Cassava Challenge Initiative Launch Meeting
Fiesta Royale Hotel, Accra, Ghana
23rd – 24th July 2010
Agenda: Click on the topic titles to view the corresponding presentations
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TIME |
TOPIC–SPEAKER |
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Friday 23rd |
Chair: Dr Hans Adu-Dapaah CRI Director |
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08:25–08:30 |
Opening Prayer Dr. C. Egesi |
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08:30–08:40 |
Welcome from CSIR DG Dr. A.B. Salifu |
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08:40–08:55 |
Dr. Delannay |
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08:55–09:00 |
Introduction of Guest of Honour Mrs Ruth Prempeh |
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09:00–09:25 |
Minister's Speech & Launch Hon Sherry Ayitey Minister - MEST |
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09:25–09:30 |
Vote of Thanks Mrs E. Y. Parkes |
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09:30–10:15 |
Picture Taking and Coffee |
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Session 1 |
Overview and Project Management Dr. Delannay |
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10:15–10:30 |
Dr. Delannay |
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10:30–10:45 |
Linkage (IBP, AR and NARs) Dr. Delannay |
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10:45–11:00 |
Development of a genetic resources base for drought and biotic stress improvement in cassava Dr. Delannay / Dr. Morag |
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11:00–11:15 |
Discussion |
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Project 2: Biotic Resources |
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11:15–11:45 |
Overview of Project and Proposed Activities Dr. Egesi / Dr. Onyeka |
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11:45–12:30 |
Discussion |
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12:30–14:00 |
Lunch |
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Chair: Prof. J.P. Tetteh |
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Session 2 |
Project 3: MARS |
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14:00–14:30 |
Dr. Delannay |
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14:30–15:00 |
Data Management Dr. Arllet Portugal |
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15:00–15:30 |
Overview and Work Plan for Mars Dr. Okogbenin |
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15:30–16:00 |
Genomics Tools to Accelerate Cassava Improvement Dr. Pablo |
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16:00–16:15 |
Coffee |
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16:15–16:45 |
Overview of Phenotyping Activities Dr. Tim Setter |
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16:45–17:30 |
Discussion of Work Plan |
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Saturday 24th |
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Session 3 |
Chair: Dr. Xavier Delannay (Phenotyping) |
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08:30–09:00 |
Dr. Hernan |
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09:00–09:30 |
Drought Tolerance Trial in Latin America Dr. Luis |
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09:30–10:30 |
Discussion |
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10:30–11:00 |
Coffee |
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11:00–11:45 |
CoP/CI Training and Capacity Building Challenge Initiative Project 5: Cassava breeding community of practice Dr. E.Okogbenin |
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11:45–12:15 |
Discussion |
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12:15–12:45 |
Dr. Butler |
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12:45–13:00 |
Product Delivery Strategy Dr. Butler |
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13:00–13:15 |
Discussion |
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13:15–14:00 |
Lunch |
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Chair: Dr. Larry Butler |
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Session 4 |
Sustainability |
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14:00–15:30 |
Discussion on Necessary Resources to Sustain CI Activities Dr. Butler |
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15:30–16:00 |
Coffee |
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Mega programme for roots and tubers, plantains and bananas Dr. Kulakow /Dr. Hernan |
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16:00–17:00 |
General Discussion and Closing Dr. Delannay |
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17:00–17:15 |
Closing |
Cassava - Human resources
Cassava - Human resources
Cassava InfoCentre
Annual reports
- 2013 – read online |
2013 – download PDF (453.62 kB) | 2012 – read online | 2012 - download PDF (328.65 kB) | prior to 2012, scroll down and flip to cassava section from these links
Briefs and updates
