New cassava germplasm for food and nutritional security in Central Africa

Abstract

Cassava is a key food security crop in Central Africa, but its production depends largely on the use of local farmers’ varieties characterized by inherently low yield which is compounded by generally high susceptibility to various growth and yield-limiting pests and diseases. Improved cassava genotypes have demonstrated the potential to substantially improve cassava’s contribution to food security and the development of the cassava industry and the improvement of nutrition status elsewhere in Western Africa. Eleven improved cassava genotypes were compared with a local landrace (LMR) used as a check under field conditions over two years in eight locations, grouped in four agro-ecologies in Cameroon. Pest and disease abundance/incidence and damage severity were evaluated. At harvest, root yield and carotenoid content were measured. Best linear unbiased predictors showed the lowest breeding value for LMR with the cassava mosaic virus disease (+ 66.40 ± 2.42) compared with 1.00 ± 0.02% for the most susceptible improved genotype. Two genotypes (I010040-27 and I011797) stood out for having higher predicted fresh root yield means which were at least 16 times greater compared with LMR. Predicted total carotenoid content was the highest (+ 5.04 ± 0.17) for improved genotype I070593 compared with LMR which showed the lowest (− 3.90 ± 0.06%) and could contribute to the alleviation of vitamin A deficiency from cassava-based food systems. Diffusion of high-yielding and nutritious genotypes could alleviate food and nutritional security in Central Africa.

The Effect of Rainfall, Temperature, and Relative Humidity on the Yield of Cassava, Yam, and Maize in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

“…Other studies on cassava have focused on trends of production and yield, effects of a single climatic condition on production, variety improvement, and technological improvement in yields [19][20][21][22][23]. Most studies on maize have dwelled on yield gabs, fertilizer application on yields, one or two climatic conditions effecting yields, and soil and crop management practices [24][25][26][27][28][29][30].…”

Cassava mosaic disease and its whitefly vector in Cameroon: Incidence, severity and whitefly numbers from field surveys

“…Productivity could be increased if improved varieties, disease-free planting materials, and good management practices were used. As indicated by Akinbade et al (2010) and Tize et al (2021) , CMD is a serious constraint to cassava production, leading to heavy yield losses. Cassava is grown in a wide range of regions in Cameroon – from the equatorial rainforest in the south to the subtropical semi-arid in the north – thus, cassava variety, variation of cultural practices and environmental factors at different sites may have a bearing on CMD incidence and severity and the vector abundance.…”

Optimisation de l’acclimatation de vitroplants d’une accession de manioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz) de la République Centrafricaine par la méthode de culture ex vitro

“…Le manioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz) est un arbuste pérenne dont la culture est importante pour les pays tropicaux et subtropicaux d'Afrique et d'Amérique latine (Vernier et al, 2018). Il contribue à la sécurité alimentaire et aux revenus des populations de ces régions (Tize et al, 2021). La production du manioc se situe à la cinquième place dans les statistiques mondiales après le blé, le riz, le maïs, la pomme de terre (Yéo 2007).…”