Research efforts to increase cassava productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa
Outline• Cassava production and use in Nigeria• IITA cassava breeding progress• Closing the yield gap• Future directions for biofuel research
P. Kulakow, R. Okechukwu, G. Tarawali, B. Maziya-Dixon, A. G. O. Dixon, and C. Egesi
Introduction• Most cassava in Africa is used for food purposes and • Cassava has a key role in food security• Cassava also important for income genetation for
farmers and processors– Reliable markets in biofuels can contribute to farm income
• Cassava production in SSA faces many challenges – disease and pests, – limited access to improved varieties, – sub-optimal production practices – limited access to markets (transportation, quality, market
information, location of processors)
Introduction• Increased business management of cassava
farms is needed to track costs and markets • Development of the biofuel sector will
compete with other initiatives to commercialize cassava production– Starch– Flour– Glucose syrup – Many factories operate well below capacity with
new processing facilities coming on-line. Many processors operate at 30-50% capacity or less.
FAO and RTEP
Estimates of Cassava Production in Nigeria2000-2009
Year
RTEP Estimate
(Million MT)Change
%
FAOEstimate
(Million MT)Change
%
2000 36.8 32.0
2001 37.9 3.1 32.1 0.2
2002 40.0 5.4 34.1 6.4
2003 40.7 1.7 36.3 6.4
2004 42.8 5.3 38.8 7.0
2005 45.7 6.8 41.6 7.0
2006 50.7 10.9 45.7 10.0
2007 49.1 -3.2 43.4 -5.1
2008 51.1 4.1 44.6 2.7
2009 52.0 1.8Source: RTEP (Root and Tuber Expansion Program), compiled from 1.
Annual Reports of Central Bank of Nigeria, 1998, 2001, 2003 and 2005 2. RTEP, cassava production survey, 2007, 2008 and projections for 2009; and faostat.fao.org
RTEP estimates average 13.5% higher than FAO
Issues in cassava production estimates
• Accuracy of production estimates?• What proportion of national cassava
production will be available for biofuel feedstock?
• Opportunities for use of cassava for biofuels will come from increased production and excess supply over food security needs.
Yield Gap and Waste• Development of the cassava biofuel industry
in SSA will need a reduction in the yield gap between yield potential and the actual yields realized by farmers.
• The cassava sector experiences significant amounts of post-harvest waste. Waste reduction and niche uses of waste for energy are potential benefial applications of biofuels.
• Targeted investment to reduce and utiliize post-harvest waste needed.
Most Cassava production in SSA is utilized for food
• In Nigeria, greater than 70% of cassava production is processed into garri by village level processors – Chiedozie Egesi, NRCRI
• Per capita consumption of cassava is greater than 200 kg/year in NC, SW, SE, and SS Nigeria
Selected Traditional Cassava Processing Methods
Flours
Chips
FufuGari
Cassava Breeding
• Plant breeding has contributed to increased productive potential of cassava.
• Research addressing production limiting factors will continue to show progress.
• Benefits from genetic improvement will apply to multiple uses including food, industrial applications and biofuels.
• Time from hybridization to variety for cassava is minimum of 8-12 years with opportunities for fastrack releases in as little as 6 years.
Key targets for Cassava Breeding1. Select durable resistance to critical diseases and
pests in Africa especially viruses2. Enhance nutritional quality through development of
biofortified varieties3. Produce stable high yields in variable environments
by improving local and broad adaptation through abiotic stress tolerance.
4. Enhance adoption of improved varieties that provide reliable root supplies with preferred end-use quality characteristics. – improved agronomic practices– connected value chain
TME 419 TME 117
Cassava Mosaic Disease – Selection and Diversifying Resistance
Cassava Diseases-Virus, Fungi, Bacteria
Cassava BrownStreak Disease
CBSD
Leaf, Stem and Root Symptoms
Ecosystem management of Cassava Pests: Breeding to Enhance Bio-Control of Cassava Green Mite
Predatory mite -- Typhlodromalus aripo feeds on cassava green mite
Introduced to Africa from Brazil in 1993 for biological control of cassava green mite Mononychellus tanajoa
Hairiness of apical leaves is necessary for support biocontrol agents
Abiotic Stress Tolerance – Stay Green
High leaf retention capacity five months after planting increases fresh yield by 7 tonnes per ha
Muvazi, DRC
Lilongwe, Malawi
Ibadan, Nigeria
Cassava Processing Centers
• Participatory Evaluation• Technology Transfer and training• Enterprise Development• Linkage to Investors and Industry
Cassava Breeding Progressfrom 1970 - 2003
• 581 elite genotypes cloned from 1970 to 2003 were evaluated between 1999/00 and 2006/07 growing seasons in 6 locations in Nigeria.