- Go to the cassava section in our Project Updates | Project Briefs | Poster Abstracts | Blogs
| Open-access e-book chapter | Facts & figures | Databases & products |
Stories and videos |
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Phenotyping cassava for
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Network for researchers
Join the cassava researchers' community of practice (IBP website)
Feature stories and news
2014
- Princess, pauper, mother, orphan, queen: celebrating cassava and rural women
- Five-part cassava video, with Nigeria's Chiedozie Egesi
- Cassava ready for a close-up after ‘research make-over’ in Ghana
2013
2012
2011
- UMUCASS33: the new bug-busting, high-harvesting, taste-tingling cassava variety now in Nigeria
- Disease-resistant cassava released in Nigeria
2010
- Victors over vectors: Improving cassava for Africa
- Cassava Research Initiative launch [then called 'Challenge Initiative']
- A cross-continental coalition on cassava for Africa
- Collective action to boost cassava yields in Africa
- East to West: Country perspectives on cassava in Africa
- Breeders in formation
- GCP research to benefit from completion of draft genome sequence for cassava
2006
- Cassava poised for a sea change; Passion for cassava (pp 12–15 in this e-book)
- At home and to go; Molecular bonds (pp 26–29 in this e-book)
- GCP capacity building: Finding the champions
2005
Cassava - Products
| # | Product | Type | Description | Current Use | Access | Access URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A microsatellite kit for the GCP cassava reference germplasm set | Genomic Resources | Reference kit of 36 SSRs, with sequence list and protocol, germplasm checks, and allele sizes of microsats for those checks | Assessment of diversity in cassava collections | Contact M. Ferguson, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
| 2 | A cassava germplasm reference set | Germplasm | A reference set derived from a cassava composite set of 2494 accessions from CIAT, IITA and EMBRAPA genotyped using 22 SSR at CIAT and 8 SSR at IITA | Comparative genomics studies and introduction of diversity and selected traits in cassava breeding programmes. | Contact M. Ferguson, International Center for Tropical Agriculture(IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
| 3 | Cassava germplasm improved for physiological and biotic traits | Germplasm | BC2 progenies with excellent delayed PPD identified for establishment in vitro and shipment to partners in Africa; Several wild Manihot species and inter-specific hybrids with resistance to cassava green mites identified, accessions of M. esculenta sub spp flabellifolia with resistance to whiteflies identified; Development of a new set of CMD resistant materials with enhanced nutritional quality for shipment to partners in Africa; The main objective of project is to accelerate the process of introgression of useful genes from wild relatives into cassava via a modified Advance Back Cross QTL (ABC-QTL) breeding scheme. | Germplasm to be used in a SP3 commissioned project 2003 (Cassava Nigeria) | Contact A. Bellotti,International Center of Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Cali, Colombia | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
| 4 | Drought tolerant contrasting cassava varieties | Germplasm | In order to elucidate the mechanisms of cassava which has remarkable tolerance to drought and to determine the best traits to be used in breeding programmes for drought tolerance, selected contrasting varieties have been screened and evaluated in four representative semi-arid environments in Brazil, Colombia, Tanzania and Ghana. | Cassava breeding materials in Brazil | Contact, A. Alves, EMBRAPA, Brazil | aalves@cnpmf. embrapa.br |
| 5 | Drought resistant cassava germplasm lines | Germplasm | Seedlings of 109 accessions of selected cassava germplasm (drought and other resistances) certified virus free and ready for distribution/use | Improvement of cassava breeding lines in West Africa | Germplasm multiplied in quantity compatible with distribution to selected partners in the range of 10 seedlings per accession per partner. | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
| 6 | UMCASS33. a disease-resistant, high-yielding cassava variety from Nigeria | Germplasm | Released in December 2010, UMCASS33 brings together favorable quality and agronomic characteristics from South American and African cassava. Selected South American cassava provided a higher nutritional content, while African cassava conferred resiliencyand CMD resistantce . CIAT provided the South American cassava, while the local variety resistant to cassava mosaic disease (CMD) was developed from material obtained from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). UMCASS33 has indicated higher yields and tolerance to acid soils conferred from the South American parentage and CMD disease resistance from the African. | Cultivation by Nigerian farmers and breeding material for elite lines. | Contact Dr. Emmanuel Okogbenin or Dr. Cheidozie Egesi, National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) at Umudike, Nigeria | eokogbenin@ yahoo.com This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
