## 3 Results and Discussion
### Effect of Maturity on the Macroelement and Microelement Contents of Yellow-Fleshed Cassava Roots
For Fe, Mn, and B, higher concentrations were found in cassava roots that were harvested at 9 months. However, higher contents of Ni were recorded in cassava roots that were harvested at 12 months. The results of the study also revealed that there was no significant difference (\(p>0.05\)) in the contents of Cu, Mo, Co, Zn, and Al, regardless of the maturity stage. Thus, harvesting time had a strong influence on the contents of the minerals in cassava roots. For trial set 2, the study showed that there was a significant difference (\(p<0.05\)) in the concentration of Fe, Mn, B, Ni, Zn, and Al at different maturity stages. The concentrations of Fe, B, Ni, and Al were found to be higher in the cassava roots that were harvested at 9 months. However, Mn and Zn contents were higher in cassava roots that were harvested at 12 months. The study further revealed that there was no significant difference (\(p>0.05\)) in the contents of Cu, Mo, and Co regardless of the maturity stage. It implies that harvesting time plays a significant role in the concentration level of some microelements in the cassava roots while showing no effect on some. Additionally, it was established that harvesting time showed different effects on the two set trials investigated. Thus, genotype plays a vital role in the degree of effects the harvesting time showed on the microelement's concentrations of cassava roots. Effect of the Method of Sampling on the Distribution of the Macro- and Microelement Contents of Yellow-Fleshed Cassava Roots  
The mean values of the Ca, Mg, Na, K, P, and S content in yellow root cassava genotypes by sampling methods--method 1 (ABC) and method 2 (L) are presented in Figure 2a,b. The table also gives information on the distribution of the macroelements from the proximal, middle, and distal parts of cassava roots. There was no significant (\(p>0.05\)) difference in the mean values of all macroelements studied in the proximal and middle parts of cassava roots except S, which showed a significant (\(p<0.05\)) difference. Additionally, there were significant (\(p<0.05\)) differences between the mean values of all the macroelements from the distal part and that of the proximal or middle part. It implies that macroelement concentrations are evenly distributed from the proximal to middle parts, but from the middle to the distal part, they are not evenly distributed. A similar pattern was observed for K, P, and S for set trial 2. However, a slightly different pattern was observed for the mean values of Ca, Mg, and Na, where there was no significant (\(p<0.05\)) difference observed for the proximal, middle, and distal sections of cassava roots. The results showed that the distribution of macroelements within the cassava is mineral dependent. It was also observed that the macroelement concentrations were lower at the distal part than the proximal or middle section. This could be due to the dilution effect because it has been established that the water distribution of cassava increases from the proximal to distal parts. However, we could conclude that the best part to sample macroelements in cassava roots should be from the proximal or middle part. The two methods were compared by averaging the values of each of the macroelements from the proximal, middle, and distal parts (method 1) and comparing them with the values of the macroelements from the longitudinal section of the cassava roots (method 2). Figure 1: (**a,b**) Macromineral content of yellow-fleshed roots (trial sets 1 and 2) by maturity. Mean values with different letters are significantly different at \(p<0.05\). (**c,d**) Micromineral content of yellow-fleshed cassava roots (trial sets 1 and 2) by maturity. Mean values with different letters are significantly different at \(p<0.05\). Figure 2: (**a,b**) Macromineral content of yellow-fleshed cassava roots (trial sets 1 and 2) by sampling methods. Mean values with different letters are significantly different at \(p\) < 0.05; A = Proximal; B = Middle; C = Distal; L = Longitudinal.