 |
|
April-June 2018 Newsletter
|
|
 |
|
|
Dr. Egesi at the GCP21 meeting in Benin. Photo by Canaan Boyer. |
Greetings, NextGen Cassava community,
It's hard to believe just a few months have passed since our last issue, when we were so pleased to announce the renewal of the NextGen Cassava project for five more years. We know they will go by quickly, when so much is happening, both within our project, and in the wider cassava world!
This quarter included some important milestones. You may remember that in our first issue, we covered the graduation of the first NextGen-supported PhD student, Mercy Elohor Diebiru-Ojo, from the WACCI program at the University of Ghana. We are so proud to share with you that since she earned her PhD in May 2017, three more NextGen students have earned degrees in plant breeding from the WACCI program: Olumide Alabi of IITA Nigeria, Ismail Kayondo of NaCRRI, Uganda, and Lydia Ezenwaka of NRCRI, Nigeria. Additionally, two of the eight Cornell University PhD students supported by NextGen graduated in May, with four more to follow very soon. This training is part of NextGen's efforts to increase the efficiency of breeding staple crops for African smallholder farmers, particularly cassava. We wish our graduating students all the best, and are so glad they will play a part in cassava's bright future.
NextGen itself is also continuing to move forward. The fourth GCP21 conference was held June 11-15 in Cotonou, Benin, and I'm happy to say that NextGen had a strong presence there, with at least 23 project members in attendance. You can read more below about the fascinating research shared by our team members. It was a great opportunity for NextGen to collaborate with other scientists and researchers doing important cassava work, and to demonstrate our commitment to being leaders and innovators in the cassava community. Some of these collaborations are already bearing fruit: researchers in Asia are using NextGen-identified markers to help breed for resistant varieties, meaning we may see solutions to Asia's emerging cassava diseases arise from Africa soon.
As always, thanks for your continued support! All of us in NextGen are proud to be part of such a diverse and vibrant community.
Chiedozie Egesi
NextGen Project Manager
|
|
|
Ensuring the future of cassava breeding will require training young scientists to excel. We are proud of NextGen's new graduates and are excited to see to their contributions to research in the years to come.
This year's graduates worked on topics as varied as resistance to cassava brown streak disease, estimation of genetic gains with genomic selection, improving genomic selection accuracy, and improving selection for desired traits.
|
|
| (L to R) Olumide Alabi, Lydia Ezenwaka, Chiedozie Egesi, and Ismail Kayondo at the University of Ghana. Photo provided by Chiedozie Egesi. |
|
|
|
| (L to R) Roberto Lozano, Alfred Ozimati, Jean-Luc Jannink, Ikeogu Ugochukwu Nathaniel and Uche Godfrey Okeke at Cornell University. Photo provided by Jean-Luc Jannink. |
|
|
|
From June 11 to 15, members of the cassava research community came together in Cotonou, Benin to participate in the Global Cassava Partnership for the 21st Century (GCP21) conference. NextGen Cassava was well represented, with 23 project members in attendance and several NextGen-led presentations and plenary sessions.
Read more on the NextGen Cassava Blog. |
|
|
NextGen researcher awarded at international cassava conference
|
|
|
|
|
Alfred Dixon and Hernán Ceballos (R) at the awarding ceremony for the Golden Cassava Prize. Photo provided. |
A Principal Scientist and Cassava Breeder with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr. Alfred Dixon and Dr. Hernan Ceballos of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) have won the 2018 Golden Cassava Prize.
The prestigious award, which is usually bestowed on colleagues for their excellent contribution to cassava transformation was given to the two researchers by the International Scientific Committee of the Global Cassava Partnership for the 21st Century (GCP21).
|
|
|
|
|
| Symptom of cassava mosaic disease (CMD) on young plants. Left row is a susceptible variety (score level 5) while the row on the right is a highly resistant clone (score 1). Photo provided by Ismail Rabbi. |
|
Cassava mosaic disease is the most important disease of cassava in Africa and is now threatening cassava production in Asia. Now, diagnostic molecular markers developed under the Next Generation Cassava Breeding Project can be used to rapidly screen for and mobilize the virus resistance trait into the Southeast Asian cassava varieties and other regions of the world where the disease could potentially spread.
These high yielding virus-resistant African varieties may be a valuable tool to protect Asia's cassava.
|
|
|
Partner Spotlight: National Crops Resources Research Institute
|
|
|
|
|
NaCRRI researchers using mobile applications to evaluate root necrosis in the field. Photo provided by Robert Kawuki. |
The National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) has been a founding partner of the NextGen Cassava project since its inception. We interviewed Robert Kawuki, cassava breeder at the National Agricultural Research Organization of Uganda and NextGen Cassava country lead, to learn more about the institution's collaborations.
|
|
|
Multimedia Spotlight: Bringing Cassava into the 21st Century
|
|
Cassava research has received relatively little attention compared to large commodity crops like rice and maize. Chiedozie Egesi, project manager for NextGen Cassava, explains the need to transform cassava in Africa and how NextGen is contributing to this effort in this interview with Nigerian station ChannelsTV.
|
|
|
Cassava Research Highlights
|
|
Impact of Mislabeling on Genomic Selection in Cassava Breeding
Domestication Syndrome in Cassava (
Manihot esculenta Crantz): Assessing Morphological Traits and Differentially Expressed Genes Associated with Genetic Diversity of Storage Root
Gene action controlling cassava brown streak disease resistance and storage root yield in cassava
State of the Knowledge for Gender in Breeding: Case Studies for Practitioners
|
|
18th Triennial Symposium of The International Society for Tropical Root Crops.
22-25 October 2018 Cali, Colombia
|
|
| Contribute to the NextGen Newsletter |
|
Contact newsletter editor
Samantha Hautea or respond to this email to submit items for the next issue of the NextGen newsletter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Follow us on social media for more NextGen Cassava content:
The Next Generation Cassava Breeding project is led by International Programs in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University, in collaboration with International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and National Root Crops Research Institute breeding centers in Nigeria, National Crops Resources Research Institute in Uganda,
Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute
, West African Centre for Crop Improvement in Ghana, Makerere University in Uganda, and the Boyce Thompson Institute and US Department of Agricultural Research Services in the United States. Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and UK aid from the UK government.
|
|
|
|
|
