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