nextgen cassava breeding project€¦ · facilitation principles ... flowering - methods for...
TRANSCRIPT
NextGenCassavaBreedingProject
ReportforYear5Reviewand
PlanningWorkshop
IITAIbadan,Nigeria,14th-16thMarch2017
Page|ii
DisclaimerThis report documents the year five review and planning workshop for NextGenCassavaBreedingProjectthatwasheldon14thto16thMarch2017atIITAinIbadan,Nigeria.Thereport isnotasynthesis,butadocumentationof theproceedingsandoutcomesoftheworkshopwithoutinterpretation.ItservesasareferencedocumentforNextGenandworkshopparticipantsbyprovidingdetailsofwhattranspired.Theresults of the working groups and plenary discussions are reported as they werepresented. The opinions expressed in this report are those of the workshopparticipantsanddonotreflectthepositionofPICOTEAM-theyareacompilationofparticipants’contributions.
Photocredits:Photos in the report provided by Samantha Hautea (Cornell University) and AnitaMsabeni(PICOTEAM)
Page|iii
TableofcontentsAcronymsandAbbreviations..........................................................................................................v
Acknowledgments.........................................................................................................................vi
Forewordbyworkshoporganizers................................................................................................vii
ExecutiveSummary.....................................................................................................................viii
1. SettingtheScene..................................................................................................................10
1.1. WelcomeRemarks................................................................................................................10
1.2. Co-managementoftheWorkshop.......................................................................................10
1.3. Facilitationprinciples...........................................................................................................11
1.4. Gettingtoknowoneanother...............................................................................................11
1.5. Workshopagendaandprocess............................................................................................13
2. Officialworkshopopeningsession........................................................................................13
2.1. WelcomemessagebyIITA....................................................................................................14
2.2. NextGenCassavaprojectinbrief.........................................................................................14
2.3. GoodwillfromBill&MelindaGatesFoundation..................................................................16
2.4. GoodwillfromNationalRootCropsResearchInstitute.......................................................17
2.5. GoodwillfromACAIProject..................................................................................................17
2.6. BASICSProject......................................................................................................................18
2.7. Semi-AutotrophicHydroponicstechnology.........................................................................18
2.8. Unleashingthepowerofcassava:breedingandvarietiesofchange..................................20
2.9. Officialopeningoftheworkshop.........................................................................................22
3. TakingstockofprogressmadeinphaseI..............................................................................24
3.1. NationalCropsResourcesResearchInstitute(Uganda).......................................................24
3.2. NationalRootCropsResearchInstitute(Nigeria).................................................................25
3.3. ImplementationofgenomicselectionatIITA(2012-2017)..................................................26
3.4. CassavabreedingprogressinTanzania................................................................................27
3.5. Cassavagenomics:genomeassemblyv7.............................................................................28
3.6. GeneticLoadincassavaandrAmpSeq.................................................................................29
3.7. GenomicselectioninNextGen.............................................................................................30
3.8. Cassavabaseupdate.............................................................................................................31
3.9. NextgenCassavaGermplasm...............................................................................................33
3.10. Genderresponsivecassavabreeding...............................................................................35
3.11. UgandaBioscienceInformationCenter............................................................................37
Page|iv
3.12. Embrapa’ssupplementaryprojecttotheNextGen..........................................................38
3.13. Flowering-methodsforcassavafloralinductionandenhancedseedset.......................40
3.14. Postersession...................................................................................................................41
4. SynthesisofNextGenprojectpresentations..........................................................................42
4.1. Successes,majorchallengesandimplicationsforthenextphaseofNextGen....................42
4.2. Addressingchallenges..........................................................................................................47
5. Futuretrends,highpotentialtechnologiesandproductsincassavabreeding.......................50
5.1. OptimumHaploidValueselectiontechnology.....................................................................50
5.2. Improvedphenotypingthroughimageanalysis...................................................................52
5.3. NIRSphenotypingandcalibration........................................................................................53
5.4. Fieldphenotyping.................................................................................................................54
5.5. MoreArtificialIntelligence(AI)forphenotyping..................................................................56
5.6. VarietyreleaseprocessinNigeria........................................................................................57
5.7. Analysisoffuturetrends,highpotentialtechnologiesandproducts..................................60
6. NextGenphaseIfinalyearandtransitiontoPhaseII............................................................62
6.1. Introductiontophase2ofNextGen.....................................................................................63
6.2. SWOTanalysisofNextGenphaseII......................................................................................64
6.2.1. Usecasesandneedsoffers..........................................................................................66
6.2.2. Newvarietiesandefficientbreeding...........................................................................67
6.2.3. Productprofilespreferencesandneeds......................................................................70
6.3. Planningforyear5...............................................................................................................73
Objective6:Biotech/biosafetyCommunication-BarbaraMugwanya........................................74
7. Nextsteps,workshopevaluationandclosing........................................................................75
7.1. NextSteps............................................................................................................................75
7.2. Workshopevaluation...........................................................................................................76
7.3. Closingremarks....................................................................................................................77
Appendixone–Nextgenattendancelist......................................................................................79
Appendixtwo-workshopprogramme.........................................................................................82
Appendixthree–photogallery....................................................................................................84
Page|v
AcronymsandAbbreviations
BMGF BillandMelindaGatesFoundation
CBSD CassavaBrownStreakDisease
DFID UKDepartmentforInternationalDevelopment
DUS DistanceUniformityandStabilityAnalysis
GBE GenotypebyEnvironment
GS GenomicSelection
IITA InternationalInstituteofTropicalAgriculture
NaCRRI NationalCropsResourcesResearchInstitute(Uganda)
NRCRI NationalRootCropsResearchInstitute(Nigeria)
UBIC UgandaBioscienceInformationCenter
Page|vi
Acknowledgments
The three day Annual General Meeting for the NextGen Cassava Breeding Project thatbroughttogetherawiderangeofparticipantsrepresentingdifferentprojectpartnerstotakestockofprogressofphaseIanddevelopkeythrustsforphaseIIwasaninterestingexperienceforPICOTEAMtofacilitate.
We are optimistic that we managed to support the NextGen Cassava team identify andprioritizeactionareastobepursuedinphaseIIoftheprojectaswellaspotentialpartnerstoworktogethertoachievetheworkincludingdevelopingandleveragingcapacityandlearningamongtheactorsandbeyondtheproject.
We sincerely thank all the participants for their active and enthusiastic participationthroughout the workshop in addition to sharing their practical know-how, insights andtechnical knowledge. This enabled to articulate future plans of the project, expectedproducts, new partnerships and roles of each partner. PICOTEAM also extends itsappreciationtoallindividualsthatprovidedlogisticalsupportthatledtothesuccessoftheworkshop.
Specialthankstotheprocesssteeringgroup,whichspenttimeinreflectingwithusthedailyproceedingsandthenjointlyplanningforthenextday’sprocess.Throughtheirsteeringwewereabletonavigatethroughtheprocessandputtogetherthefinerdetailsoftheworkshopprocedure.
Wesurelyenjoyedworkingwithallofyouandwishyouthebestasyoutransittothe2ndphaseofimplementingtheacceleratedbreedinganddevelopingend-userpreferredvarieties.
BestWishes,EdwardChumaandAnitaMsabeni
Page|vii
Forewordbyworkshoporganizers
ThisdocumenthasbeencondensedandeditedbyCanaanBoyer.PleaseclickonembeddedlinkstofindPDFsofthemeetingpresentationsandposters.
Page|viii
ExecutiveSummary
TheNextGenerationCassavaBreedingProject(NextGenCassava),startedin2012,hasbeenimplementingandempiricallytestinganewbreedingmethodknownasgenomicselection;ithasalsobeenidentifyingpossibilitiestoimprovingfloweringincassava,understandingrolesdifferentgendergroupsinthedevelopmentofnewvarieties,andcreatedapremieropen-databreedingdatabase(Cassavabase),amongmanyotheractivities.Theprojectisnowinatransitionstagebridgingthephaseofdevelopmentandtestingofthesenoveltechnologiesand that of implementing them in accelerated breeding and development of end-userpreferredvarieties.
TheNextGenCassavabreedingprojectisfundedbytheBillandMelindaGatesFoundationandtheUKDepartmentforInternationalDevelopment.Projectpartnersinclude:CollegeofAgriculture and Life Sciences, CornellUniversity,USA;National Crops Resources ResearchInstitute (NaCRRI), Uganda; National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Nigeria;InternationalInstituteofTropicalAgriculture(IITA),Nigeria;BoyceThompsonInstitute(BTI)forPlantResearch,USA;USDepartmentofEnergy(DOE)JointGenomeInstitute(JGI),USA;Makerere University, Uganda; and West African Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI),Ghana.NextGenCassavahasexpandedtoincludeTanzania,partneringwiththeLakeZoneAgriculturalResearchandDevelopmentInstitute(LZARDI).
Inorder tomove seamlessly to the2ndphase, a three-daymeetingwashosted to reviewprogressmadefrominceptionoftheprojectto-dateandenabletheteamidentifyfutureplansfortheprojectcomprisingexpectedproducts,newpartnershipsandresultantrolesofeachpartner.
Theworkshopcommencedwithtakingstockofprogressmadewherevariouspresentationsweremade highlighting lessons, gaps, challenges and possible solutions for the NextGenCassavaBreedingProject.Majorsuccessesidentifiedinclude:germplasmexchange;NextGenvariety release; development of genomic resources; trainings; genomic selectionworking;Cassavabase; genetic architecture; gender responsive initiatives; better understanding offarmers’andprocessors’preferences.Mainchallengesencountered:phenotyping;effectiveadvocacy; trait management; genetic load; genotyping quality control; complexity ofgermplasmexchangesystem;limiteduseofCassavabase-ensuringusageofexistingfeaturesas well as new features and publication of an African cassava reference genome. Theimplications for the next phase of these challenges are the need for increased capacitydevelopment;makingCassavabaseaonestopshop;breedingfortargettraits;geneticloadduringcyclicimprovementthroughGSandenhancedcommunicationandadvocacy.
Someoftheemergingtechnologiesandtrendsessentialtosuccessfulcassavabreedingthatwerediscussedinclude:OptimumHaploidValueselectiontechnology;phenotypingthroughimageanalysis;NIRSphenotypingandcalibration;fieldphenotyping;andartificialintelligence
Page|ix
(AI) for phenotyping. Participants then identified phenotyping, variety release anddissemination,SAH,genomicselectionmodels,andfloweringinductionastechnologieswiththe highest potential for success and which need to be developed further in Phase II.Intermediate products proposed include: protocol and technology and training packages,whilevarietiesandtrainedpersonnelwereproposedasfinalproducts.
The9 fundamental stepsof thevariety releaseprocess inNigeriawereelaborated to theNextGenteamtoguidethemastheyworkonregistrationandreleaseofnewcassavavarietiesthatwillbeproducedundertheNextGenpipeline.ThiswouldenabletheNextGenprojecttoevaluate its trials and register their varieties harmoniously with the variety releasecommittee.
TomanagethetransitionfromPhaseItoPhaseII,interconnectivityofthethreedivisionsofPhase II (research, breeding and communication) were examined and potential areas ofexpertiseandpathwaysofactivitiesproposed.
Finally,onthebasisoftrendsandfuturedemandsinviewtoPhaseII,participantsdevelopedworkplansofwhatneedstobefocusedonintheremainingtimeofPhaseI.
Page|10
1. SettingtheSceneThis sessionwas intended to create a relaxed environment during the three days of theworkshop,anenvironmentthatfostersopeninteractionsamongtheparticipantstoenablethembringoutkey issuestobeaddressedforsuccessful transitiontoPhase II. It involvedagreeingonthegroundrules,introductionsofparticipantsandclarifyingtheirexpectations,understandingofobjectivesandlookingoverthegeneralprogrammeoftheworkshop.
1.1. WelcomeRemarks
ThemeetingstartedwithwelcomeremarksfromChiedozieNgoziEgesi-ProjectManagerforNextGenCassava;whothankedeverybodyandwelcomedthemtothe5thAGMofNextGenCassavawhichisalsothebiggestintermsofage,numberofparticipantsanddiversity.Overthepastfour years NextGen Cassava has expanded andtherearenowmorepartnersonboard.Chiedozieappreciatedallthepartnersforworkingtogetherinmakingthemodeststepsofgrowthenablingtheproject deliver in its efforts along the cassavabreedingcycle.
