Ugandan Biotech Center Opened
13 May 2008 Scientists in Uganda have set up a new biotechnology center devoted to the study of the cassava, according to Africa Science News. The center will be based at the National Crops Resource Research Institute (NCRRI), and will specialize in modifying cassava.
With the help of the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (Asareca), the scientists launched the cassava biotech capacity project through the Agro-biodiversity and Biotechnology program at the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NCRRI) in April.
Dr. Charles Mugoya, a senior scientist with Asareca, said the US $110,000 project fund is part of the $320,000 about that was shared among the countries of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The Ugandan researchers will follow in the footsteps of researchers at the Donald Danforh Plant Science Centre (DDPSC) in the US, who introduced a genetically modified gene in a cassava plant to confer resistance to Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD).
The cassava’s ability to produce food under marginal conditions has made it a popular crop among Africa’s poor. In fact, cassava is the most consumed crop in East and Central Africa, with over 30 million tons of it produced annually, Africa Science News reports. On average, the value of cassava production between 1961 and 1999 in Uganda amounted to US $2 billion.
CMD and cassava brown streak disease are the most important constraints affecting cassava production in Uganda and most parts of Africa. Other viruses include Africa Cassava Mosaic Virus (ACMV) and the East African Cassava Mosaic Virus (ECMV), which is transmitted by a pest called Whitefly Bemicia Tabaci.
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