To fulfill a key requirement for cassava improvement, CIAT researchers evaluate the genetic base of the crop and make genetic resources available to colleagues around the world. For these purposes, the Center maintains in trust for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) a collection of more than 6,000 cassava accessions. It consists of landraces from Latin America and Asia, of elite clones selected by CIAT and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria, and of several wild Manihot species.

Photo: CIAT. Colombia.