Heurgedparticipantstofeelfree,relaxandusethemeetingasanopportunitytoshareexperiencesaseveryonewouldgetanopportunity to illustrate theprogress theyhavemadeanddiscussintensivelythefuturetrends.Hepromptedtheparticipantstoidentifytheir“moonshots”asmembersofthecassavateam.“MoonShot-whatwouldbemybeststrategytodeliverthebestproducts/cassavavarietiestocassavaendusersandfarmers”.
Chiedoziethenintroducedthefacilitationteamwhowouldhelptheparticipantslookatwhathas happened, how to transition to the next phase, and future trends. EdwardChuma, aprofessionalfacilitatorfromtheInstituteforPeople,InnovationandChangeinOrganizations(PICOTEAM) explained that PICOTEAM specializes on facilitation and coaching, changemanagement and organizational development –with a predominant focus on innovationprocesses in agriculture. PICOTEAM supports organizations to perform better. EdwardintroducedAnitaMsabeni,whowasinthemeetingfordocumentationoftheproceedings.
1.2. Co-managementoftheWorkshop
Thefacilitatorwasassistedbyanine-memberWorkshopProcessSteeringGroup(WPSG).TheWPSGconsistingofacross-sectionoftheparticipantsandprojectpartners,whorepresentthewholegroupwell,wasresponsibleforco-managementoftheworkshop.Theyfirstmeton the day preceding theworkshop and at the end of eachworkshop day to review the
Picture1-welcomeremarksfromChiedozieEgesi
Page|11
progresstowardsachievingtheoutputsoftheworkshopinadditiontoaddressingconcernsarisingontheworkshopprocedure.Thisprocess-orientedprocedureallowsparticipantstotakeanactiveroleinco-creationoftheprocess,responsibilityforthesuccessoftheworkshopandownershipoftheoutcomes.
Box1:Workshopprocesssteeringgrouptask
1.3. Facilitationprinciples
To manage dialogue during the three days of the workshop, the facilitator introducedparticipantstokeyfacilitationprinciplesandrulesaspracticedbyPICOTEAM.Themeetingagreedtoadaptthesecorevaluestohelpcreateanatmosphereofeffectiveinteractionandconstructivesharingofideas.
1.4. Gettingtoknowoneanother
Tohelpparticipantsfamiliarizewitheachotherandcreateanatmosphereforfreeinteraction,thefacilitatorrequestedthemtositattableswithpeopletheyknewleast.
WorkshopProcessSteeringGroup
Amechanismforco-managementofthemeetingbyparticipantsandorganizers
Tasks:
§ Togetfeedbackfromparticipantsontheworkshopprocessandcontents§ Toplanwiththefacilitatorandadjusttheprogrammeaccordingly
Members:
Hale,Jean-Luc,Peter,Robert,Chiedozie,Canaan,Ismail,Seun,Anita,Edward
Page|12
Whoishere?
Anexerciseaimedatexploringwhoisrepresentedintheworkshopandtheimplicationsthismayhaveonthediscussionswasperformedasshownherebelow:
Category No Remarks
Gender Men=Majority
Women=15
Ageunder30=6pax
Age30-50=40pax
Age50-65=12pax
Over65years=1person
• Ratioofwomentomenis1:8,itisimportanttoincreasefemaleparticipationatalllevelsoftheproject
• Note:genderisnotaboutwomen,butmoreof social differentiation and social groups(men, women, youth and their differentroles)
• The age distribution is wholesome andreflectsawisegroup.
• ForAfrica,whendiscussing agriculture theyouthisakeysocialgroupwhichshouldbewidelyintegratedintoagriculture
Technicalareaoftraining
Breeders-conventional=18pax
Agronomists=2pax
SocialScientists=4pax
Extensionandcommunication=1pax
• The group is rich with a good number ofpeople with the required expertise andexperience.
• Conventionalbreedersarethemajorityandthisbeingabreedingprojecttheneedtofocusiscritical
• Non-conventionalbreedingincludesmolecularandtransgenicbreeding
• Theotherdisciplinesaddtherequiredtechnicalareastoensuremulti-disciplinarityoftheproject
Institutionalrepresentation
IITA=majority;CIAT=2pax;UBIC=1pax;EMRAPA=;NRCRI=10pax;BMGF=1pax;Cornell=23pax;NaCRRI=1pax;BTI=5pax;Other=13pax
• TheInstitutionalcompositionisdiverse• Howevertheultimateclients,theconsumers,farmerandprocessorsarenotrepresented
Countryoforigin
Africa=majority
(Nigeria=27,Uganda=4,Kenya=2,Tanzania=4)
Europe,AsiaandAmerica=(USA=6,Brazil=1,France=1,Netherlands=1,Columbia=2,India=3,Switzerland=1)
• Weareverydiverse• Wecommunicatedifferentlyandpushdifferentlywithsomebeingconfidentinarticulatingthemselveswhileothersaretimidinexpressingthemselves
Page|13
ConclusionThroughoutourdiscussions,weshouldtakeintoconsiderationourdifferentbackgrounds–THISSHOULDBEAPOINTOFSTRENGTHRATHERTHANAPROBLEM.
1.5. Workshopagendaandprocess
Thefacilitatorformallypresentedtheworkshopobjectivesofmeeting.TheoverallobjectiveoftheworkshopwastotakestockofprogressoftheNextGenprojectanddevelopthekeythrustsforthephaseII.Theanticipatedspecificoutputsoftheworkshopwere:
a. ToupdateonNextGen’sworkandreviewprogresswithlessons,gaps,challengesandexchangeideasandpossiblesolutionstogapsandchallenges.
b. To identify emerging technologies/processes and trends integral to a successfulcassavabreeding,includingbreedingpipelinesandproducts.
c. Tounderstandthefuturedemandforproductsandresultsoftheprojectandpossiblepartnersandpathwaysforsuccess/impact.
d. To identifyandprioritizeactionareas tobepursued inphase IIof theprojectandpotentialpartnerstoachieve.
e. Todevelopfurtherthecollaborativenetworkofactorsasameansfordevelopingandleveragingcapacityandlearningamongacrossactors.
f. Toclarifythewayforwardandcomeupwitharevisedworkplanforyear5.
g. Gettingtoknowandappreciateeachothermoreandhavingfun!
AdetailedoverviewoftheworkshopprogrammeissummarizedinAppendixone.
2. OfficialworkshopopeningsessionThissessionsoughttoshowthehighlevelgoalsbehindthemeetingsothatparticipantscanrelate to the sameduring thediscussions. Thiswas achieved through keynote addressespresentedbyrepresentativesofthevariouspartnerinstitutions.
Themasterofceremony,GodwinAtserofIITA,againformallywelcomedallparticipantstoIITAIbadancampustothe5thNextGenAGMaimedatlookingatthepast,whathasbeendoneandwhatneedstobedonegoingforward.Godwinrecognizedthepresenceofeveryonefromdifferentcountriesandinstitutions.Healsonotedthepresenceofthedeputydirectorgeneralof IITAwhowas representing the director general; the principle investigator forNextGencassavaproject;Bill&MelindaGatesfoundationrepresentative;executivedirectorforNRCRI;representativesfromtheministryofagriculturewhosepresenceshowedthegovernmentof
Page|14
Nigeria’s commitment to development of agriculture;westAfrica director for IITA and allcolleaguesfromthevariousinstitutions.
Fortheopeningandwelcomingremarkshecalledthefollowingtogivetheirremarks:
2.1. WelcomemessagebyIITA
Dr. Kenton Dashiell the Deputy Director General for Partnerships for Delivery of IITAwelcomedalltothemeetingandspecificallytoIITAheadquartersandcampus.Heenquired
oftheparticipantshowmanyhadusedanyofthe extensive research and recreationalfacilitiesinthecampusincludingtheswimmingpool, tennis court, golf course, squash courtsand the nature reserve area.Having seen theenergy in the group, he encouraged them tospare time after the workshop and use thefacilities.
ToillustratetheimportanceofcassavainAfricaandtoNigeria,Dr.Dashiellnarratedastory-hewasinameetingtodiscusshowtostophungerinNigeriaby2025whosechairwasGeneralOlusegun Obasanjo the former Nigerian President. IITA asked the former president whatwouldhappentoNigeriaiftherewasnocassava.TheformerpresidentacknowledgeditisnotpossibletohaveaNigeriawithoutcassavaasitisamajorfoodindifferentformssuchasgarri,abar,fufuandabachaeatenasamealthroughouttheday.
Bearing all this in mind, Dr. Dashiell reminded the participants they are the world’s topcassavaexpertsandshouldendeavortodevelopnewvarietiesofcassavawithhigheryieldandnutritionalcontent.Dr.Dashiellremindedthatabout25yearsago,cassavawasalmostwiped out by a disease, but concerted efforts by scientists came upwith a solution thatcombatedthedisease.HeconcludedbyremindingtheparticipantstheworktheydoonadailybasisiscriticalforsurvivalofmanyinAfrica.
2.2. NextGenCassavaprojectinbrief
ProfessorRonnieCoffmanbeganbyjoiningotherdistinguishedvisitorsincongratulatingIITAonits50thanniversary.CornellUniversityandtheotherpartnersinvolvedinNextGenCassavaare proud to be among the many global partners working with IITA to generate theagriculturalinnovationsneededtomeetAfrica’spressingchallenges.Ronniealsoappreciatedthediversityinagegroupsandexperiencerepresentedinthemeetingandinformedthathelovedworkingwithyoungpeopleastheybringnewideas.
NextGenCassavaproject,whichisnowinits5thyear,isaremarkableexampleofsuccessfulpartnershipsinagriculturaldevelopment.NextGenworkswith10institutionalpartnersacross
Page|15
sixcountriesonthreecontinents.RonniecommendedChiedozieEgesi,forhisleadershipaswellasthemanyscientistsintheUSandinAfricawhoareworkingonthisproject.
RonnieexemplifiedNextGenasaremarkablemodel for collaborative, open-source,shared-data networks that are needed toimproveagriculturalcropsgloballyinthe21stcentury.
Ronnie publicly recognized the scientistsfrom the various institutions praising theirability to successfully collaborate acrossscientificprecepts,acrosscultures,andacrossoceans.InAfrica,wehaveIITA(ourhostsherein Nigeria), the National Root Crops Research Institute in Nigeria, the National CropsResources Research Institute in Uganda, and, most recently, the Lake Zone AgriculturalResearchandDevelopmentInstituteinTanzania.InSouthAmerica,NextGenpartnerswithEmbrapainBrazil,andtheInternationalCenterforTropicalAgricultureinColombia.IntheUS,partners includeCornellUniversity (the lead institution), theUniversityofHawaii, theBoyceThompsonInstitute,theU.S.DepartmentofAgriculture-AgriculturalResearchService,andtheU.S.DepartmentofEnergyJointGenomeInstitute.
Ronniereportedthatsince2012,partnersonNextGenCassavahavebeenusingastate-of-the-artplantbreedingapproachknownasgenomicselectiontoimprovecassavaproductivity.Genomic selection shortens breeding cycles, provides more accurate evaluation at theseedlingstage,andgivesplantbreederstheabilitytoevaluateamuchlargernumberofcloneswithout the need to plant them in the target environment. Ronnie recognized Jean-LucJannink,fromtheUSDA-ARSforhisleadershipofthisobjective.
Using the kind of statistical predictive analyses offered through genomic selection, newreleasesofcassava,whichusedtotakeadecadeormoretodevelop,arereadyinaslittleassix years. Ronnie happily reported that after 5 years, some of the best clones from thisupstreamworkareinUniformYieldTrialsthisyearduetobereleasedtofarmersinthenexttwo years. In addition to using genomic selection, scientists are also working to identifypossibilitiestoimprovingfloweringincassava,andunderstandtherolesofdifferentgendergroupsinthedevelopmentofnewvarieties.Project leadershavecreatedapremieropen-databreedingdatabase,calledCassavabase.
As a long-time plant breeder, Ronnie reiterated how important it is to train the nextgeneration of plant breeders. Without that important pipeline, long-term sustainableimprovementsincropproductionwillwitherinthefaceoffuturechallenges.AssuchRonniewasveryproudthatNextGenhasbeenworkingtonotonlyimprovethenextgenerationofcassava,but,veryimportantly,iseducatingthenextgenerationofcassavabreeders.
Page|16
NextGenisprovidingeducationandtrainingforninePh.D.students(6ofwhomareatCornelland3ofwhomareatWACCI),whoarewellontheirwaytoobtainingadvanceddegrees,inresearchrangingfromfarmerrootqualitypreferences,tospectrometricanalysesofroots,togenotype by environment interaction, to genomic prediction and association studies, tobioinformatics.AnadditionalnineMastersstudentsweretrainedatMakerereUniversityinKampala.ThistrainingpipelinewillincreasetheefficiencyofbreedingstaplecropsforAfricansmallholderfarmers.