| 7 | Training course materials on phenotyping | Training Materials | Training course : phenotyping and water deficit. A ooklet of the course, distributed to participants with copy to GCP; CD rom with all power point presentations, conclusions of the course and spreadsheets for calculating environmental data and soil water balance. Distributed to participants with copy to GCP; six A4 pages presenting techniques (measurements of plant temperature, of evaporative demand, of soil water content, of intercepted radiation, calculation of evapotranspiration); The training course aimed at providing participants with theoretical and practical elements for these choices. Twenty three scientists (level : PhD or master) participated to the course, 6 from Africa, 6 from south Asia, 4 from east Asia, four from Latin America and 3 from Europe. The latter were participants to ongoing GCP projects which received no financial support from the GCP. The course lasted 8 working days (from 3 to 12 July 2006) and the time was split into three parts of similar durations (i) lectures, aimed at providing and discussing the theoretical frameworks, (ii) practical sessions in the greenhouse or in the field aimed at a direct contact with the tools involved in phenotyping, (iii) computer sessions in which each participant could work on practical examples and directly test methods of analysis and reasoning. The course consisted in two sessions : "Characterising the plant environment and the stress" with lecures, a practical experience of measurements in greenhouse and field and computer sessions, and "Assessing phenotypes : trait evaluation" with lectures, a field session and two days of computer sessions. | General training on phenotyping | CD rom with all power point presentations, conclusions of the course and spreadsheets for calculating environmental data and soil water balance on demand from GCP (www.generationcp.org) | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Cassava – Capacity building
In Ghana, Nigeria and Tanzania, cassava researchers have benefited from physical infrastructure, as well as from GCP’s Genotyping Support Service (GSS), and GCP is also funding several postgraduate students working on cassava – including at least one in each of the four countries in the cassava community of practice (CoP),which includes Uganda.
An informatics and data management workshop was held for all four partner countries in Accra, Ghana, in July 2010.
The aim is to strengthen the capacity of country breeding programmes to combine both conventional and molecular breeding.
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For the African cassava breeders Community of Practice (CoP) supported by the CGIAR Generation Challenge Programme (GCP), capacity development is important. “Capacity building is critical for the CoP, especially to use the products coming from GCP,” says Emmanuel Okogbenin, the CoP Coordinator. He adds, “The common adage that people are the most important asset is not quite true. The right people are your most important asset. People with the appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes.” |
Postgraduate students from partner institutes supported by the cassava RI
| Country | Student | Home institute | University | Course | Research area | Status |
| Ghana | Joseph Adjebeng-Danquah | SARI–CSIR | WACCI, University of Ghana | PhD | Genetic studies of cassava genotypes for improved productivity in the guinea savanna zone of northern Ghana | Enrolled in 2010 |
| Ruth Prempeh | CRI-CSIR | WACCI, University of Ghana | PhD | Genetic sutides on root quality trais in cassava with emphasis on postharvest physiological deterioration | Enrolled in 2009 | |
| Bright Boakye Peprah | CRI-CSIR | University of Ghana | MSc | Genotype-by-environment effects on improved cassava varieties | Enrolled in 2008 (via CoP) | |
| Nigeria | Bunmi Olasanmi | NRCRI | University of Ibadan, Nigeria | PhD | QTLs for early maturity for cassava | Completed in 2010 (enrolled via CoP) |
| Tanzania | Bernedetha Kimata | ARI-Tanzania | Egerton University, Kenya | MSc | Genetic linkage mapping of CBSD tolerance | Enrolled in 2009 (via CoP) |
| Uganda | Williams Esuma | NaCRRI | Makerere University, Uganda | MSc | Genetic diversity of yellow-root cassava germplasm in Uganda | Enrolled in 2009 (via CoP) |
Infrastructure
Site-specific infrastructural development is planned for GCP Phase II, based on an ongoing needs assessment at research-station level. Thus far, infrastructural improvement includes:
- 2011: Topographic surveys, improved infrastructure (irrigation systems, fencing, and weather stations), and plot rehabilitation for partners in Ghana and Nigeria
- 2005–2006: GCP supported the establishment of a modest molecular breeding laboratory at NRCRI in Nigeria, and a marker-assisted selection laboratory at CRI–CSIR in Ghana.
Links
- Data management workshop (July 2010) (IBP wiki)
