Cultivated genetic diversity and farmers’ knowledge – keys to cassava breeding

1Department of Plant Biology and Forest Genetics, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Uppsala, Sweden 2Plant Resources Center, Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hanoi, Vietnam

Anna Westerbergh1, Hoang Thi Nga2, Per-Olof Lundquist1, Vu Linh Chi2

Cassava diversity and farmers’ knowledge

Pre-breeding

Identification of genotypes/plants with desirable traits and genes controlling these traits in wild crop relatives and local farmers’ varieties

Cyanogenic glycosides

Bitter Sweet

Cassava diversity and farmers’ knowledge Cyanogenic glycosides

Bitter Sweet

wild cassava

Pre-breeding

Breeding

Dissemination to farmers

Adoption by farmer - production

Licensing and release of improved varietiey

Tim

e

Identification of plants with desirable traits and genes controlling these traits

I. Crossing of selected plants ll. Selection of progenies with desirable traits combining trait evaluation and genetic markers

From ”wild” plant to a cultivated crop

?

Consumption, marketing

Cassava diversity and farmers’ knowledge

• But will these new improved cultivars be adopted by the farmers? • Are there other characteristics/traits and varieties important for the farmers?

Cassava diversity and farmers’ knowledge

Interdiciplinary approach

Farmer interviews

Field observations

• name of cultivated varieties • origin • morphological description • primary use • desirable traits • cultivation practices

Molecular markers – genetic bar code – genetic diversity

Cassava diversity and farmers’ knowledge

..... for comparative studies

Sắn xanh local

variety

Sắn cao sản improved

Sắn lá tre improved

Sắn trắng improved

Less genetic diversity within fields Varieties in separate plots Majority of improved varieties Description – leaf, stem, root morphology & taste Local – sweet Improved – bitter Constraints – climate, NOT diseases

Compared to findings in Uganda, the cassava in Vietnam had:

Cassava diversity and farmers’ knowledge

Utilization and processing of bitter and sweet varieties

Cassava diversity and farmers’ knowledge

Colonization and diversity of arbuscular mycorrhiza in cassava roots

Glomeromycetes

Farmer-researcher collaboration in pre-breeding and cassava improvement

Thanks to

Colleagues at

Plant Resource Center and Vietnam Academy of Forest Sciences Forest Hanoi,Vietnam

Med Biotech Laboratories , Kampala, Uganda International Center of Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Cali, Colombia

SLU

Funders UD (Swedish Ministry of Forein Affairs)

Formas (Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning)

Sida (Swedish Agency for Development Cooperation)

......and You for listening