Ronnie explained the NextGen project is now in a transition stage, bridging Phase I ofdevelopmentandtestingofthesenoveltechnologiesandthatofPhaseIIinimplementingtheproducts of accelerated breeding and development of end-user preferred varieties. ThemeetingaimedtoreviewtheprogressmadefrominceptionoftheprojecttodateandfleshoutfutureplansforPhaseII,includingexpectedproducts,newpartnershipsandrolesforeachpartner.
WearehopingthatwehavearenewaloftheNextGengrantforanotherfiveyears.AnotherfiveyearswillallowNextGenplantbreedersandobjectiveleaderstomakemoreprogressindelivering improved cassava varieties to smallholder farmers through sub-Saharan Africa.Anotherfiveyearswillhelpstrengthenthelong-termsustainabilityofcassavaimprovement.
In closing, Ronnie recognized Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Department forInternationalDevelopmentoftheUnitedKingdom(DFID)underitsUKAidprogramwhoarethemain donors. These two organizations have tremendous foresight and visionwhen itcomestotheimportanceofagriculturaldevelopmentandtheneedtoimprovetheworld’sstaplecropstomeetthebioticandabioticstressesofthe21stcentury.Theyaremakingthecriticalinvestmentnecessarytofundtheobjectivesoftheprojecttoimprovetheproductionandnutritionalvalueofcassavaandbuildhumanandtechnicalcapacityforplantbreedinginsub-SaharanAfrica.
2.3. GoodwillfromBill&MelindaGatesFoundation
JimLorenzentheSeniorProgrammeOfficer,BMGFexpressedgreatpleasureandhonourtobe among the largest cassava meeting. Heappreciated the workshop organizers for the greatlogisticsinbringingtogetherpeoplefromallovertheworldtothebiggestlandofcassava–Nigeria.
Jim informedparticipants that theNextGencassavaprojectisveryimportanttoBMGFwherecassavaisatthe top with maize as robust crops to feed Africa.Cassavaandmaizearekeyfoodsecuritycrops.
Page|17
AkeycorevaluethatdrivesBMGFworkisthateveryonedeservestherighttoliveagoodlife.ForAfrica, theabilityto intensify foodproduction isverycriticalandtheNextGencassavaprojectiskeyinhelpingagricultureachieveitsobjective.NextGencassavaprojectisoneofthelargestinvestmentsforBMGF.BMGFwillusetheNextGencassavaprojectmodeltoupliftothercropsusingitsapproachessuchasdatasharing,clones,trials,breedingcycles.
Jim notified the participants that NextGen cassava project has gained the attention andrecognitionof Bill andMelinda as a leading researchprogrammewith great potential forimproving food security in Africa. Jim applauded the progress made especially inunderstandingthetoolsfordevelopingthecassavacropandnotedthesetoolswillbeusedtoimproveothertubers.
HeconcludedbyappreciatedthehardworkdoneandlookedforwardtoasuccessfulPhaseIIthatwouldvalidatethegenomicsworkandassuredofBMGFsupporttoPhaseII.
2.4. GoodwillfromNationalRootCropsResearchInstitute
Dr.JosephofNRCRIonbehalfofJuliusOkonkwodeclaredtheNextGenCassavaprojectasthebest thing to have happened toNRCRI. It has enableNRCRI tomakeprogress in breeding and builtcapacity of staff over the last fouryear.
Joseph reaffirmed NRCRI’s fullsupport to the NextGen Cassavaproject and is ready to give out itsbest staff to bring about the required change as well as any other capacity that will berequired.
2.5. GoodwillfromACAIProject
Onbehalf of Abdulai JallohDr. Christine Kreye of IITA explained that theAfricanCassavaAgronomy Initiative project works at last scale supportingfarmersandextensionworkersonfertilizerrecommendationsandbestplantingpractices.
ACAI and other partners look forward to working with theNextGenCassavaprojectascassavaisaveryimportantcrop.PartnersawaittheNextGencassavaproductstobeusedinthenext level.Sheurged theNextGenteamtobuildsustainablesystems for development and up scaling at the farmer level
Page|18
suchascassavaseedsystems.ItisanticipatedthatNextGenCassavaprojectwillreducethewaitperiodfornewvarieties.
Christinealsohailedthewideinvolvementofstudentsasitisimportanttotrainandimprovethecapacityofnextgenerationofbreeders.Shealsocautionedagainstfocusingonincreasingproductivitywithoutaddressingthemarketingandprocessingfeatures.Shegaveanexampleofa25%higheryieldingchickpeawhichwasreleasedtofarmerswhoproduced it inhugequantitiesbut5yearslaterabandoneditbecausemillershaddifficultiesprocessingitandsopaidlowpricesforit.
Sheconcludedbyadvocating thebenefitsofworkingwithallpartners toensure the rightproductisreleased.Workwiththe“end”inmind.
2.6. BASICSProject
HemantNitturkar,theprojectcoordinatorofroots,tubersandbananas,explainedthattheBASICS project aims to take morevarietiestofarmersandconsumers(tothetable).
Heenvisagedseeingmorevarietieswith farmer preferred traitsreleasedtofarmersbytheNextGencassavaproject.
HemantinformedthatECOWASblockhaddevelopedadocumenttoenablevarietiesreleasedinacountrytobereleasedacrosstheregion.NextGenhasalreadyenteredintoanagreementwiththeboard,andequallythenationalvarietyreleasecommitteeinNigeriaiscomfortablewithNextGenproceduresand is ready towork together in releaseofupcomingvarieties.NextGenshouldclearlyunderstandandadheretotheproceduresforbringingvarietiestothecommittee.
2.7. Semi-AutotrophicHydroponicsTechnology
LavaKumarof IITAexplainedthatSemi-AutotrophicHydroponics(SAH) isatechnologyforcassava propagation systems. SAH is a new, rapidmultiplicationtechnologyofvirus-freecassavaplantingmaterial.
Clean seed systems are important to control virusdiseasesparticularlycassavamosaicandcassavabrownstreak diseases which are spread through vegetativepropagation. Virus-free plants are produced using in
Page|19
vitromeristemcultures.Invitropropagationisaratelimitingstepcomparedtotissueculturewhichrequiresophisticatedfacilitiesandskilledpersonnel;hasrelativelyslowbulkingrateandrequireshardeningofplantsbeforeusinginthefields.Thereisalsohighrateoftissuecultureplantlossduringtransportationanddistribution.
SAHenablesrapidpropagationof tissueculture (invitro)plantletsundersemi-hydroponicandsemi-controlledenvironmentalconditions;offershighquality‘rootedplants’transferabletoscreenhouseorfieldandgeneticpurityandplanthealthcomparabletoinvitroplants.
Process:InvitroàSAHLabàField
Potentialproductionratetissueculturetotissueculturecycle SAHtoSAHcycle
• Inoneyear15,625plantlets
• 1:5every2months
• Additionalhardeningstagepriortouseofplants,effectivelyreducesto3,000to7,000SAHequivalentplantsperyear
• Inoneyear200,000-250,000plants
• 1:2every3to4weeks
• Moving5,000plantstothefieldperweek;10-15hastemproductionfieldsperyear
• Nohardeningstage
TheSAHfacilityinIITA–IbadanwasinitiatedinJuly2016.TheSAHroom(20sq.m)holdsupto25,000 to 30,000 plantlets and can producevirus-freecassavaplantingmaterialforupto10haperannum.
SAH technology is cheaper and efficientalternativetoinvitropropagationofvirus-free,true-to-typeplantingmaterial.
Page|20
2.8. UnleashingthePowerofCassava:BreedingandVarietiesofChange
AlfredDixon,thedirectorofpartnerships,IITA,waspleasedtoseetheteamofyoungcassavabreeders fullyengagedandmoving intomodernsciencefor improvement of cassava and general agriculturaldevelopment.
He voiced the need for transformation of Africanagriculture and noted this requires “business unusual”approaches. Africa is confrontedwith a rapidly growingpopulation and rising urbanization; parallel increase indemandforfood,feedforlivestock,andrawmaterialsforindustriesaswellashugefoodimportbill:$35bin2016,$110b in 2025. Climate change has dramatic effects on agricultural production in Africa.SimplestepsfortransformationofAfricanagricultureincludeshifttoagricultureasbusinessand not a way of life; Integrated approach to developing Agricultural Value Chains andcatalyzingfinancingoftheagriculturesector.
Dixonwentontoexplaintheimportanceofcassava: it isthesecondmost importantfoodcrop in Africa (Africa is the global leader in cassava production); it is an appropriatecommoditytofeatureinAfrica’seconomicdevelopment(NEPAD,CAADP,IFAD,GCDS)andrecentprojectionsforecastevenhigherdependenceforfoodsecurityandpovertyalleviation;faminereservecrop(foodinsurance)andruralfoodstaple;cashcropforurbanconsumption;sourceofindustrialrawmaterialandaforeignexchangeearner.Allpartsofthecassavaareuseful–foliageasatropicalspinachandalfalfa;stemasplantingmaterialandrootsforuniquestarch properties and yellow roots for carotenes. More focus should be put on cassavatransformation to end products such as fresh roots cooked, boiled, baked or fried at thehouseholdleveltohighlyprocessedstarchasafoodadditive.Thiscanbeachievedthroughefficiency,modernizationandcompetitivenessofcassavavaluechain.
Therearetwopathways-surpluscassavaproductsfindnomarket(thisisadisincentivetofarmers)ormarketsavailableforsurpluscassavaproducts(sourceofincomeforfarmersandthereforeanincentive).
Genetic improvementofcassavais importanttocontributetoreliablesupplyanddemand(increasing production, productivity,marketing opportunities, and profitability); source ofimprovedcassavavarieties responsive tochangingdemandsandmarketsbydrivingdowncosts of production, harvesting, processing and marketing to make cassava productscompetitivewithotherrawmaterialsaswellasimprovethequantityandqualityofcassavaproductsfordiversifieduses.
Page|21
Limitations/constraintsincassavaproduction:
q Bulkiness–thishasimplicationsforhandling,transport,storage,crophygiene.
q Perishability-thishasimplicationsformarketing,utilisation,cropmanagement.
q Lowmultiplicationratioofplantpropagules-thishasimplicationsforareaplantedperunittime.
q Lengthygrowingseason-longbreedingcycleanditsgeneticsislargelyunknown.
q Plantpestsanddiseases.
q Shorteningfallowperiodsanddecliningsoilfertility.
q Difficultiesintransferringusefulgenes(highgeneticloadandpoorfloweringability).
q Insufficient and poor quality planting material of more adapted germplasm onfarmers’field.
q Untappedmarketopportunities.
q Cyanidescare.
AddressingtheLimitations/constraints
q ProductionOrientation-entrypointforresearchagendaisprioritizationofproductionconstraints
q MarketOrientation-entrypointforresearchagendaistheidentificationofmarketopportunities
This requiresknowledgeofproducers toconsumers’continuum;alongwithapplicationofmodernscienceandtechnologyaswellasconventionalbreedingandincreasedpartnerships.
BreedingresearchneedsforvarietiesofchangeforAfricainthenewmillennium
q Multiple sources of resistant genes (pyramidingmultiple genes) for emerging pestthreatsfordurableresistance.
q Highstoragerootstarchquantityperunitareaandtime,andquality,forfood,feed,andagro-industrialuses.
q Enhanced nutritional content of storage roots (high protein and micronutrientcontents).
q Delayed onset or deactivation of physiological postharvest deterioration (PPD) ofstorageroots.
q Drought resistance as cassava expands to non-traditional areas and in the light ofglobalclimatechange.
q Nutrientuseefficientvarieties(Nutrientresponsiveness).
Page|22
q Herbicideresistancefordurableweedcontrol.
q Goodplantarchitectureforeaseofmechanizedoperationsandeaseofprocessing.
q Highrootandfoliageyield(dualpurposecassava)forfoodandfeed.
q Acyanogenesis to reduce costs of processing, enhance nutrient bioavailability andpreventsetbackincassavaglobalmarket.
