Stable as well as adaptable genotypes of high-yielding cassava cultivars, should be developed and made available to farmers, to ensure increases in cassava production in a target region or country in sub-Saharan Africa. As farmer-to-farmer contact is the primary means of diffusion of new crop varieties, improved cassava cultivars should satisfy farmers' needs for a stable yield from year to year, yet be adaptable to the range of growing conditions that may exist across the targeted area of diffusion. ...

The effects of plant age on the cyanogenic potential (CNP) of leaves (CNP-L) and storage roots (CNP-R) of selected cassava clones, TMS 30001, TMS 4(2)1425, TME1, TME2,Isunikankiyanand Dakata Wariya were studied in two agroecological zones in West Africa. The two zones were represented by Kano in the Sudan Savanna zone with a unimodal annual rainfall averaging 844 mm and Ibadan in the forest-savanna transition zone with a bimodal rainfall averaging 1253mm per year. Plants were sampled periodically ...

A substantial impact on Africa agriculture can be made through research on crop improvement for the extensive inland valley agro-ecosystems (IVS) extending from the humid forest to the savanna zones in sub saharan Africa. Systematic surveys of farmers have shown that cassava is a favoured upland crop for the IVS. Screening of cassava for IVS adaptation in the sub Saharan Africa is a continued activity at IITA. Preliminary results indicate that elite clones TMS 85/00025 (15.9t/ha), TMS 63397 (13.3 ...

This paper which is based on primary information collected over a wide area in sub-Saharan Africa shows that cassava production is expanding in the region. The expansion is in response to demographic and market pressures as well as to periodic famine caused by drought, plant pests and disease or by civil disturbances. In addition, adoption of improved processing techniques is also aiding the expansion in cassava production.

Reducing the size of tubers to be processed into a food product which requires fermentation and drying has been recognized as an effective method of reducing processing time and improving the product quality. A root crop chipping machine was developed and tested. The manually operated machine has a capacity of 68 kg h-1 for unsoaked tuber and over 100 kg h-1 for soaked tubers. The power driven unit has a capacity of about 1 000 kg h-1 with minimum amount of substandard (or fine) chips. The recommended ...

IITA has increased its knowledge about major constraints across agro-ecological zones and gene pools for Musa production in Africa. The authors review the following different aspects: adding more desirable attributes to breeding populations; integration of host-plant resistance, enhanced utilization, and improved cropping systems; networking; and training.

Manihot esculenta Cyanogenesis, the ability to produce hydrogen cyanide (HCN), is common to over 2000 plant species. In cassava, two cyanogenic glucosides, linamarin and lotaustralin, are produced in the leaves and stored inside vacuoles. Linamarase, an enzyme capable of hydrolyzing the glucosides, is also produced by the plant, but is stored in the cell wall. The hydrolysis of the glucosides and the release of HCN only occurs when plant tissues are damaged, e.g. during processing. Once produced, ...

In almost all countries of the cassava belt in Africa, from Senegal to Mozambique, cassava leaves are consumed. In much of East Africa, all of Central Africa and parts of West Africa (e.g. Sierra Leone, Liberia), cassava leaves are a major component of the diet and constitute a very significant source of dietary protein, minerals and vitamins. The cyanogenic potential of cassava leaves is 5 to 20 times greater than that of roots. However the risk of intoxication associated with the consumption of ...

A strategy to control the black sigatoka disease of plantain (Musa spp, AAB group) in Africa, targeting the incorporation of durable host plant resistance, was initiated at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). The commonly accepted intractability of plantain to genetic improvement has been challenged by the identification of 37 different, seed-fertile plantain cultivars and by the production of 250 hybrids in four years of breeding. Twenty tetraploid hybrids have been selected ...