Cassava breeding for abiotic stresses
resistance: Challenges and opportunities
Sankaran Murungan, Juan Carlos Perez,
Hernan Ceballos, Manabu Ishitani and
Luis Augusto Becerra Lopez-Lavalle
Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor
Abiotic stresses affecting cassava
• Drought
• Heat
Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor
Cassava drought-prone areas
Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor
Morphological Characters
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Slow sprouting
Slow growth
Dwarf
Shorter internode
Higher leaf retention
Leaf orientation against sunlight
Waxy leaf
Pubescence on the leaf
Thick leaves
Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor
Understanding drought tolerance
Drought susceptible
Drought tolerant
Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor
Comparison of growth parameters in
Cassava genotypes
MCOL 1468
CM4403
CG 1141-1
susceptible
susceptible
tolerant
V3
V1
V2
Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor
Physiological traits
• Partial closure/ less stomatal
openings
• Less stomatal conductance
• More chlorophyll content during
drought
• Decline of photosynthetic efficiency
Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor
Stomatal conductivity in cassava
genotypes
MCOL 1468
CM4403
CG 1141-1
76% reduction STC
68% reduction STC
46% reduction STC
susceptible
susceptible
tolerant
V3
V1
V2
Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor
CG1141-1
CM4403
MCol1468
CG1141-1
CM4403
MCol1468
D-Drought, I-Irrigated
Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor
Effect of drought on biomass
production in cassava
CM4403
MCol1468
Drought
CG1141-1
CM4403
MCol1468
CG1141-1
Irrigated
Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor
Effect of drought on biomass
production in cassava
30-40% biomass reduction due to drought in cassava
Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor
Germplasm screening for Drought
Tolerance & Pop. development
Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor
Locations for evaluation
Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor
Current activities
• More than 5000 cassava plants from Hyb-CTS1A-1 will be
planted under irrigation and no-irrigation regimens.
• Experimental design has been discussed with Dr. Tim Setter
• Planting of these material has been programmed in to zones:
a) in Santo Tomas Atlantico (Barranquilla Colombia) the last
week of July and b) in the Cerrejon Foundation’s farm
(Uribia-Guajira-Colombia) the first week of August 2010.
• Data will be collected and collated by 2011.
Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor
Acknowledgments
• Martin Fregene (Danforth Center)
• Pablo Rabinowicz (U Maryland)
• Tim Setter (Cornell University)
• Generation Challenge Program (GCP)
Eco-Efficient Agriculture for the Poor