Evaluation and delivery of disease-resistant and micronutrientdense sweetpotato varieties to farmers in Uganda

Uganda is among the African countries reported to be at high risk of Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) with prevalence of VAD among children and women at 28 and 23%, respectively. Promoting orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) (Ipomoea batatas) rich in Vitamin A will play a significant role in combating VAD. However, sweetpotato virus disease is a major constraint to OFSP. The National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) under took research on improvement, evaluation and delivery of promising OFSP to farmers. Selected parents with complimentary traits are planted to a crossing block annually and true seed is harvested and used to establish nurseries the plants of which are individually screened for reaction to SPVD, Alternaria blight, and depth of the orange colour in the root flesh. Promising selections are evaluated through a series of verification multi-locational trials on-station. Selections are subsequently advanced onfarm to test their performance under farmer managed conditions and for their acceptability by farmers and consumers for both food and other uses. To date nine OFSP varieties have been released and disseminated to farmers.Generally, most of the released OFSP varieties are susceptible to weevils (Cylas spp.), but moderately resistant to both SPVD and Alternaria blight

Distribution, incidence and severity of cassava diseases and pests in Mozambique

Two countrywide surveys were conducted in April-May and May-June 2004 throughout the cassava growing belt of Mozambique including several provinces: Gaza, Inhambane, Sofala, Manica, Zambezia, Nampula and Cabo Delgado. Both surveys were planned to assess the distribution, incidence and damage severity of diseases and pests that affect cassava production in Mozambique. Using the methodology developed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), 202 and 175 cassava fields between 4-8 months old were sampled for pests and diseases in April-May 2003 and May-June 2004, respectively. The results of both surveys showed in the case of diseases that cassava mosaic disease (CMD) was found to be the most widespread disease in Mozambique although the distribution, incidence, and severity varied among provinces, among fields and within fields. The most severe damage was recorded in Gaza, Sofala and Nampula where the average scores were above 3 on a 1-5 damage scale but only in a limited number of sample fields. In other provinces, the disease was either absent or damage symptoms were slight to moderate (2-3). The DNA analysis of the leaf samples coIlected in 2004 throughout the country revealed the presence of several strains of CMD virus including, the African Cassava Mosaic Virus (ACMV), the Eastern African Cassava Mosaic Virus (EACMV), and a combination of both African and EastAfrican Cassava Mosaic Virus (ACMV+EACMV) in 80.5% and 7.6% of the field samples respectiveIy. The devastating East African Cassava Mosaic Virus - Ugandan Strain (EACMVUG2) was absent from all sampled fields. The presence of cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) was confirmed as a serious threat particularly in two of the three Northern provinces of Zambezia and Nampula and at lesser extent in Cabo Delgado. However, the severity was the highest in Zambezia and in the district of Nakala in Nampula province. The other known common tropical diseases of cassava such as the cassava bacterial blight (CBB) and cassava anthracnose disease (CAD) were of minor importance. The cassava green mite (CGM), Mononychellus tanajoa Bondar remained a problem in the southern provinces (Gaza, Inhambane) where the exotic predatory mites Typhlodromalus aripo De Leon was not yet established.. CGM infestations were followed by whitefly (WF) infestations in a rank-order hierarchy of infestation rates. Although generally known as vectors of the cassava mosaic disease (CMD), the high whitefly population densities recorded in some locations (>lo0 adults per plant, e.g. in Zambezia province), was considered a direct pest causing considerable leaf damage and covering plants with sooty molds. The incidence and damage severity of other common pests of cassava (i.e. cassava mealybug, termites, and grasshoppers) appeared insignificant

Identification of the key morphological sweetpotato weevilresistance predictors in Ugandan sweetpotato genotypes usingcorrelation and path-coefficient analysis

Sweetpotato weevils (SPWs) can cause up to 100% yield losses in sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas). Nevertheless, there has been limited success in breeding for SPW resistance globally. This is attributed partly to difficulty in screening for resistance because resistance to the SPW is complex and is mediated by several resistance indicators. Measuring all these resistance indicators is costly and time consuming. To enhance efficiency in selection for SPW resistance, there is need to profile and identify key resistance indicators. Potentially, this will better enable breeders to timely and precisely select for SPW resistance. The objective of this study was to identify the most efficient morphological resistance indicators against SPW. Thirty sweetpotato genotypes that varied in resistance to SPW comprising local collections, released varieties, and breeding lines were evaluated at three locations for two seasons in Uganda using an alpha lattice design. Data were collected on storage root yield, SPW root and stem damage, and weevil resistance indicators such as vine vigor (VV), ground cover (GC), vine weight (VW), storage root neck length (NL), latex content, cortex thickness (CT), and dry matter content (DM). Genotype means for all measured traits varied significantly except for CT. Negative relationships were observed between SPW root damage and GC, VW, CT, VV, NL, and DM. However, path coefficient analysis showed storage root NL (direct effect of −0.43, p < 0.001) as the most important morphological resistance indicator. Therefore, NL could be the most reliable predictor of resistance to SPW among breeding clones, especially at early breeding stages