Breeding efficiency and effectiveness can be tackled through: shortened breeding cycle;robustseedproductionmethods(e.g.doublehaploidsforrapidproductionofhomozygouslines,purehybridseedproduction,apomixesandseedsystems);profuseflowering“atwill”to access a greater diversity of parental materials; development of effective molecularmarkers and database to optimize the use of genetic resources and marker-aidedintrogression/selection;andrapid,cheapmoleculardiagnostictoolsforimportantdiseasessurveillanceandtoensurethesafemovementofgermplasm.
ACGIAR-commissionedstudytoassessimpactofIITAgermplasmimprovementrevealsthat:
q Between1965and1998,200cassavacultivarswerereleasedbyNARS
q IITAmaterialsrepresented80%ofthegermplasmincorporatedinnewvarietiesforthe1990sandresultedinyieldadvantageofabout49%
q Representsanincrementtoannualproductionthatprovidesfoodsecuritytoafurther14millionpeople
q 1381cassava scientists (38%of senior, and49%of intermediate level researchers)trainedinSSA
In conclusion Dixon pointed out unfinished tasks - arrest of the limitations, modernizingcassava production, enhancing productivity, adaptability, value addition, and adoptability.Thisrequiresforcinga“breakthrough”incassavaimprovementthroughbothconventionalandnewinnovativeapproachesandtools.Heurgedthescientiststobewareof increasingprominenceofCassavaBrownStreakDiseaseandemergingpest threats suchaschlorosiswhichaffectsthebottomofleaves;brownstreaksonstems;drynecroticrot–mostdamagingtorootsandbemisiatabaci(whiteflies)asadirectpest.
Healsoemphasizedthatwithoutmarkets,technologywillgonowhereandtheneedformoreresourcesandeffectivecapacitybuilding,networkingforsustainabilityofR&Dandeffectivepartnershipswitheffectivecoordination.
2.9. Officialopeningoftheworkshop
OlusegunAyenithedeputyministerforagricultureandruraldevelopmentonbehalfoftheHon.MinisterChiefAuduOgbehwasgladtobepartoftheimportantNextGenAGMeventaswellastobeinIITAwhentheinstitutecelebratesits50yearsofresearch.Hecongratulated
Page|23
IITAfortheirexcellentresearchnotonlyincassavabutalsoinotherimportantcropssuchasmaize,soybean,banana/plantain,yamandcowpea.
Ayenireiteratedtheimportanceofcassava–it’samajorstaplecropandpovertyfighterinNigeria. Traditionally, cassava is processed into gari, fufu and akpu, but recently with
increased investments cassava isnowprocessed intoflour, ethanol and starch. The entrance of thecompanies has increased the demand for cassava inNigeriaandthisisgoodnewstothefarmers.
AyeniwasconcernedthatalthoughNigeriaisamajorproducer of cassava the yield per hectare is notimpressive. Farmers get between 8-10 tons perhectare;comparingcassavayieldinNigeriawithothercountriessuchasThailand,whereyieldsgoabove20
tonsperhectare,thenNigerianfarmerscannotcompete.Forthesereasons,researchersareimportantandthefirstphaseoftheNextGenCassavaprojectalreadyproducedgoodresults.Scienceiscriticalforatransformationalchangeofthecassavasectorespeciallybecausetheremore issues to contendwith such as low cassava productivity, climate change, pests anddiseasesamongmanyothers.Theseemerginglimitationscallfornewbreedingoptionsthatarequickandsmart.AyenicongratulatedtheNextGenteamfortheworktheyarealreadydoingtoaddresstheconstraintsforcurrentaswellasfuturegenerations.
TheNigeriangovernmenthasmadeacommitmenttorepositionagricultureforeconomicandinclusivegrowthandhaslaunchedtheAgriculturalPromotionPolicy,2016-2019,tagged“thegreenalternative.”Thegreenalternativeroadmaprecognizesthekeyroleofbothsmallholderfarmers and large scale farmers in maximizing agricultural output, achieving increasedefficiencyofagriculturaloperationsbyentrustingtheprivatesectorwiththeroleofdrivinggrowthoftheagriculturesector.Theprivatesectorisalsotaskedwiththeresponsibilityofcreating linkages to help smallholder farmers to take advantage of better organizationmethods, technological access, financial services and linkages to input supply chains andmarkets.
Ayeni concludedby acknowledging thatNextGenCassava goals are in alignmentwith thefederalgovernmentsagendabyworkingtowardsagriculturerevitalizationthroughprovisionofbetterseeds.Heemphasizedthecriticalroleofresearchersforthesuccessofthegreenalternativeandurgedallpartnerstocontinueworkingtogethertotakecassavatothenextlevelandputsmilesonthefacesoffarmersandhouseholds.
Ayenideclaredtheworkshopopenandwishedtheparticipantsfruitfuldeliberations.
Page|24
3. TakingstockofprogressmadeinphaseIThisstepofthemeetingaimedatlookingatthestateoftheartoftheworkintheNextGenproject.Usingpresentations,groupandplenarydiscussionsparticipantsexploredthestateoftheworkdonebythedifferentpartnerssoastounderstandprogressmadesofar,successes,challengesfaced,gapsandimplicationsforthefuture.
AselectnumberofInputpresentationsweremadedetailingtheprogressdoneafterwhichparticipantsofferedfeedback,soughtclarificationsandidentifiedthesuccesses,challengesandimplicationsforthefuture.
3.1. NationalCropsResourcesResearchInstitute(Uganda)
ThepresentationbyRobertKawukiprovidedupdateson:
GenomicSelectionunder2-yearcycle(Selection,Crossing,Evaluating):RankingTPbasedonGEBVs (2014); Crossing among top clones (2014); Cycle 1 in field (2015-2016); Cycle 2generation(2016-2017).LeadTraits-CassavaBrownStreakDisease,DrymattercontentandHarvestIndex
GxE studies: 120-150 Clones/site across 32 environments: Environmental componentsrecorded–temperature,rainfall,relativehumidityandsolarradiation.Candidatesforofficialrelease-pendingregistrationandyieldperformancetrials.
Genome-wideassociationstudiesforCBSD:714clonesevaluatedin4locations;2-3seasons;genotypingdoneatCornell~41,530SNPssharedthehighlysignificantSNPsforfoliaronbothchromosome 4 (128) and chromosome 11(29); Re-analysing the root necrosis data andthereaftersharetheinformation.
Participatory variety selection trials - 9 farmers (3 from each of the target 3 districtsinvolved);Testclones:top4ofthe5CPvarieties;Targetdatasets-qualitativesocialdataandquantitativebiologicaldata.
Page|25
M.Scstudent inMakerereUniversityunderProf.PaulGibsonandDr.RichardEdema -3havesubmittedtheirthesiswhile5areyettosubmit.
DatauploadsintoCassavabase
ExaminationofgenderdisaggregatedcassavatraitspreferencesofsmallholderfarmersinUganda-informationwillbeusedtodesignappropriatebreedingstrategiesforthepreferredtraits.
PEARL component - Seedling nursery for improvedgermplasmfromIITA–35,000seeds;PhenotypingTPforpro-vitaminAcarotenoids;Genderdisaggregatedstudyonperceptionsonyellowcassava;Crossingblock forpopulation improvement–20parents;Diseasedata fromTP forpVAC;Enhancedcapacityforhighthroughputphenotyping.
FascinatingchallengesandOpportunities:
• Highlyresistantclones(potentiallyprogenitors);
• Yieldpenalty(canincreasingploidyhelp?)
3.2. NationalRootCropsResearchInstitute(Nigeria)
ThepresentationbyJosephOnyekaprovidedupdateson:
Objective1:identifyingmethodstoimprovefloweringandseedsetincassava-Agronomicdata was collected on plant height (PH), branching height (BH), level of branching (LB),numberof inflorescence/fork (NI),numberofmale flowers/fork (NMF),numberof femaleflowers/fork (NFF) and number of fruits/fork (NF). Data was analyzed using Analysis ofVariancemethodinGenSTATedition3.0andMSExcel2007.
The conclusions: BA application on cassava plant showed little or no influence on thefloweringinductionatthefirstyearofspray;cassavaplantscarriedoverthememoryofthefirstyearBAapplicationatthesecondyearofestablishment(whencloned)andthisinducedfloweringonTME419;thememoryoftheBA,wearsoutatthethirdyearofestablishment(secondcloning).
Objective 2: implementing genomic selection in cassava: C1 prediction and selections ofparents:GEBVSwerepredictedfortheC1aindividualsfromGSandpolycrossprogenies.Fiftyprogenieswithhighindexvalueswereselectedasparentsforthenextgeneration.Theyhavebeenplantedoutinacrossingblocktogenerateseedsforthenextpredictioncycle.The50progenies were selected using Index weights guided by the price of gari and desiredcorrelationamongtheselectedtraitsofinterest.
Genome-wideassociationstudyforCGM:Toidentifymarker-traitassociationsforcassavagreen mite resistance and associated traits using genome-wide association studies. 848
Page|26
diverseNRCRIbreedinglineswereusedintheanalyses.Evaluatedin2013/2014,2014/2015and2015/2016croppingseasonsinthreedifferentlocations:Umudike,OtobiandKano.
Traits:CassavaGreenMiteSeverity,LeafPubescence,LeafRetention,StayGreen,ShootTipCompactnessandShootTipSize.
Conclusion:Awell-definedpeakonchromosome8wasobservedforCGMS,LPandLRinallthelocations.TherewasnoeffectofgenotypebyenvironmentforthetraitsbycomparingtheGWASresultsacrossthethreeyearsandthreelocations.
Movingforward
• OfficiallyreleaseNextGencassavavarietiesinNigeria
• Breeding pipelines development for new populations and varieties targeting specificpreferredtraits.
• Phenotyping reference lab for root quality traits: defining trait profiles, calibration oftools,improvedphenotypingusingPortableNIRS.
• Preliminary results using our potable NIRS are promising for the quantification ofimportanttraitsandprovidesflexibilityforfield-basedsamplepreparation
• PhD students will resume greater responsibilities in the national cassava breedingprogrammeaftertheirgraduation.
3.3. ImplementationofGenomicSelectionatIITA(2012-2017)
ThepresentationbyIsmailRabbiprovidedupdatesonprogressmadeandfutureprospectsofthecassavaBreedingUnitatIITA:
Accomplishments
• FourannualbreedingcyclesimplementedusingGS.
• >8500clones(C0,C1,C2,C3)genotyped-by-sequencing.
• ThousandsofclonesfromsuccessiveGScyclesphenotyped.
• PotentialvarietiesfromGSpipelineevaluated:
– FirstUYTfromCycle1
– SeveralAYTsfromCycle2.
• Selectiongaintrialunderway–intendtoimplementthefirstNEXTGENgeneticgainstrialin2015-2016usingC0,C1andC2clones.ClonesfromGSC0,C1,andC2plantedinthesamereplicatedtrialin2015-2016and2016-2017seasonsatIbadanandMokwa.
• Implementationofannualbreedingcycle-breedingactivitiesmodernized.
Page|27
• Geneticarchitectureonimportanttraitsunderstoodandtrait-linkedmarkersdeveloped.Recordedtraits-Pestanddiseaseresistance(MCMDS,MCBBS,MCGM);Agronomictraits(sprout, vigor, Plant type, Flowering); Nutritional content (TCC, b*); Yield and yieldcomponents(DM,HI,FYLD,RTWT,RTNO)
Challengesandopportunities
• Phenotypingplatformforqualitytraits
– Current focus is onobservable traits (pest, diseases, yield and yield-components,plantmorphologyetc.)
– Limitedcapacityforqualitytraitassessment
– Needdedicatedanalyticalchemistrylab+Personnel?
• Fieldphenotyping
– Improvefielddesigns
– Irrigationfacilities
• Genotyping
– GBStorAmpSeq:PotentialforgenotypingmoreseedlingsrequiredupgradingofDNAextractionfacilities
– Need to improve local capacity to prepare rAmpSeq libraries and bioinformaticspipeline.
• Diversifybreedingpipeline.
3.4. CassavaBreedingProgressinTanzania
ThepresentationbyHenerikoKulembekaprovidedupdatesonNextGenactivitiesinTanzania:
• VisittoTanzaniabyNEXTGENteamfromCornellandIITAinApril2016-discussedandagreedontrainingpopulations,activitiesforLZARDIUkiriguruandSRIKibaha
• Signed Sub-Agreement (No. 67724-10707) betweenLZARDI Ukiriguru and CornellUniversityonimplementationofNEXTGENinTanzania.
• Establishment of Training population - Clonal Evaluation Trial; Preliminary Yield Trial;AdvancedYieldTrialand5CPGxEtrialforARI-Ukiriguru,ARI-KIbahaandChambezisite.
