extent, water limitations. Overall, the findings suggest that cassava production in Rio Grande do Sul could be significantly increased within the current cultivated area by improving management practices such as varietal adaptation, fertilization (especially potassium), planting density, planting date, and weed control. Manihot esculenta Crantz Yield potential SIMANIHOT model Yield Gap Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7594588","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":515251607,"identity":"6106cad1-a9c5-4ef3-8e15-af2c5ecb3f1c","order_by":0,"name":"Charles Patrick Oliveira de Freitas","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Federal University of Santa Maria","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Charles","middleName":"Patrick Oliveira","lastName":"de Freitas","suffix":""},{"id":515251608,"identity":"57421cae-e25f-43d7-bb61-597eeaed0d1a","order_by":1,"name":"Marcel Angel Guevara 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State\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Manihot esculenta Crantz, Yield potential, SIMANIHOT model, Yield Gap","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7594588/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7594588/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eManihot esculenta Crantz (cassava) has been cultivated for over 8,000 years in Latin America, playing a vital role in traditional knowledge systems, cultural identity, and food security. Today, cassava remains a key staple crop, especially for smallholder farmers in developing regions. However, with the projected global population growth, increasing crop productivity has become essential. Despite Brazil being the fifth-largest cassava producer, its productivity remains relatively low. This study aimed to estimate the potential yield of cassava in Rio Grande do Sul (southern Brazil) and to identify and quantify existing yield gaps. The Global Yield Gap Atlas (GYGA) framework was applied, considering cultivated areas and climatic conditions across the state. Yield potentials were simulated using the SIMANIHOT model, and yield gaps were calculated based on productivity data from IBGE and regional farmers. Results showed that potential yields ranged from 49.2 to 62.2 Mg ha-1, with a state average of 54.7 Mg ha-1. The water-limited yield potential was 53.3 Mg ha-1, while yield gaps ranged from 66.3 to 79.3%. These gaps were mainly associated with suboptimal management practices and, to a lesser extent, water limitations. 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