US researchers completes cassava genetic sequence draft

A team of researchers in the US has completed a first draft of the cassava genome sequence, which could help to enhance production.

The project is an important first step in accelerating the pace of research on this subsistence crop and addressing some of the limitations that cassava farmers face around the world, said the Donald Danforth Plant Science Centre (DDPSC) in the US.

Cassava is an important grain substitute in India, and is also a raw material for animal feed.

The cassava genome will provide great opportunities to improve this crop, bringing it into the mainstream of plant research, thereby reducing the time and cost of delivering improved cultivars to farmers, said Claude Fauquet, director of the International Laboratory for Tropical Agriculture Biology at the DDPSC.

The data obtained from the genome sequencing will speed up the development of new and more efficient molecular markers to characterise minihot collections and to assist in breeding programmes to develop new varieties.

It will also strengthen ongoing functional genomics efforts, said Joe Tohme of the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture.