NARO develops superior cassava varieties

CASSAVA | VARIETIES | NARO

The National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) has developed new cassava varieties which, according to scientists, have superior cooking, industrial and disease-resistant qualities.

The varieties were developed at the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) Namulonge, a research body under NARO tasked with developing improved crop types that meet the changing needs of farmers and other stakeholders.

According to the application for variety release document from NaCRRI, three superior cassava varieties have been submitted to the National Variety Release Committee and are awaiting approval.

The new varieties are offspring of NAROCASS1, a commercial variety released in 2016 and currently grown by farmers; Kibaha, an introduction from Tanzania and several other breeding lines.

Dr Robert Kawuki, a cassava breeder at NaCRRI, said the new cassava varieties have good cooking attributes, elevated resistance to viral diseases, especially cassava mosaic and brown streak diseases, whiteflies as well as drought resilience, compared to varieties currently on the market.

The new varieties include UG120193,  which has a sweet taste, soft, early taste, very soft, early maturity (12  months), yield of 20-25 tonnes per hectare and very high resistance levels to cassava mosaic disease and cassava brown streak disease.

There is also Mkumba, with high dry matter content, superior resistance to cassava whitefly, cassava mosaic disease, cassava brown streak disease and yield of 20-25 tonnes per hectare. “UG120156 and UG120193 are exceptional for boiling, making flour-based meal and have high starch content for industrial use.

Mkumba,  on the other hand, is desirable for making flour-based meal as well as industrial use because of its high starch content.

Mkumba, UG120156  and UG120193 will take on official names of NAROCASS3, NAROCASS4  and NAROCASS5 respectively, upon successful release by the committee,” states the NaCRRI application for variety release report.

“Currently, there is increasing demand for cassava with good cooking qualities like softness, mealiness as well as high starch content for both food and industrial use.

The end-users are our customers need cassava varieties that must taste well, soft and mealy. Equally, the industries want varieties with high starch content in order to maximise on their returns,” he said.

Kawuki said these quality attributes guided the breeding process.

Dr Christopher Omongo, the root crops programme leader at NaCCRI, expects the new varieties to be released soon by the National Variety Release Committee and advised farmers to keep growing NAROCASS1 until the three varieties are officially released.

He said the new varieties will be availed through the different NARO dissemination platforms like the well-trained lead farmers where these varieties were evaluated, certified commercial cassava seed entrepreneurs and zonal agricultural research and development institutes.

Increased food insecurity 

Recently, experts expressed fear over a likely increase in food insecurity in the country following reduction in cassava production.

According to the 2003, 2008, 2010 and 2019 Uganda Bureau of Statistics reports, cassava is mainly grown in the eastern and northern parts of the country. 

The reports indicate that annual cassava production steadily declined from 4,966,000 tonnes in 2000 to 3,017,000 tonnes in 2010.

Production only increased to 4,390,231 tonnes in 2018, which is still an 11% decline over the two-decade period. Dr Christopher Omongo, the root crops programme leader at NaCCRI, attributed the decline to the dramatic explosion of the deadly cassava brown streak disease from 2004 onwards.

He said the disease wiped out most of the released improved varieties that had been bred for resistance to cassava mosaic disease that had previously ravaged cassava production. 

This story is part of the CABI-SciDev.Net Script science journalism project