Crop Overview
Cassava is a vital crop for millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa, providing food security, income, and resilience to climate change. However, cassava faces many challenges, such as pests, diseases, low yield, and poor quality.
Cassava
Research Goals
RTB Breeding for Cassava connects cutting-edge crop science to cassava farmers, processors, and consumers to serve their needs and preferences. This endeavor aims to improve cassava breeding and deliver better varieties to African farmers and consumers. We do this by:
- Using genomic selection and other advanced breeding techniques to increase the genetic gain and shorten the breeding cycle of cassava.
- Developing and deploying new cassava varieties with higher yield, disease resistance, and quality traits preferred by farmers and consumers.
- Building capacity and strengthening collaboration among cassava breeding programs in Africa and beyond.
- Engaging with stakeholders and end-users to ensure our breeding is demand-driven and inclusive.
Varieties Released
The predecessor to this project, NextGen Cassava, developed and released five new cassava varieties in Nigeria that have improved yield, disease resistance, and quality traits. These varieties are:
- TMEB419: A high-yielding variety with resistance to cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), and high dry matter content.
- TMEB693: A high-yielding variety with resistance to CMD and CBSD, and high starch content.
- TMEB701: A high-yielding variety with resistance to CMD and CBSD, and high beta-carotene content.
- TMEB702: A high-yielding variety with resistance to CMD and CBSD, and high iron and zinc content.
- TMEB703: A high-yielding variety with resistance to CMD and CBSD, and high protein content.
Knowledge Generated
NextGen Cassava also created genomic resources and tools for the global cassava community, such as the 3rd Generation Hapmap, the CassavaBase database, and the Cassavabreed R package. NextGen Cassava also adopted genomic selection and other best practices that reduced the breeding cycle by more than half and increased the accuracy and efficiency of selection. It also conducted product profile and variety adoption studies to identify the traits and preferences of different segments of cassava farmers and consumers. Finally, NextGen Cassava has established a network of cassava breeders and stakeholders that fosters knowledge exchange and collaboration. Other milestones include
- Whole genome resequencing
- 1,273 cassava clones
- 20 million SNPs
- Regular genotyping
- Over 42,000 cassava accessions genotyped