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JKUAT researchers have developed a new high yielding and drought resistant cassava
With climate change now becoming the new reality, gone are the days when you could state for sure that a certain crop will thrive in a certain ecological zone.
Shifting weather patterns, unpredictable water supplies, frequent heat waves and decreasing temperatures make farming look like an expensive gamble.To survive, there is increased need for farmers to embrace drought resilient crops. One such crop that can thrive in harsh times is cassava (Manihot esculenta), which is hardy, resistant to drought and high yielding.
The beauty of this crop is that other than being a reliable food crop especially in sub-Saharan Africa, it also does well in poor soils and areas of low rainfall.
Since it is a perennial crop, it can be harvested as and when required. But in as much as cassava is considered a hardy crop compared to other cereal crops, the effects climate change such as heat, cold, drought and/or flooding are threatening its sustainable cultivation. Such changes not only affect cultivation but also influence disease epidemics and insect vector outbreaks, all which affect cassava production.
In East Africa, the main diseases affecting cassava production are cassava mosaic disease, cassava brown streak disease and cassava bacterial blight whereas the main insect pest is the whitefly Bemisia tabaci. As these diseases may cause up to 100 per cent loss in yield, it is necessary to identify and develop new cultivars that are resistant or tolerant.
With this harsh and depressing reality, there is need for a super hardy cassava variety that can withstand the emerging harsh and unpredictable weather. The good news is that researchers countrywide have foreseen this reality and are working round the clock for practical, sober solutions, to cushion farmers.
Researchers at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Mikocheni Agricultural Research Institute (MARI) in Tanzania, in collaboration with Basque Institute for Research and Development in Agriculture (NEIKER) in Spain are in the process of developing cassava cultivars that will be adaptable to the climate change induced stresses.
The aim of the project is to develop valuable cassava varieties that are resistant to diseases and can tolerate different environmental conditions such as heat, cold and drought. It is a collaborative research that supports co-development and technology transfer between the three countries.
Going forward, the researchers will evaluate cassava varieties in different environments for drought, heat and cold tolerance to identify varieties which are best adapted for those regions. In Kenya, the project is evaluating over 70 varieties in Kiboko, Alupe and Kisii for desired traits. Identified tolerant varieties will be recommended to farmers for cultivation while the same varieties will be used as parents to breed for varieties with combined traits.
Further, laboratory work to identify useful candidate genes in varieties through marker assisted selection (MAS) to increase the accuracy of breeding and shorten the time for development of improved varieties is going on. The improved varieties will be tested in the different regions to ensure that they are tolerant to cold, heat, diseases and drought. The project is working for farmers to improve cassava yields.
It is envisaged that the cultivation of adapted genotypes will increase yields, thus contributing to food security, increased incomes for farmers thereby improving the quality of life for small scale farmers. The project is funded by the Food and Agricultural organisation as part of achieving sustainable development goals of No poverty, zero hunger and climate action.
[Elijah Ateka is an Associate Professor, in plant virology, Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, JKUAT]
The Standard Group Plc is a multi-media organization
with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper print operations,
television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The Standard Group
is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key influence in
matters of national and international interest.
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