Improved Cassava Varieties to Ease Hunger in Africa
July 5, 2017| |
Improved varieties of cassava that will help in addressing food crisis in Africa may soon be available in the continent.
Scientists from Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Organization (KALRO) are developing the genetically modified Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa Plus (VIRCA Plus) varieties, which are nutritionally improved and resistant to cassava mosaic and cassava brown streak diseases. KALRO scientist, Simon Gichuki, reported that the two diseases lead to a combined economic loss of about $180 million per year in East Africa alone. KALRO is collaborating with experts in various research institutions in Uganda and Nigeria, as well as in Donald Danforth Science Center and ISAAA.
At present, VIRCA Plus varieties are under confined field trials. KALRO researcher, Charles Wuturu, stressed that failure to fund research and not heading to regulatory institutions poses threat to cassava technology development as Kenya trails others in adoption. According to ISAAA AfriCentre Director, Dr. Margaret Karembu, different ministries have varied perceptions on agriculture technology, but the policy should be harmonized to make sure that funds for research would not suffer.
Read the original article from Media Max Kenya.
| |
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- Number of Hungry People Increases Again, FAO
- Improved Cassava Varieties to Ease Hunger in Africa
- Research Reveals Plant Volatiles Released Deliberately
- Plant Hormone Cytokinin Found to Regulate Plant Growth and Development
- Scientists Find Plants Have Unique Gene Expression Networks to Cold and Drought
- Chinese Scientists Develop High Antioxidant Purple Rice thru Genetic Engineering
- Research Identifies Genetic Markers to Unlock Diastatic Power of Barley
- EFSA Publishes Scientific Opinion of Renewal for Continued Marketing of maize 59122
- Plants Use Hydrogen Peroxide as Protection Against the Sun
-
Research Highlights
- MsmiR156 Improves Nitrogen Fixation in Alfalfa
-
Announcements
- 50th AIFST Convention
- GPMB 2017
-
Resources
- NAS Book: Preparing for Future Products of Biotechnology
- New Book: Genetically Modified Organisms in Developing Countries: Regulation and Governance
-
Plant
- Cotton Transgenic Gene for Red Fluorescence Excised with Precision thru CRISPR-Cas9
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (October 2, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (September 26, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet