WhatsAppRot is the main hazard for most arrowroot farmers in Kenya. That is one reason commercial growers lean toward Dasheen: it is rarely affected by rot compared with many types - when planting material is clean and water is managed.
1. Why Dasheen helps - and what it does not forgive
- Helps: variety-level toughness against rot under normal farm practice.
- Does not forgive: dirty suckers, filthy irrigation water, permanent waterlogging, and zero weeding.
- Still true: about 30% of yield potential is lost when irrigation is insufficient (too little water is also a failure mode).
2. Practical prevention
- Use clean Dasheen suckers where possible (ours are Ksh 10 each from Meru).
- Use clean irrigation water free from impurities.
- Plant one sucker per hole, 20–30 cm deep, light soil cover.
- Keep fields weed-free so moisture and nutrients go to the crop.
- Mulch with grass; water steadily for at least 6 months.
- Drain excess storm water so beds do not become stagnant ponds.
Full checklist: Dasheen farming guide.
3. Harvest mistakes that feel like “disease”
Many “bad nduma” complaints are harvest timing, not rot. Early digging produces soggy or hard tubers that are impossible to cook. The final two months let tubers harden and stiffen. Give Dasheen its full 6–8 months before clearing the field.
4. Manure and plant health
Goat and cow manure (well decomposed) support proper bulking. Chicken and pig manure often push poor tuber fill and weak returns - a profitability problem that looks like a “variety problem” when it is not.
If a previous crop failed, start again with clean suckers and better drainage or water management. Avoid replanting weak material. See suckers and seedlings or message us.