CBN-V Video Archives - S4-01
Cassava: an Ideal Crop for Biotechnology Tools

Ceballos H., M. Fregene, W. Roca and J. Tohme

International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Cali, Colombia

        Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an ideal crop for biotechnology tools to show their beneficial impact. Traditionally envisioned as a subsistence crop with little potential as a cash crop for industrial purposes, cassava now offers a wide range of industrial uses. Government and processing sectors are, therefore, showing increased interest in cassava. The crop offers some remarkable advantages: its ability to grow in marginal environments along with its competitive and reliable productivity. But it has limitations such as low multiplication rate, short shelf life, and long breeding cycle. Biotechnology tools offer great benefits for overcoming some of the inherent biological limitations of this crop. a) low multiplication rate can be overcome by tissue culture techniques, b) molecular markers are fundamental for speeding up the otherwise slow breeding process, c) genetic transfer from one clone to another is cumbersome and does not allow the full recovery of the recipient variety, however, “cut and paste” technology (genetic transformation) will greatly facilitate moving genes around the M. esculenta gene pool. Because of low level involvement of the private sector and its relevance in poor areas, cassava is a perfect crop for improving the public awareness on the potential benefits of biotechnology tools.

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