Tracking and managing cassava viral diseases in East and Central Africa
November 5, 2009
A recent study conducted by IITA revealed that Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) has decreased significantly while the Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) continues to spread in the Great Lakes Region of eastern and central Africa.
These findings were based on preliminary results of a just concluded survey under the Disease Objective of the Great Lakes Cassava Initiative (GLCI) being coordinated by IITA.
James Legg, IITA Virologist based in Tanzania and coordinator of the virus monitoring surveys in Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, attributed the reduction of CMD incidence in parts of the region to the promotion of improved cassava varieties by IITA and partners.
The results were released at a meeting of 12 national and international research organizations in Dar es Salaam under the auspices of GLCI where the initiative's status was reviewed and set the way forward for the next two years.
Lava Kumar, IITA Virologist and Project Coordinator, says that the Disease Objective of GLCI aims to increase knowledge on cassava diseases, and develop diagnostics and management capacity to enable production of healthy planting material.
According to Geoffrey Mkamilo of Tanzania’s National Roots and Tuber Crops Research Programme, all 13 districts in Coastal Zone had CBSD at different incidence levels, while 21 of 23 districts surveyed in the Lake Zone had the disease.
In Rwanda, CBSD symptoms have been observed, while CMD has been reported to be well-established. Gervais Gashaka of the National Agricultural Research Institute of Rwanda, confirmed that CBSD symptoms were observed in 4 of the 17 districts surveyed, while CMD was everywhere as uptake of resistant varieties had been slow.
However, Edward Kanju, IITA Cassava Breeder/Pathologist, reported that promising cassava clones with dual resistance have been identified and will be deployed in farmers' fields after rigorous validation. This, he says, should significantly help in managing the two cassava viral diseases in the region.
About IITA Africa has complex problems that plague agriculture and people's lives. We develop agricultural solutions with our partners to tackle hunger and poverty. Our award winning research for development (R4D) is based on focused, authoritative thinking anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa. We work with partners in Africa and beyond to reduce producer and consumer risks, enhance crop quality and productivity, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is an international non-profit R4D organization since 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by the CGIAR.