• Phenotyping and data collection - number of cuttings planted per plot, sproutingpercentage,CMDincidences:3,6,9MAP,CMDseverity:Maximumscore:3,6,9MAP,CBSD incidences: 3, 6,9 MAP, CBSD severity-maximum score: 3, 6,9 MAP, Branchingheight,Plantheightincm,CGMincidencesandseverityandDMC
• Genotyping-collectionandshipmenttoIITA-IbadanofLeafsamplesforDNAextractionandgenotyping
Page|28
• Trainingcourseondatamanagement-2staff (1male,1Female)attendedtrainingatIITA:experimentaldesignanddataanalysis,Cassavabase,datacaptureusingtabletsanduseofelectronicfieldbookandtablets:received6tabletsfromCornellUniversity:3forARI-Ukiriguruand3forKibaha
Successes
• Identified7bestvarietiesunder5CPGxEthataregoodforCBSD,DMCandYield
• ThreecandidategenotypesidentifiedforOfficialRelease
• Stafftrained
Challengesandgaps
CassavabrownstreakdiseaseisstillbigchallengeinTanzaniaandtheregion
• Sourcesofresistance–notyetenough
• Mechanismofresistancenotfullyknown:
– Leafsymptoms-rootnecrosis
– Leafsymptoms–norootnecrosis
– Noleafsymptom–rootnecrosis
• CBSDPhenotypingmethods-mainlyvisualobservations-subjective
Movingforward
• Harvestingoftrainingpopulations
• Phenotypingofpresenttrainingpopulationsforsecondyear
• SearchformoresourcesofCBSDresistance
• GeneticcrossesandphenotypingforCBSD
• UtilizemarkersforCBSDresistance(MAS)??
• Participatoryvarietalselection
• Processesforofficialreleaseofavailablecandidatevarieties(DUS,NPT)
• Seedmultiplicationofcandidateandreleased
3.5. CassavaGenomics:GenomeAssemblyv7
RobertoLozanopresentedonbehalfofSimonProchnikthefollowing:
• Historyofimprovement-AM560-2referenceversions:totalbases-v4*532Mb(2012),v5.1†534Mb(2014),v6‡582Mb(2016).
Page|29
• Improvingassemblywith long reads - 97xdepth, 73.3Gbof sequence (8.1M reads);Assemblyreads(10+kb)-63xdepth,48Gbofsequence(3.3Mreads).Longreadsenableamorecompleteassembly,howeverlongreadsarenotimmunetomisassembly
Successes:
• Longreadsenablingalonger,morecompleteassembly.
• Manymisassembliesinv6willberemediedinv7.
• Manygapsinv6canbefilled.
Challenges:
• Newmisassemblieswilloccurandmustbecorrectedwhenidentified.
• Repeatscontinuetofragmentlongreadassembly.
Implicationsforthefuture:
• Muchmanualreviewisrequired.
• Mustresearchanddevelopmethodstovalidatecontigs,breakmisjoins.
• Scaffoldoverrepeatsandback-fillresultinggaps,ifpossible.
3.6. GeneticLoadinCassavaandrAmpSeq
RamuPunnapresentedthefollowing:
Accomplishments
v NextGenCassava:
o NewdiscoverybuildwasdevelopedinJune2016with32000clonesand450KSNPs
o GBSSNPswereprojectedtoHapMapIIsites(28Mvariants).
v Geneticload:
o MutationalburdenisestimatedinallcultivatedcassavaclonesincludedinHapMapII
Take home: Genetic load is increasing in cassava, but breedersmasking harmful deleteriousmutationsinheterozygousstatetomaintainyield.
o Deleteriousmutationsaffectthefitnesstraits(yield/clone)incassava.
o Machinelearningalgorithmsarebeingdevelopedtopredicttheeffectofdeleteriousmutationsonyield.
v rAmpSeq(formerlyrepGen):Developed incassavaand istreatedasdominantmarkersystem.
o rAmpSeqisworkingincassava.
o rAmpSeqhassimilarpredictionaccuracyasGBSsites.
Page|30
Challenges Gaps Implicationsforthefuture• Maize (lots of repeats)HapMap pipeline did notworkforcassava
• High edit distance toreference genome due torepeatsequences
• Phasing of the parentallines
• Quality of other species’genome preventsregulatory elements frombeingscoredeasily
• Differentiation betweendeleterious vs adaptivevariants
• Genetic load is increasingincassava
• Developnewstrategies topurge deleteriousmutationfromthecassavagenome
• Masking the load is ashort-termfix:‘mutationalmeltdown’ is on itshorizon
rAmpSeq(formerly:repGen)incassava
• 26primerpairs -primerpairdistribution incassava -reasonablyenriched ingene-richregions
• EvaluatedoninbreedingpopulationfromIITA(95samples)=Cost$3/sample
• Datageneratedasdominantmarkersystem=NoSNPscalled.Tags(amplicons)usedasmarkers(+/-)
• rAmpSeqisgoodforpopulationstratification
Challenges Gaps ImplicationsforthefutureLess power to maprepeat reads toreference
• Trainingofscientists/studentsinsequencealignments
• Handling big data(programming skills –Java/Python/PERL/R)
• rAmpSeqworks,butitwilldiesoon
• Why? Illumina – NovaSeq: cost3-foldlower
• Whatisthealternative?WGS
Conclusions
• Geneticloadisincreasingincassava
• Breedersaremaskingload-‘mutationalmeltdown’isonthehorizon
• Needstrategiestopurgeload
• rAmpSeqischeapandworkingwellincassava,butitwilldiesoon-PredictionissimilartoGBS,notexploitedfortraitmapping.
3.7. GenomicSelectioninNextGen
Jean-LucJanninkgavethefollowinghighlights:
Page|31
Intheorygenomicselectionshouldwork.In“theory”thereisnodifferencebetweentheoryand practice. In practice, there is. We have to acknowledge the very important role ofconventionalbreedingandphenotyping
• Preliminaryevidenceofgain(FreshRootYield)-Traitislogtransformedtosatisfystatisticalmodel assumptions. Calculations show ~ 5% gain perselectioncycleinthesefirsttwocycles.Wecan’tpretendtoknowwhetherthatwillcontinue(itseemsunlikely)butit’saveryencouragingresult.ContrarytodrymatterandCMDresistance,foryield,theverybestclonesoftheC2aresubstantiallyhigheryieldingthantheverybestclonesofC0(by10%!!!)
• Elitecassavamasksdeleteriousalleles-excellentresearchwasdonebyRamuPunnaandFeiLuwhousedpopulationgeneticapproachestoidentifydeleteriousallelesandwhethertheywereinthehomozygousorheterozygousstate.ComparedtoProgenitors(PRO),eliteLatinAmerican(LAC)andAfricancassavashavelowernumbersofallelesinHOMOZYGOUSstatebutgreaternumbersinHETEROZYGOUSstate.Topurgethesealleles,theyneedtobeexposedinthehomozygousstate.
• Firstyearvalidationtrial–sametrendsasfrombreedertrialsBUTonly~2%improvementsinyieldontheaveragefromC0toC2.
TakeHomes
• Much evidence suggests GS is working: all traits are moving in the right direction;validationandbreedertrialsareconsistent
• TheerrorrateendsmytakeonadownnoteBUT:whatdefinesusistheprogresswemake- continuous improvement is our moonshot(needtoworkmoreonqualitycontrol)
• Integrating research with practice is anongoingchallengethatisaproblemofitsown-we apply ourselves to this challenge goingintoPhaseII.
3.8. CassavabaseUpdate
LukasMueller’spresentationgaveupdatesonchallengesfaced,gapsandimplicationsforthefuturefortheCassavabase:
Page|32
NewfeaturesoftheCassavabase:
• TrialDesign:Supportfornurseries+physicaldesignuploadandonlineediting
• CrossingManager:nowsupportsmulticross,polycrossandreciprocalcross
• Plant-levelphenotyping-eachplantonaplotisaseparateentityinthedatabasethatcanbeassociatedwithphenotypicscores.Plot-levelscoresarecalculatedfromplantscores
• Database-direct phenotyping - Use Cassavabase directly in the field; new interfacesemulatesfieldbook interface;requirestabletwithcellulardata,cellulardataplan,andcellularsignalatfield
• Support for barcodes: in field book and database-direct phenotyping; 2-D barcodes;improvedbarcodeprintingandsoonaninterfaceforportablebarcodeprinters
• TrialComparison
• solGStool-addedgenotypedatafilters(e.g.MAF,missingdata,monomorphicmarkers);selectiongainvisualization;expandedjobqueueingformoretimeconsumingtasks;uselist of trials to create training dataset; speed improvements and user interfaceimprovements
• CassavaExpressionAtlas
UpcomingFeatures
• Post-composingofphenotypeterms-allowtomixontologiestocreatenewterms
• CrossSearch-Searchforcrossesusingfemaleormaleparents
• Accessionusagestatspage-Howoftenanaccessionhasbeenused
PlannedFeatures
• Supportformorehand-heldappsforphenotypingandcrossingmanagement(PhenoApps)
• Supportformorepredictionalgorithms(OHV)
• Farmer-basedevaluations,questionnaires
ChallengesandGaps ImplicationsfortheFuture� Internetstability
� Datacuration-mustbeon-going,datamanagersarecentral
� Training:Workshopsandneedtoassurethatsystemisused
� Cassavabase“DigitalEcosystem”-CassavaBreedingInc.
� Users should not have to leave “ecosystem” as thiscreatesproblemswithdataintegrityandquality.
� SupportforGOBII
� SupportforBrAPI
Caution:
• Dataqualityissues
Page|33
• Datasovereigntyissues
• useofgoodtechnologyandsoftwareprinciples
• Thedatabaseiscurrentlynotavailable,butplansareunderwaytocreateapublicversion.
3.9. NextGenCassavaGermplasm
PeterKulakowgavethefollowinghighlights:
TheGermplasmexchangeaimstoenhancecassavabreedingacrosscontinentsbyuseofmostadvancedphytosanitaryprocedurestoensuresafeandeffectivemovementofalleles.
