Projects
Click here to report errors.
No comments on this item!
Gene transfer techniques for cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)
| Copy Link | |
| Coordinating organisation: | Institute of Plant Sciences |
| Description: | Cassava is one of the most important calorie sources in the Least Developed Countries, providing food for over 500 million people. Cassava yields are reduced by pests and diseases. Classical breeding of cassava is difficult due to the vegetative propagation mode, outcrossing nature, high heterozygosity and low fertility of the plants as well as due to the lack of resistance genes in the sexually compatible germplasm. We are developing transformation methods for cassava, to overcome the constraints of traditional breeding in close collaboration with CIAT and IITA. We have developed a method allowing regeneration of transgenic cassava plants, using Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer, with molecular data to prove stable integrative transformation. Our final goal is a protocol that is reliable, efficient as well as easy to handle and to transfer to other laboratories. Parallel to the optimisation work we have also already started applying the transformation technique to transferring agriculturally relevant genes to cassava. |
| Internet: | Projects Link |
| Start: | 1997-06-30 |
| Species: | cassava |
| Categories | |
| ARD-theme: | plant breeding biotechnology |
| Target country: | Colombia Nigeria Switzerland |
| Commodity: | root/tuber |
| Ecosystem: | humid tropical |
| Activity: | research |
| Registered related items | |
| Participating organisations: | 2 |
| Last editing: | 2005-11-18 11:28:14 |