Scientists upbeat about crop study
What you need to know:
- The trials — involving 25 shared varieties in East and Southern Africa — have shown promise against the deadly Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) and Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD), the coordinator for the New Cassava Varieties and Clean Seed to Combat CBSD and CMD Project (5CP) has said.
Dar es Salaam. Trials on disease-resistant cassava varities being conducted simultaneously in 33 locations in Tanzania and four other African countries have shown positive signs, giving hope to millions of people who depend on the crop for their livelihoods.
The trials — involving 25 shared varieties in East and Southern Africa — have shown promise against the deadly Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) and Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD), the coordinator for the New Cassava Varieties and Clean Seed to Combat CBSD and CMD Project (5CP) has said.
The 5CP is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and is conducted by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and national agricultural research organisations of Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia where the trials are being conducted.
The project is in its final year of implementation and is aimed at speeding up the breeding of cassava varieties which are resistant to CMD and CBSD. “Our initial results are promising,” said IITA cassava breeder and coordinator of the 5CP project Dr Edward Kanju.
Each of the countries selected five of its best varieties in terms of performance against CMD and CBSD .