• Regression of mean genotype values on year of cloning shows change in average performance of selected elite clones
FYLD increased by 83.9%
y = 0.0101x - 18.908R2 = 0.3406
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
1.40
1.60
1.80
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Fresh Root Yield
Year of cloning
Mea
n lo
g(fr
esh
yiel
d)
Genetic gain/year = 1.01%
DMC increased by 3.4%
y = 0.0006x + 0.332R2 = 0.0146
1.20
1.25
1.30
1.35
1.40
1.45
1.50
1.55
1.60
1.65
1.70
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Dry Matter Content
Year of cloning
Mea
n lo
g(dr
y m
atte
r pe
rcen
tage
) Genetic gain/year = 0.06%
CMD decreased by 30.8%
y = -0.0044x + 9.1817R2 = 0.1741
0.25
0.30
0.35
0.40
0.45
0.50
0.55
0.60
0.65
0.70
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Cassava Mosaic Disease Severity
Year of cloning
Mea
n lo
g(C
MD
sev
erity
)
Genetic gain/year = 0.44%
Progress in Cassava Breeding in SSA
CMD Fresh Root Dry Matter
Year of Cloning Severity Yield Content
(t/ha) (%)
1970 - 1980 2.00 ± 0.09 9.59 ± 0.56 33.71 ± 0.38
1981 - 1990 2.06 ± 0.07 14.00 ± 0.39 32.82 ± 0.49
1991 - 2002 1.38 ± 0.02 17.64 ± 0.22 34.87 ± 0.16
Cassava Breeding Progress• 75 variety release events in
partnership between IITA and NARS from 2006-2009
• Over 600 improved genotypes available for international distribution
• Advanced genotypes for preferred end user quality characteristics
Variety Identity and quality
Current Promising Products of Cassava Breeding
Promising Genotypes for Multiple Pest Resistance, Yield, and Dry Matter – 2009/10
CloneMean CMD
Score Fresh Yield Dry YieldDry
Matter
t/ha t/ha %07/0134 1.1 36.2 13.0 32.807/0299 1.0 33.2 7.1 24.507/1378 1.0 30.7 10.2 32.007/0045 1.0 30.6 9.7 31.507/0004 1.1 29.4 11.8 35.530572 (check) 3.2 24.2 5.9 23.8Trial Mean 1.4 27.6 9.2 31.9
Deep yellow Yellow Cream White
Beta-carotene Enriched Cassava Breeding target of 15 µg/g fresh weight
Increasing pro-Vitamin A content of cassava using recurrent selection
Nigeria - National Cooperative Research Program Vitamin A Biofortified Cassava Candidate Varieties for Release in 2011
Trials Coordinated by NRCRI
Clone
Mean CMD
severityFresh yield
Dry matter
Total carotene
beta-carotene
score t/ha % μg/g frwt μg/g frwt
01/1368 2.9 21.4 28.0 6.1 4.401/1371 1.2 22.1 26.5 8.1 5.901/1412 1.0 29.6 29.0 6.4 4.3
30572 (chk) 2.8 21.0 38.0 0.6 0.4
Mean CMD
SeverityFresh yield
Dry yield
Dry matter
Total carotene
Genotype t/ha t/ha % ug/g frwt
07/0593 1.1 11.8 3.1 24.6 11.4
06/1635 1.2 10.0 2.4 22.3 9.1
07/0824 3.3 10.1 1.8 18.4 9.0
01/1368 (check) 2.7 16.5 3.9 22.4 8.2
07/0553 3.0 15.2 3.2 20.6 7.8
07/0539 1.1 12.0 2.5 19.0 7.7
01/1371 (check) 1.7 13.1 3.0 19.4 6.0
Trial Mean 2.0 10.3 2.2 19.9 7.2
Pipeline of Biofortified Yellow Root Cassava Genotypes
Closing the Yield Gap
• Increased on-farm yield with improved value chain linkages will benefit cassava uses for food, industry and biofuels.
Farmer yields of improved and local varieties by state in SS and SE Nigeria
Seven (7) project countries
- Central Africa: DR Congo
- East Africa: Tanzania
- West Africa: Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone
- Southern Africa: Malawi, Mozambique
Project ObjectiveProvide adequate supply of cassava
products at economically affordable
prices through availability of improved
cassava varieties, production processes
and farm gate processing
Unleashing the Power of Cassava in Africa in response to the food price crisis - UPoCA
Extension leaflets
Each distributed to about 4000 farmersEach distributed to about 4000 farmers
3333
Demonstration trials
Early plant development Early plant development
Technologies:Technologies:
1.1. Spacing distance (0.8 x 1.0m)Spacing distance (0.8 x 1.0m)
2.2. Herbicides for weed controlHerbicides for weed control
3.3. FertilizerFertilizer
4.4. Local and Improved VarietyLocal and Improved Variety
5.5. Compare to local practicesCompare to local practices
6.6. 40 demonstrations established40 demonstrations established
Clustered around three starch factoriesClustered around three starch factories
Fertilizer depot
Agro chemicals
Weed Control Groups
Fertilizer plant in Ebonyi State
Commercial Banks, Micro-credit SchemesCommercial Banks, Micro-credit Schemes
Linkages to service providers
Syngenta / Dizengoff
Farm Machinery
Priorities for Bioenergy Uses for Cassava• Life-cycle assessments of biofuel technologies
– Energy balances– Food security needs– Environmental costs
• Identify appropriate targets for biofuel applications– Waste minimization– Targeted reliable markets for farmers– Niche economic technologies
• Cogeneration using waste from processing facilities• On-farm applications• Larger scale applications utilizing excess productive capacity
• Capitalize on variation in cassava starch and sugar variability– Apply genomics knowledge and integrated breeding platforms
to develop adapted varieties with specialized traits• International and regional research networks on biofuels
– Most research investment should still target food and industrial uses of cassava in SSA
– Shared research resources are more likely to yield advances
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