PriorityTraitsforIntercontinentalGermplasmTransfer:
• CBSDresistancesourcesfromLatinAmericatoAfrica
• HighcarotenoidsfromLatinAmericatoAfrica
• CMDresistancetoLatinAmericaandAsia
• HighstarchyieldfromLatinAmericaandAsiatoAfrica
• Qualitytraits:poundabilityandcookingquality;Starchproperties
• Otherbiotic andabiotic stress resistance:white fly resistance;Cassavabacterial blightresistance
• Mechanization traits: Uniform root shape; Plant type; Herbicide tolerance; Nutrientresponse
• Heterosispotentialforyield
IntercontinentalGermplasmtransfersachieved
• 24accessionsof8ManihotspeciestransferredtoUgandathroughStephanWinterlab,mediatedbyTimSetter’slab
• 103 high carotenoid clones received byIITA from CIAT in January 2017 - 100clones established in tissue culture atIITA;TransferfromIITAtoNaCRRI,NRCRI,CSIR-CRIinprocess
• 1500 botanic seed received by NRCRIfromCIATin2016
• 75CIATclonesreceivedbyIITAfromStefanWinterlabinFebruary2017–
Page|34
allareestablishedintissueculture-asimilarshipmenthasbeenreceivedinMarch2017byNaCRRI;PurposeofthetransferistoCBSDresistancesources
HawaiiSeedProduction–Seedlingnursery
No.plants
Seedparents Totalseed
%plantsproducingseed
IITA openpollinated 250 156 7198 62.4
CIAT openpollinated 207 121 4171 58.5CIATxIITA biparental 140 725 Total 457 12094
• ProofofConcept:Highseedproductionpotentialfromaseedlingnursery
• Highfloweringenvironment
• SeedcanmovetoAfrica,SouthAmericaandAsia
• Increased technical pollination support during the peak flowering seasonwill result inhigherbiparentalcrossseedproduction
• Crossesneedtofocusonhighpriorityselectedparents
HawaiiSeedProduction–2017ClonalEvaluation
• 64clonesselectedbasedonseedproduction,planttype,drymattercontent,plantvigor
• 30CIATclones,34IITAclones
• 5plantsperplot
• AlternatingrowsofCIATandIITAclones
• Plansforadditionaltechnicalsupportduringpeakpollinationseason
TheWayForward–IntercontinentalGermplasmExchange
• Transferofallelesbetweencontinents iscritical to the futureofcassavaproduction inAfricaandAsia
• Criticaltraits:resistancetoCBSDandCMDmustbesharedtoaddressbioticthreats
• Climatechange:adaptation tochangingenvironments.TheseenvironmentshavebeenunderselectioninLatinAmerican
• Transit centers are challenging to organize - two excellent transit centers have beensupportedbyNextgenCassava–Univ.ofHawaii/USDAandStephanWinterlaboratory
Page|35
3.10. GenderResponsiveCassavaBreeding
HaleTufan’spresentationhighlightedthefollowing:
Genderisnotaboutwomen–itisthediversityofendusersandequitablyaddressingtheirneeds.GenderResearchprovidesinformationthatwillenabledevelopmentofvarietiesthatmeetproducer,processorandconsumerdemands-increasedadoptionandimpact.Thinkinglikeacompanyincassavabreeding–havetounderstanddemandandconsumerprofiles(smarteconomics).Betterdefinetraitsandrelativeimportanceforendusersby“ground-truthing”preferredcharacteristicsandrefinephenotypingmethodsforbreeding
Summaryofprogressingenderresponsivecassavabreeding
• NEXTGENPhaseIfocusedonunderstanding-baselinestudiesinNigeriaandUganda
• Paperontraitprofiles,genderbasedneedsandopportunities incassavaproduction inNigeria-submittedtoEconomicBotany(seepartialresultsbelow)
Variety(type)
Reasonsforpreference
Men WomenMolekanga(local)
Highyielding,poundable,goodforgarri, marketable, earlymaturing(6-9months). Also called povertyremovalcrop
Poundable, root size, high yielding, weedsuppression, low cost of production andearly maturing. Also called food securityfriendlycassavavariety
OkoIyawo(local)
Poundable, mealy, high yielding,earlymaturing (7-12months) andresistancetopestanddiseases
Mealy, short time tocook,good tasteandproductqualityforgari,eba,fufuandlafun
Dangaria(Improved)
Good taste,white color, very talland multiple stems for plantingmaterials. Good for feedinglivestock
Highmarketdemand,poundable,goodrootand product color, weed suppression, tallstems, goodproductquality for garri, fufuandlafun
Idileruwa(local)
Resistant to pests and diseases,underground storability withoutrotting, weed suppression, lowcostofproduction
Cansurviveafterpestattack,undergroundstorabilitywithoutrotting,canstayfor3-4daysafterharvesting,goodproductquality
Nwaocha(local)
Dewaters faster,highdrymatter,late maturing, allows forintercropping
Beautiful to behold, good plantarchitecture, ferments quickly 2-3 days,odourless,goodproductqualityforabacha,lafunandgari
Nwankwo(local)
High yielding, marketable andearlymaturing
Goodproductquality,highrootnumberandearlymaturing
Page|36
IITA(Improved)
Pest and disease resistance, rootsizeandshape,brancheswellandsmoldersweeds,cansurviveharshconditions
Highyielding,post-harveststorability,highdrymattercontentmakesgarriswell.
• CGIARgenderpostdocBelaTeekenjoinedteam,designingnextphaseofPVStrials
ü Movefromextractivetointeractive:GenderresponsivePVS
ü Current varieties and advanced breeding lines evaluated by farmer-processors:agronomic,processingandend-useperformance-testpipelineonfarm
ü Uncovernewpreferences/traits?Relationtosocialcontext
ü Actionresearch-examinesprocessitself: intra-household/intra-villageandintra-taskgroupdecisionmaking.PowerrelationsandnormsrevealedbystudyingPVSprocess-whodecidesandwhyandhow-tiestopositionality
ü Test15varieties-Mother-babytrials
Mother:farmer’sfieldthatwillcontainallthe15varietiesplusalocallygrownandhighlyappreciatedvariety-researchermanaged-geneticpotential
Baby:20individualfieldtrialswith3varietieseach(VanEtten2016)
ü Processstudy:informalinterviews,focusgroupdiscussions,incomeallocationgames,lifehistories,andpositionalityanalysis
• Studentupdate-Keytraitsidentifiedandphenotypingmethodsindevelopment
Page|37
Challenges Gaps Implicationsforthefuture• Transcription of what exactlyfarmers like in a variety isproblematic-differentaspectsareinvolvedandfarmershaveatacit feelaboutwhatworksforthem
• Farmerpreferencesareoftennot determined by singletraits only but by acombinations of traits. Traitpackages?Prioritization?
• Correlating lab basedmeasurements withpreferences-weakproxies
• What are ”gendered traits”?Binary comparisonofmen vswomen.
• Understanding- quality traitslike good for gari are stillopaque- need considerablework to unpack thesedescriptions into “breedable”units
• Prioritization- Need to linkwith economic weightscoming out of Ugo’s work.Inform further studies withtraits emerging from genderwork
• Holisticview-onlySEandSWNigeria,andcertaindistrictsinUganda
• Linkages- link breedingdirectly to survey and socialresearchwork
• Validation-Empiricalevidencetobacksurveyinformation
• Positive re-framing: Focus ontacit knowledge and co-creation
• Add 1000minds methodologytotoolbox
• Refinetools,addvarietiesandexpand geographically togenerate user profiles andpossible trait packages tomatch, to inform breedingprograms
• Newlinesofenquiry:”Informaladoption” study- measurediffusion? Comparative study:does participation matter?Deeper study into the qualitycharacteristics- what is goodgari?
• Formulate breeding strategiesin relation to the present andanticipated social dynamics incassava cultivation andprocessing
3.11. UgandaBioscienceInformationCenter
BarbaraMugwanyalookedatUBICasaspecialinitiativeunderNextGen.UBICisabiosciencesinformationhubofNAROwhosecoremandateisBiotechnologyandBiosafetyeducation.
UBICachievements
• Keyplayer in theprocessof settingupenablingBiotechnologypolicy environments inUganda,Tanzania,Rwanda
• Keysourceforbiotechandbiosafetyeducationandinformation–NARO.One-stopcenterforbiotechandbiosafetyinformationinUganda;exhibitions,increasedmediapresence,awareness meetings, seeing-is-believing tours; Integration of modern biosciences ineducationcurriculum
• TrainedBiotechspokespersons:scientistsandcommunicators
• Strengthenedmediadialogueforagriculturalresearch
Page|38
• Keyadvisorforagriculturecurriculumreforms
• BiosafetycomplianceandcommercializationpathwayoversightforBiotechProjects
• Advisorforvariousregionalinitiatives:ABNE,OFA
• Strengthened skills for the UBIC Team to support biotech products’ research andcommercialization - Risk Communication training; training in Grassroots Mobilization;TechnologyTransferandIPRmanagementforBiotech;AWARDLeadershiptrainingandBiosafetyLegislationImplementation
• Drafted a NextGen Publication Policy - to provide the NEXTGEN Cassava project withguidelines to communicate research findings with target audience and provide thegroundworkforastandardproceduretoenableconsistent,fairandrepeatableprocessforprojectpublications.Alongwithplanningpolicy; researchdatamanagementpolicy;authorship policy;manuscript review policy; publication avenues policy and grievancepolicy
Challenges ImplicationsfortheFuture• Very pro-active and well-funded anti-scienceadvocates
• The battle between emotionalmanipulationvsfacts
• Increasing negative perception ofimprovedtechnologiesandproducts
• Willingness of scientists to bespokespersons
• Support implementation of enablingbiotechpolicyenvironmentsinUgandaandbeyond
• Up-scale training programs forscientistsandcommunicators
• Support commercialization pathwaysfordifferentbiotechproducts
• Increased NextGen communicationwithIP-CALSCommunicationsTeam
UBIChasbecomethesciencecommunicationvoiceforNARO.ThismodelshouldbereplicatedinotherNARs.
3.12. Embrapa’sSupplementaryProjectforNextGen
EderJ.OliveiraelaboratedtheEmbrapagivingthefollowinghighlights:
“EmbrapaNextGen”runsfromApril2016toSeptember2019toadvanceongoingactivitiesoffloweringandgenomeselectionincassavaandgermplasmexchangetoNextGenpartners.
1.Genomicselection:twoyearbreedingcycleatEmbrapa(1stcycle(2016-2017)and2ndcycle(2018-2019))
2.Improvingcassavafloweringandseedset:
Page|39
ü Grafts between genotypes with high and low flowering rate - 3 Genotypes; 12Treatments;Cleftgraft;#ofsuccessfulgrafts:~70%(48–88%)
ü Newgraftingmethod for cassava flowering induction -Multi-graftingon rootstockallowsseveralgraftsofthesamegenotypeinasinglerootstockplantàfacilitatinggreatertransferoffloweringstimulusbetweencontrastinggenotypes(highandlowfloweringrate)
3.Germplasmexchange-Sexualseedsof11wildcassavaspeciesavailableforexchangeandM. esculenta clones with highest GEBV – available on August 2017, after tissue cultureintroduction
Challenges Implicationsforthefuture• Severe drought stress in the lastyears(2011-2016)®lowseedset,especially from September toFebruary
• Fewgraduatestudents (Doctoral)andnoPost-doclinkedtoNextGenEmbrapateam
• Low flowering brings difficulties to obtain lotsamount of seeds® move to partially half-sibfamilies?
• Reinforcing links with Cornell and otherinstitutions mainly for training to develop anstandardizedpipelineforgenomicselection
• New breeding approaches and tools to allowrapidphenotyping
Inductionoffloweringincassavathroughgrafting
HernanCeballosgaveanupdateofCIAT-CornellUniversityworkonfloweringincassava:
ü SM3348-29:Branchedandfloweredaftergraftingü GM3500-2:Branchedbutdidnotflowerü SM3409-43:Didnotbranch,norflowered
AllgenotypesplantedonAugust8,2016
• Percentageofplantswithdifferentlevelsofbranching:averageoffourlightintensitiesvschecks-extendedphotoperiodinducedearlierbranchingineverygenotype;Genotypesthatflowerbymid-season(GM971-2)orlateintheseason(CM4919-1)hadthreelevelsofbranchingby5MAP
• Fruits developed through five and a half months after planting in four genotypesresponsivetoextendedphotoperiod-Therewasnomajordifferenceintheresponsetothedifferentlightintensities;Theearliertheextensionofphotoperiodbeginsthebetter;Therewasaclearimpactinenhancedproductionoffruitsinthreegenotypes
• Numberoffruitsstillintheplant192daysafterplanting-Ingeneral,thecombinationofBA+STSprovidedbetterresults;Forthe1sttimethe“asparagus”cassavafloweredand
Page|40
alreadyhadwelldevelopedfruits5MAP;Noticethatthereisconsiderablefruitproduction(andretention)inthefirstbranching;Clearinfluenceinnumberoffemaleflowers
• Consolidated responses: for grafting, photoperiod, BA, STS, BA+ STS. Combination ofgenotypes x stimuli is ideal for molecular studies; will combine light AND growthregulatorsandhopetohavea0.5ha“redlightdistrict”byJune2017
3.13. Flowering-MethodsforCassavaFloralInductionandEnhancedSeedSet
TimSettergavethefollowinginsightsonflowering:
Theproblem:Latefloweringdelaysorpreventscrossingandflowernumbersaretoofew.
OverallGoal:to identifymethodstoinduceearlierfloweringandstimulateprofuseflowernumbersandhelpbreedersmakemorerapidprogressbyenablingearliercrossesonmoreflowers,therebyshorteningthebreedingcycle.
Approaches:
• Graftontoahostplantthatisprofuselyproducingflowerstimulus-Identificationofsuperior under stock germplasm (Early, profuse flowering genotypes and wildrelativesofcassava)
• Environmental responses (Photoperiod X Temperature) - Main target: Flowerinductionforearlierflowering
® Photoperiodtreatments:
• Longday-lengths:Stimulatesearlierflowering,doesnotprovideprofusefloweringorflowerlongevity,decreasespartitioningtostorageroots
® Temperaturetreatments:
• Cooltemperature(moderate):Suppressesvegetativegrowth,stimulatesearlierflowering,doesnotprovideprofusefloweringorflowerlongevity
• Planthormoneandgrowthregulatorapplications–Compounds(Gibberellin–GA;PBZ(anti),Cytokinin–BA,ethylene–STS,AVG(anti),Auxin–NAA,NPA(anti),Salicylicacid,Jasmonicacid,combinations,dosages)
Successes Challenges Thewayforward• Long daylength hastensflowering;achievablewithdimredlight
• STS applicationmethods
ü phytotoxicity
• Optimize STS+BA applicationmethodsandtiming
• Develop field scale methodstoextenddaylength
Page|41
• Optimumtemperatureforearlyflowering≈25°C
• STS + BA stimulatesprofuse flowering, andincreasespercentfemales
ü sufficientuptakeinfieldplants
• Workshops and support foradoptionofthesemethodsincassavabreedingprograms
3.14. Postersession
Additionalsharingofprogressofworkdonebythedifferentpartnerswasundertakenthroughpresentation of the following posterswhichwere also analyzed thereafter in round tablediscussionswiththeearlierpresentations.
