For millions of people across Africa, a healthy bunch of bananas on the farm or a bag of aflatoxin-free maize at the market may seem like ordinary sights. Yet behind these everyday realities are decades of scientific research, innovation,…
Browsing Tag
breeding
Western Africa
Unlocking opportunity crops to combat food insecurity: VACS professional fellows equipped with modern breeding tools to accelerate genetic gain
IITA, in collaboration with CIMMYT and other CGIAR centers, brought together breeders from across Africa for a five-day intensive training on breeding pipeline optimization and market intelligence, to accelerate genetic gain in the continent’s neglected yet highly nutritious “opportunity crops.” From Bambara groundnut cultivated in the savannahs of Ghana to Okra harvested in the humid forests…
Southern Africa
Accelerating hybrid maize adoption in West Africa: Learning from Zambia and Zimbabwe
West Africa’s transition from open-pollinated maize varieties to high-performing hybrids could significantly transform productivity, strengthen food security, and improve resilience for millions of smallholder farmers. To support this shift, National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES) partners from Ghana,…
A high-resolution linkage map and chromosome scale-genome assembly for cassava by a group of international researchers, including some from IITA, has been published in G3 Genes Genomes Genetics, and highlighted by the Genetics Society of America (http://www.g3journal.org/content/5/1/133.full). The linkage…
IITA, in collaboration with CIMMYT, has organized a one-week training course for field technicians, seed specialists of public institutions, and production managers of seed companies participating in the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project. This is in recognition…
IITA has made significant progress in its plantain research in West Africa with the generation of seedlings from crosses with in vitro induced tetraploids from diploids―a first for the Institute. The IITA Regional Banana Breeding Manager, Delphine Amah,…