BecA Hub in action Project Title:
Identifying the physiological and genetic traits that make cassava one of the most drought tolerant crops
| Donor: | Generation Challenge Program |
|---|---|
| Partner/Institution: | EMBRAPA, University of Cornell, Agriculture Research Institute, Tanzania; Savannah Agriculture Research Institute (SARI) |
| Project Highlight: | Drought is an important stress in cassava particularly in the semi- arid regions of southern and eastern Africa and in the marginal areas bordering the Sahel. Polygenic, quantitative traits such as drought tolerance are difficult to screen using conventional phenotyping methods. Screening needs to be done over several years and several environments, each with replications. In these situations, marker-assissted breeding can provide increased accuracy in selection but increasing heritability by reducing the confounding effects of non-additive componenets such as dominance and the effect of the environment, which are substantial in cassava. To date molecular markers do not exist for drought tolerance in cassava. This project aims at identifying the physiological traits that make cassava one of the most drought tolerant crops, determining the genetic variation for these traits that can be exploited through plant breeding for crop improvement, and to map, using molecular markers, QTLs associated with drought tolerance. |
| Total Project Budget $US: | 117,000.00 |
| Scientist Involved: | Morag Ferguson |
| Scientist Email: | Email: m.ferguson@cgiar.org |
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- German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits the BecA Hub, 20 July 2011.
- Transcript of the speech from Kenya's President, His Excellency, the Honorable Mwai Kibaki for the official opening of Biosciences eastern and central Africa Hub, 5 November 2010.
- Transcript of the speech from Honorable Mohammed Abdi Kuti, Minister for Livestock Development, for the official opening of the Biosciences eastern and central Africa Hub, 5 November 2010.
- Notes from the speech of His Excellency, David Collins, Canadian High Commission to Kenya at the official launch of the Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA) Hub, 5 November 2010.