Clickonatitletoaccessthefullposter.
Listofposters:
1. TheGeneticBasisofReducingPostharvestPhysiologicalDeteriorationinCassava
2. ProgressiveRegionalGraduatePlantBreedingTrainingatMakerereUniversity,Uganda
3. AccuraciesofUnivariateandMultivariateGenomicPredictionModelsinAfricanCassava
4. EvaluationofSpatialCorrelationandGeneticCompetitiontoImproveGenomicPredictioninCassavaFieldExperiments
5. Genome-WideAssociationStudiesAcceleratesGenomicSelection:ImplicationsforCBSVResistanceinCassava
6. IntrogressedManihotglazioviiGenomeSegmentsSegregateinCassavaGermplasmandInfluenceKeyTraits
7. SocialDifferencesandGeneticAnalysisofPreferredCassavaTraitsofSmallholderFarmersinUganda
8. DevelopmentofProvitaminACassavawithVirusResistanceandFarmer-PreferredQualitiesinUganda
9. PlantGrowthRegulators’EffectonFloweringinCassava10. FlowerInitiationResponsetoPhotoperiodandTemperatureEnvironmentsinCassava11. CassavaGermplasmCollectionsinTanzania12. QTLAssociatedwithFieldResistancetoCBSD13. ModificationofFloweringinCassavaUsingaTransgenicApproach14. TowardsaGenderResponsiveCassavaBreedingPrograminNigeria15. PracticalityofGenomicSelectioninanAfricanCassavaBreedingProgram16. GenomicSelectiontoPre-BreedforResistancetoCBSDinWestAfricanClones17. GenomicSelectionMeetsTranscriptomics:PredictingQuantitativeResistancetoCBSV18. AlleleMiningandBreedingforCassavaGreenMiteResistanceinManihotesculenta19. DeleteriousMutationsareMaskedinCassavaGenome20. EffectsofGraftingTimeandMethodsUsedonScionandRootstockCompatibilityofCassava21. NIRSCalibrationforDMCandTCConWholeandMashedFreshCassavaRootSamples
Page|42
4. SynthesisofNextGenprojectpresentationsWithrefreshedunderstandingoftheprogressinNextGencassavaproject,theparticipantswereaskedtosynthesize thesuccesses,challengesand implications for thenextphaseofNextGen.
4.1. Successes,majorchallengesandimplicationsforthenextphaseofNextGen
Asmallteamwasformedtoclusterthesuccesses,challengesandimplicationsforthenextphaseofNextGenwhicharepresentedunderthethemesbelow:
SuccessGermplasmexchange
• Internationalexchangeofclonestotacklediseasesandotherchallenges• Hawaiigermplasmnurseryestablished–despitecassavabeingondonotgrowlist
fromUSDA• Germplasmtransferplatformavailable• Establishmentoftransferringcentrese.g.Hawaiiforthesharingofgenetic
material• BreakthroughingermplasmexchangeviaHawaiiandGermany• ProvedstabilityofHawaiifortransferbetweencontinents
NextGenvarietyrelease
• Varietyrelease–TanzaniaandNRCRI• Numberofprospectivenewvarietiesinthepipeline• Varietiesforreleaseinhand• NextGenvarietieswillbereadyforreleaseinthenextthreeyears• Candidatevarietiesforrelease
Genomicresourcesdeveloped
• Morecompleteandaccurateversionofcassavagenomesequence• Genomicresources• Excellentresourcesdevelopedforcommunity–Genome,Cassavabase,GS
performingasexpected
Page|43
• Excellentunderstandinggenomicloadincassava–buthowshouldNextGenrespondtothis?
Trainings
• Studentstrained• Youngbreederstrainedtosupportbreedingefforts• Capacitybuildingforallinvolvedpartnerinstitutionsandcountries• PhDstudentsareintegratedintoprogramsacrossallcountriesandseemtobe
thrivingGenomicselectionworking
• Genomicselectionworksincassava:gainsreportedfromcyclicimprovement• IITA?C0,C1,C2,C3• Genomicselectionseemstobeworkingandingoodprogress(GSbyC2)• DevelopmentandadvancementofGCcyclesinEastandWestAfrica• Collaborationissuccessfulforgettingfruits• Transformingfromconventional• ProgressinmadeinapplyinggeneticGS• Genomicpredictionmodelswork
Cassavabase
• Newfeaturesindatabasefromusersfeedback• Cassavabaseanalysistool• Cassavabaseflexibilityexpandedconsiderably• Electronicdatacapture• Databasedevelopedandaccessible• Datamanagement• Needformorecrossdisciplinaryworkinthenextphaseaswellasintensifygender
responsivebreedingandtraining• Traitsaremovingintherightdirection• GettingthegenomicselectionframeworkandCassavabaserepositorygoingin
goodtimeCommunicationandpublication
• Draftpublicationpolicy• Demystifyingconceptswithregardtobiotechnology• EfficientcommunicationonGMOswithfarmers• EstablishmentofUBICtospeakandadvocatewithaconsistentvoice• UBIChasbecomeagoodmodel(forlearning)• AwarenesscreationthroughUBIC• Movingtowardsend-userpreferredvarietiesthroughgenderinvolvement
Geneticarchitecture
• Pricereductionongenotyping• Lotsofgenotypicdatathatcanbelinkedtophenotypes• Greaterunderstandingofgeneticarchitecture• Enhancedfloweringwithcoolertemperaturesandlongerdaylength
Page|44
Crosscutting
• Genderresponsiveinitiatives• Betterunderstandingoffarmerspreference• Recognizedimportanceofconsumerqualitytraits(softness,Kwin,waterholding
capacity)• Enabledseed/cuttingstransfer• IdentificationofstarchtraitprofilesinnorthUganda
ChallengesPhenotyping
• FocusonidentifyingsourcesofCBSDresistance• Phenotypinghighthoughtfulmethods• BetterphenotypingtoolsforCBSD/CBSDPhenotyping• HowtomitigatespreadofCBSDwhichhasnegativeinfluenceonyield
performance• Standardizedatacollectionandphenotypingtrialsdesign• Capturenewsourcesofvariability(CBSD)• Phenotypingtoolsforconsumertraits(softness)• Understandinggeneticarchitectureofconsumerqualitytraitsandpathways• Newtraits–gariquality,cookingquality,nutritionalevaluation• Tacitlyevaluatingvarietieswithendusers–newvarietiesappreciatedalreadyand
newvarietiesfromNextGenandothers• Qualitytraitsdefinition• Difficultiesinfindingproxiesforgendertraits(i.e.softness)• Accuratetraitcharacterization• Lackofphenotypingprotocolsforgoodgari• Connectionsbetweengenomicsandconsumerspreference• Interventionofthefarmersintheselectionprocess• Goodunderstandingoffarmerpreferredtraits• Linkgenomicswithphenotypicdatavariability• Howtointegratemakersintobreedingschemes• Howtoincorporateconsumerpreferencesintobreedinglines• Betterphenotypingmethod(NIRS)DMC• Translatingpreferencesintomeasurabletraits• Transferofdiseaseswithgermplasminternationally
Advocacy
• Emotionsvsfacts(GMOandBiotechnologycommunication)• Antagonismbyanti-sciencegroups• Misconceptionsofbreedingefforts/products• NegativeperceptionofbiotechnologyinAfrica• Communicationofsciencetosociety(GMOvsmarker-aidedvarieties)
Traitmanagement
Page|45
• Skillmanagementtotransformfromconventionaltophenotypingtoelectronicphenotyping
• Protocoloptimization• Adjustmenttomanagingbigtrials• Tooearlyforrigorouscomparisonof1-+2-yearcycle• Howtomeasuregeneticgainswhencomparingearlycycles(“old”planting
material)andlatecycles(“young”plantingmaterial• Highqualityfieldtrailsthathavelowvariability,highH2• GenotypingskillshortageinAfrica–needforcapacitybuilding• Improvementofexperimentaldesigntocapturebetterheritability• Diversifytraitbreeding• Addingandidentifyingcassavatraitsinrelationtoenduserpreferences
Geneticload
• Whattodoaboutdeleteriousalleles• Purgingdeleteriousallelesprolongsbreedingcycle• Threatfromdeleteriousmutations–needfornewmethodstopurgethemout• Defineendusers’traits• Howtoidentifythespeciesdivergedatregularintervaltocharacterizethe
regulatoryelements• Howtoreducethegenotypingerrorrate• Howtoreducegeneticload• Morediscussionofcrossingstrategytoobtainbestrecombinants
Genotypingqualitycontrol
• Genotypingerror–adoptstandardoperatingprocedures• Errorrateingenotyping(duplicateclones)• GBSlabelingcontamination• ReduceGBSerrors–22%errorrate• GetconsensusoncassavaIDs• Effectivequalitycontrol
Germplasmexchange
• Complexityofseedexchangewiththissystem• MovinggermplasmfromHawaiiortissueculturefromCIATdirectlytofieldsin
Africa• Suitableparentsformakingcrossestobesharedacrossprograms• SourcesofCBSDresistance
Cassavabase
• Shouldthefocusbeonmakingnewfeaturesorensuringusageofexistingones• IsCassavabasehandytouseforcassavabreederswithintheircurrentdailywork• UseofCassavabaseislimited• Howfrequentlydocountryteamssharedata/information(docountries=silos)• MaintenancesupporttimeforCassavabase• ContinuoususageoftableandCassavabasesite
Referencegenome
Page|46
• PublicationofAfricancassavareferencegenome• GetanAfricancassavagenomereference
ImplicationsforthenextphaseCapacitydevelopment
• Partnerindependentsustainability• Strategicdevelopmentforutilizationofdevelopedcapacities• CoordinationofficeinAfricatofacilitategermplasmexchange• Needtohavemorecrossdisciplinaryworkinthenextphase• Intensifygenderresponsivebreedingandtraining
Cassavabase
• TrainallNextGenteammemberstouseCassavabase(especiallynewfeatures)• Integrateenduserpreferencestudiestoinformcassavabreeding(including
gender)• MakeCassavabaseaonestopshop• Consideradditionaltrainingfordatabasemanagerswhoareresponsiblefor
uploadingtoCassavabase• Analyticsispriority• IITAtrialstobealldesignedwithCassavabase
Breedingfortargettraits
• Trackefficientlystarchpropertiesinbreedingprogram• Drought• Biofortification• PhenotypingforDMCistrickyandhighlyinfluencedbyarrivalofrains• Understandingthequalityoftraits• Expandbaseoftraitsbeingstudied(informedbysurveywork)• Refinefloweringenhancement–light,grafting,PGR,locationandtiming• DocumentraftercloningPGRseedsettreated
Geneticload
• Needtostarttalkingaboutgenomeediting• TakeintoaccountgeneticloadduringcyclicimprovementthroughGS• GSimplementationisajourney–manageexpectations,incorporatedeleterious
allelesinGSmodels• Oneyearcyclewillleadtohighlybranchingtypes.Inductionoffloweringhighly
relevant.• Crossingstrategyisveryimportant.Usefulideasofselectingfordrymatterand
rootyield(120selectionsaremanyplantstorecombine).• Practicalimplications/usageoftransformedFt• FindroutingwaysofenhancingfloweringinbreedingandGScrossing
Communicationandadvocacy
• Goodscientificcommunication• Needforscientiststoengageincommunication
Page|47
• Bridgethecommunicationgapbetweenfarmersandbiotech
4.2. Addressingchallenges
Fourgroupswere formed toaddress theeightmainchallengesand reportbackusing theguidelinesintheBox5below.Discussionswereheldforapproximately1.5hours.
