2. Genetic tools and knowledge for cassava productivity and special uses What is the status of cassava production and how did we get here? Lessons learned along the way Where do we want to go from here? What are the tools, knowledge and systems that we going to employ to get us there?

3. Weeds Degradedsoils Fundamental for food security Intercropping Lowfertility Lowbutstableyields Traditional cultivation

4. Development of managementpackages and new varietiesforhigh and efficientproductivity has a history of almost 40 years in IARCs and longer in some NARS Management + Genetic Improvement

5. Fundamental for income generation and rural development Well managed cassava Commercialplanting in sub-humidconditions Commercialplanting in acidsoils

6. 1. Status of technology Applied breeding techniques well established Flow of improved varieties for many regions and markets Optimum management packages (soils/agronomy) defined for many regions and systems Steady yield increases in many countries Molecular tools advancing rapidly

7. Global yield trends (t/ha) for cassava Source: FAOSTAT

8. Yield trends (t/ha) in six cassava-producing countries

10. However . . . Many people believed that by the 90s, national programs would be able to take over most breeding functions and IARCs could focus on upstream and strategic research; trait discovery for deployment by NARS. By the mid 90s, the effects of cutbacksin the system were becoming evident

12. Whitefly

14. New challenges: Impact of climate change oncassavasuitable environments Global cassava suitability will increase 5.1% on average by 2050… but many major areas of current production suffer negative impacts Source: A. Jarvis, CIAT

15. 2. Lessons learnedAn overview Sustained investment in research pays off +/- 20-year lag between initial research investment and substantial returns for breeding + management technology Genetic improvement and management contribute more or less equally to yield gains Integration of production and market demand . . . markets drive intensified management Most countries are not anywhere close to yield potential There is no status quo – the world evolves and research efforts need to keep up

16. 3. Where to from here? What do we want to be able to offer in the next 20 years? to growers to processors and consumers What do research organizations need to do to deliver these products?

18. Efficient propagation systems

20. 4. How are we going to get there?Challenges and Opportunities

21. 4. How are we going to get there?Challenges and Opportunities for the research community “Africa has only 70 scientists per million inhabitants compared to 4380 scientists per million inhabitants in Japan” Dr Papa AbdoulayeSeck, Director General of the Africa Rice Center (WARDA)

22. 4. How are we going to get there?Challenges and Opportunities for the research community Serious decline in funding in last 20 years Many once-strong NARS cassava programs have made serious cutbacks in personnel and operations Training of the new generation has lagged Few national programs able to produce/manage crosses (About 50,000 – 100,000 seeds managed for every successful new variety developed) In CGIAR – the trend away from interdisciplinary core-funded teams to special projects Limited private sector support in most countries

23. 4. How are we going to get there?Challengesand Opportunitiesfor the research community Train young staff with advanced degrees Commit to long term support for research A system that fully integrates management and genetic improvement A system that fully integrates molecular tools with plant breeding Work to develop market demand

24. Research efforts to increase cassava productivity Genebanks: The principal resource for breeding

25. Cassava Biodiversity Wild Manihot species are unique sources of genes that could be used through breeding with marker assisted selection, and/or genetic transformation BUT: search first in M. esculenta M. Bonierbale

27. ~ 450SSRS, 301 AFLP-RFLPs, 17 Genes

28. MAS for CMD and Post Harvest Deterioration

29. New gene based microsatellite markers identified at CIAT (1391) in 2008 and at USDA –IITA (846) in 2009

31. Deposited at Clemson Genome Center

33. 4. The way forward Organizational Technical

34. 4. Organizational Move from project mode to integrated programmode for core activities (basic breeding, agronomy, pest management) Participatory centralization for germplasm management A world genebank that can be freely exchanged (also technical) Revitalize national program capacity in conservation, breeding and “seed” systems A molecular platform that includes broad developing country participation (e.g. the Integrated Breeding Platform of GCP) Involve private sector to a greater extent Building capacity for sustainable success!

35. 4. Technical Breeding capacity Phenotypic characterization Access to genomics facilities Bioinformatics capacities Low cost rapid propagation expertise Capacity to transfer genes from cassava to specific genotypes (cisgenic products) Development of transgenic products and how to manage the whole process Access to biosafety fields

36. Reducing costs Access to technologies Accelerate breeding Integration with germplasm banks Integration with breeding CGIAR and Regional Infrastructures Phenomics Genotyping GM Microarray Proteomics Sequencing Rapidly Evolving Technologies

37. Breeding can be made much more efficient , but . . . The need for multi-location, multi-year advanced testing (3 yrs?) places a lower limit.

38. Traits for added value

40. Stronger market demand7.8 5.8 4.8 4.0 Crude protein content (%) DM basis 3.2 2.6 2.0 1.4 Variation in crude protein content of roots of 133 cassava clones Fuente: Teresa Sánchez

41. Reducción en el deterioro fisiológico de postcosecha enel híbrido inter-específico M. esculenta x M. walkerae(14 días luego de la cosecha) MCOL 1505: 27.8% MBRA 337: 9.48% CW 429-1: 0% CM 523-7: 51.9% Fuente: C. Egesi

44. Grainswithcavities Normal grains Reduction in fermentationcosts Small grains Ease of accessforenzymes Fuente : José A. Arroyave

45. Summary:What’s limiting progress in breeding? Low support to NARS/CGIAR for cassava R&D Constraints on international shipment of germplasm (esp. LA to Africa) Integration of molecular tools with field breeding Success with dihaploidtechnology – trait discovery; deleterious recessives; breeding systems Ability to induce flowering – produce more crosses Regulatory environment for transgenics Targeted gene insertion via cisgenics

46. How? Developing capacity in national programs A long-term vision within the CG Developing markets that drive demand Public-private alliances North-South collaboration TEAMS + TOOLS + TIME

47. THE VISION: Harvesting the sun -- A multi-purpose crop that meets the needs of food security and income generation for growers . . . and food, feed, fuel and diverse industrial uses in the marketplace, through eco-efficient management systems.