New disease-resistant cassava variety developed in Kenya
Just like the Philippines, cassava is a staple food in Kenya, a country in eastern Africa. Cassava performs well in the country’s relatively dry climate, where up to 80 per cent of the land receives a small amount of rain each year.
It is considered the second most important food crop next to corn, so much so that when diseases strike, the country’s food supply chain is greatly affected. The common Cassava diseases affecting farms in Kenya are the Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) and Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD), often destroying or shrinking the roots and leaves of the cassava. When affected by these diseases, the marketability of the crops is reduced by up to 100 per cent in severe cases.
To mitigate the impacts of the diseases, researchers at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) have cultivated and tested several varieties of cassava across diverse locations in Kenya since 2011. In June 2021, the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) of Kenya approved the application of the researchers to conduct open field trials, which by this year, showed that the disease-resistant variety of cassava has the potential to prevent up to 90 percent of crop damage.
After the successful local field trials, the next part of the project is for the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KPHIS) to conduct national performance trials, according to Professor Douglas Miano, the lead scientist in the project. The performance trials will be the last requirement before the variety is finally registered and distributed to the farmers, which will happen very soon, according to Professor Miano. This innovation will surely be helpful, not just in Kenya but for many other cassava farmers around the world!