Breeding cassava for adaptation to stress conditions: development of a methodology

A description is given of CIAT's cassava breeding program, designed to exploit the adaptation of cassava to various physical and biological stress factors by selection over a range of moderate to high stress environments. The selection environments are described and a decentralized breeding methodology is outlined

Eco-Efficiency: from vision to reality

The notion of eco-efficiency – first put forward by the private-sector at the time of the 1992 Earth Summit – has since been taken up by experts in agriculture as a guiding principle for research. Eco-efficient agriculture, according to a CIAT report, is competitive and profitable as well as sustainable and resilient, thus generating multiple benefits for the poor, especially when it offers new options for women. The concept seems especially relevant today, as leaders and organizations around the world – on the 20th anniversary of the Earth Summit – seek to renew global commitment to sustainable development against a troubling background of fragile food security and growing pressure on the environment. To foster debate and action, CIAT has prepared a major scientific publication titled Eco-Efficiency: From Vision to Reality, which is the inaugural volume in a new series called Issues in Tropical Agriculture. The publication documents recent advances in research on key production systems and crops, and it explores new avenues by which agricultural research can help achieve further gains in eco-efficiency

Cassava genetic improvement: Theory and practice

Cassava breeders rely on a wide range of information to succeed in their task of developing genetically superior varieties for adoption in the production, processing and market value chains. The published literature on cassava has risen exponentially in the past quarter century, and provides a fundamental basis for application of scientifically sound research practices. Yet, most publications are rather narrowly focused, and the task of integrating knowledge and techniques across a vast literature for purposes of planning and executing a breeding program can be overwhelming. Unlike for most major crops, there has not been a comprehensive treatment of the fundamentals of cassava breeding from a practical and theoretical standpoint. This field guide aims to fill that gap, as a tool aimed mainly at applied cassava breeders. It will also provide support for those many research programs that collaborate with breeders, such as physiologists, agronomists, soil scientists, plant pathologists, entomologists, economists and social scientists, among others