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Library Development of methods for improving flowering and seed set of diverse germplasm in cassava breeding

Development of methods for improving flowering and seed set of diverse germplasm in cassava breeding

Development of methods for improving flowering and seed set of diverse germplasm in cassava breeding

Resource information

Date of publication
december 2023
Resource Language
ISBN / Resource ID
LP-CGIAR-0047

Cassava breeding faces obstacles due to late flowering and poor flower and seed set. The acceleration of breeding processes and the reduction in each cycle’s duration hinge upon efficiently conducting crosses to yield ample progeny for subsequent cycles. Our primary objective was to identify methods that provide tools for cassava breeding programs, enabling them to consistently and rapidly generate offspring from a wide array of genotypes. In greenhouse trials, we examined the effects of the anti-ethylene silver thiosulfate (STS) and the cytokinin benzyladenine (BA). STS, administered via petiole infusion, and BA, applied as an apical spray, combined with the pruning of young branches, significantly augmented the number of flowers. Controls produced no flowers, whereas treatments with pruning plus either BA or STS alone produced an average maximum of 86 flowers per plant, and the combination of pruning, BA and STS yielded 168 flowers per plant. While STS had its primary effect on flower numbers, BA increased the fraction of female flowers from less than 20% to ≥87%, thus increasing the number of progeny from desired parents. Through field studies, we devised an optimal protocol that maintained acceptable levels of phytodamage ratings while substantially increasing seed production per plant compared to untreated plants. This protocol involves adjusting the dosage and timing of treatments to accommodate genotypic variations. As a result, cassava breeding programs can effectively leverage a diverse range of germplasm to develop cultivars with the desired traits.

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Authors and Publishers

Author(s), editor(s), contributor(s)

Hyde, P.T. , Esan, O. , Diebiru-Ojo, E.M. , Iluebbey, P. , Kulakow, P. , Peteti, P. , Setter, T.L.

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Geographical focus