TaskBox2:Addressingchallenges
Herebelowthegrouppresentationsandplenarydiscussion
Challenge Underlyingissues Promisingstrategies,waystoaddressissuesandchallenge
Keyplayers
Phenotyping • Productquality• Institutionaldisconnection
• Disease–rootandleaf
• Homogeneityofsymptomsforimageanalysise.g.CBSD
• NIRS• largerpopulationfortraining/calculationofmultiplefarmerpreferredtraits
• Standardizeprotocols• Optimizationofcassavausagebyregion• Trialmanagement
• Farmers
• Personnel
Yieldanddrymatter
• Precision• Throughput
• NIRSadoption Breeders
Diseaseresistanceandsusceptibility
Precisionandthroughputofexistingtoolsisdeficient
• Highthroughputtoolsfortraitsthatwehavegoodunderstanding
• Artificialintelligencetorecognizeandscoredisease
• Computerscientistsspecializinginmachinelearning/remotesensing
Grouptask–Addressingchallenges
Foreachofthechallenge(s)/issue(s)
1.Whataretheunderlyingissues(whyisitanissue?)
2.Whatarepromisingstrategiesorwaystoaddresstheseissuesandchallenges?(Takeintoaccountgoodexperiencesandlessonspresentedintheworkshop).
3.Whoarethekeyplayerstoberesponsibleforthedifferentaspectsofthestrategiesorwaysofaddressingthechallenges?
Page|48
fromimages(drones/smartphones)
Trialmanagement Non-uniformfields • experimentaldesign • Mechanizationunit
• FieldscientistsEnd-userqualitytraits
Translatingconsumerpreferencesintomeasurabletraits
• Testkitchen• Participatorytrials• Relatetomeasurabletrials
• NIRS
• Breeders• Socialscientists• Foodscientists• consumers
GenotypingQualityControl
• Genotypestophonotypeslinkhassignificanterrors
• Duplicationofsamples
• sampletrackingfromfieldtolabandvice-versa
• GDFduplicationcoding(-1)buthavetobeaccordedwithcomments
• IITAstrategy–uniquebarcodeforeachplate
• ClonalmislabelingInthefield
• Implementprocedurestominimizeerror
• Developmethodstodetectproblems
• ConfirmlinkstogenotypewhenfirstenteredintoCassavabase
• Doublecheckbygenotypingspecificplantsusedforcrosses
• IDsourcesoferror-whichprogramsgenerateerrorsororetheyuniformlydistributedacrossprograms?Developbestpracticetominimizeerrors
• Insert“TEST”errorsandseewhattheylooklikeinordertoIDrealerrors
• IDeverystepwherethereisapossibilityoferror
• implementationofqualitycontrol–genotypinginCassavabase
• Cassavabasetobeusedfortrackingsamples–usersmustsetupagenotypingtrial
• Cassavabasetocheckgenotypeagainstparentsifavailable
• BTI,whohasidentifiedtheproblem
• Breederswhoaredoingcollectionsremoveerrors
GermplasmExchange
• ResourcelimitationinHawaii
• Riskofseedbornviruses
• Usingnewgermplasm
• Clearplanforusingnewgermplasm
• Implementaquarantinesiteforgrowingseedsuponarrivalatresearchstations
• Researchstations
Page|49
• Difficulttogetpermitsforfieldplanting
• LocationoutsideofUS(Vanuatu?–CIRADprogram)
• MovegermplasmthroughDSMZinordertobeverycareful
• Technicalcapacityformakingcrosses
Geneticload • deleteriousalleles–inbreedingdepression
• reducethenumberofdeleteriousallelesthroughintroductionofinbreedingstep
• breeders
CassavaBase
• Isusagehighenough• DuplicationbetweenBMSandCassavabase
• Needformoretoolsforanalysis(GWAS,QTLetc.)
• Analysisforvariance,heritability
• Fieldbooknotadequatefornurserytrails
•
• Trainingoutofprojectbreeders
• CollaborationswithFieldBookonappdevelopmenttoavoidduplication
• Addusefulapplications(addnewfeaturesandensureusage)
• StarttrialsinCassavabase(alsoforgenotypes)
• Maintenancesupport
• CassavaBaseTeam
AfricanReferenceGenome
• IsthereanAfricanreferenceGenome
• Yes,TME204genomewillbeavailablesoon
•
Communicationandadvocacy
• antagonismbyanti-sciencegroups
• pro-active,relevantinformation
• persuasivecommunication
• Alliancesofallgroupsinvolvedwithscience
• sciencecommunicators
• AdvocatesMisconceptions • lackofinformation
(reliable,trusted)• getmorecrediblesources • Government
agencies
• TrustedsourcesIntegrationofcommunicationsacrossproject
• Prioritizationofcommunication
• Betterinternalcommunication
• implementcommunicationstrategy
• communicationpeople
Communicationinfrastructure
• connectivityviainternet
• strengthencommunicationsinfrastructure
• ITpersonnel
Page|50
5. Futuretrends,highpotentialtechnologiesandproductsincassavabreeding
Having looked at NextGen’s progress, this stage was aimed at identifying emergingtechnologies/processesandtrendsintegraltosuccessfulcassavabreeding,includingbreedingpipelines and products. Input presentations on future trends, high potential/ promisingtechnologies,approachesandproductstobefocusedoninfuture(includingphaseII)weremadetostimulateparticipants.
5.1. OptimumHaploidValueselectiontechnology
BenHayesexplainedOptimumHaploidValue(OHV)applicationasfollows:
Doubledhaploidsusedinwheat,maize,canolabreedingprograms-generateinbredlinesinonegenerationvs~six
Criticalquestion-Canwetakegenomicselectiontothenextlevelbycombiningwithdoubledhaploidtechnology
• Developsuperiorelitecultivars?
• Acceleraterateofgeneticgain?
Asimplethreemarkerexample
GenomicSelection-GEBV=∑genotypes*markereffects
Sumgenome-wide
Page|51
OptimalHaploidValue
Step1.Ifheterozygousparentsareused,OHVonF1,iftwoelitelinesarecrossed,makeOHVonF2,oronparentsdirectly.
Step2.Haploidvalues(HV)estimatedforeachhaploidgenomesegment.
• Insilico,theoptimumhaploidvalue(OHV),thebestdoubledhaploidthatcouldbeproducedfromthatline,ispredicted.
• NotethelinewiththehighestOHVmaynotbetheplantwiththehighestaveragegenomicbreedingvalue.
Step3.DoubledhaploidsarecreatedfromthislineuntiltheOHV,oranindividualveryclosetotheOHViscreated.Bygenotypinghalfseedsorveryyoungplants.DoubledhaploidclosesttoOHVoftheoriginalplantbecomesthenewvariety.
DoesOHVgivemoregainthangenomicselection?
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Generation
True
Gen
etic
Var
ianc
e
GS OHV
• Testinasimulatedbreedingprogram
• BasewasrealgenotypesfromTriticeaeCoordinatedAgriculturalProject(TCAP)
− 1110Pre-breedingandbreedingwheatlinesgenotypedwith9KSNP
Page|52
Takehome
• OHV delivers up to 0.5 genetic standard deviations additional genetic progress toGenomicSelection
• AdvantageofOHVoverGenomicSelectiongrowsasbreedingprogramprogresses
• OHVpreservesmoregeneticvariationthanGenomicSelectionàincreasedlong-termgeneticgain!
• Worksbestwith largenumberofrecombinants,100offspringper line,100DHperOHVselectedplant
5.2. ImprovedPhenotypingThroughImageAnalysis
MikeGoreexplainedhowautonomousrobotsworkside-by-sidewithhumansinthefieldtogreatlyenhancediseasephenotypingandearlydiseaseidentification.Suchrobotsperformdailyscansandalerthumancoworkerstounusualorsuspectedpathologies;theywillcollectdetailed data over time to track disease spread dynamics, consult remote experts inambiguouscasesandguidehumanstolocationswheremanualinterventionisrequired.
ConvolutionalNeuralNetwork(CNN)combinedwithdrones:detectNCLBlesionsonmaizeleavesinthefield.CNNaretrainedtodetectNCLBinmaize,theCNNcovertspixelsintowords:extractsmultiplelayersofnon-linearfeaturesandthenaclassifiercombinesallfeaturestomakepredictions.
Automated mobile detection of cassava mosaicdiseasewithdeeplearningalgorithms
Machinevisiondetectionofwhitefliesbytrainingacascadingclassifiercombinedwithdecisiontrees.
Page|53
1KK-Seedanalysisapp.Onethousandkernelweight,referencecirclesforscaling,usesSmartGrainalgorithm,IntegrationwithUSBscales.
BinarythresholdingalgorithmextendedfromImageJtoAndroidtocountandsize(area)cassavaroots
AverageimportancerankingforPhenoApptraitdevelopment
5.3. NIRSPhenotypingandCalibration
Dominique Dufour explained how high-throughput screening of root quality traits forprocessingabilityanduser’spreferencesworks.
NIRSLOCALCalibrationforcassavatraits
ScatterplotsofTCCHPLCvaluesversusTCCNIRSvaluesofyear2013
UsingPLSmodelLocalregression,basedon2009-2012
Althoughtheautonomousrobotscanfindwhatthenormaleyecannot,itissusceptibletoerrors.
Dependingonthequestion–youdeterminethearease.g.plantbasis.YoutraintheAIadequatelyforeachdisease(provideenoughpicturesandsounds).
1. Brownstreak(rootsymptoms)
2. Whiteflies3. Rootsizeandshapes4. Cassavamosaicdisease5. Brownstreak(leaf
symptoms)6. Plantarchitecture7. Plant
physiology/reflectance8. Leafmorphology
Page|54
Harvest2016screeningbiofortifiedcassava
Numberofclones Harvested Dailyevaluation
Inthefield(seedling) 9160 327
Selectedforrootlabevaluation 1832 65
SecondscreeninginthelabforNIRSevaluation 1065 38
Cookingqualityevaluation 515 19
CyanideandCarotenecontent(Spectro&HPLC) 134 5
836 Clones were selected for 2017 evaluation (based on NIRS prediction). Traits of theselectedclones(836from9160):
• Boiled cassava cooking patterns:CookingtimeestimationusingNIRS- Soft Independent Modelling ofClassAnalogy(SIMCA)
• Cassavamealinessandpoundability
• Physiological PostharvestDeterioration(PPD)
• Screening of cassava fermentationability
• Gariswellingcapacityevaluation
DM variability evaluation trials - 7 clones planted each 15 days in the same plot; DMevaluationon5plantseach15daysatexactly10months;3repetitionsbydatapoint.
5.4. FieldPhenotyping
OnnoMullerelaboratedonfieldphenotypingwhoseaimistoquantifydynamicplanttraitsinthefieldacrossscales.
The Jülich research centre in Germany has more than 5,500employeesand900+guestscientistsfrommorethan45countries;budget:560M€andthird-partyfunding:~170M€.Therearethreemainportfoliosasshownintheadjacentdiagram.
Jülich research centre plant sciences strategy for improvedresource use efficiency and optimized biomass (see diagrambelow)
Page|55
The5pillarsofFieldPhenotyping:fromtraitstosensorsandexperiments
Fieldpositioningsystems
Page|56
Fieldphenotypingsensorsphotosynthesis:Fluorescence
AsctecFalcon-8features:
- 8rotarywings- 1,8kgoperationalweight- Autopilottonavigatealongwaypoints- Live-videoview- Varioussensors:RGBcameraSonyNex5n,
VIS/NIRspectrometer,thermalcamera- Rigidcasing- 9batteriesforalmostcontinuousoperation- Eachflight15minutes
5.5. MoreArtificialIntelligence(AI)forPhenotyping
ErnestMwebazeofAIandDataScienceLabatMakerereUniversityelaboratedontheartificialintelligence(AI)technology.
Loosely explained, AI is about getting specific “intelligent” aspects of a human being andputtingthemintoapieceofsoftware,machine,internet,etc.forexampleintheautomationofexperttasksandimprovedaccuracyinmeasurement.AI/tech-assistedcaneitherbefullyautomated/assisted – approximately zero humaninputorsemi-automated–humaninvolvedtosomedegree.
AI/tech-assistedPhenotypingfacilitates:
• Repeatability in data collection e.g. takingimages
Page|57
• Non-subjectivity/relativeuniformityinassessmente.g.automatedassessment
• High-throughput
Crowdsourcingsurveillanceinformationfromfarmers
• Farmersgivensmartphonesorthosewithsmartphonesrecruited
• Farmertakesaseveralpicturesofhisgardenandhisneighboursgardenseveryweekanduploadstoonlinesystem
• Incentivemechanismsusedtoencouragefarmertosendininformation
• CanbeagoodextensiontoPVCstudies– surveillanceofvarietiesgrown,eatenorsold.
Futuretrends
• MovingtowardsfullAI-integratione.g.drones+geo-spatialanalysis,deeplearning
• Data science/big data integration e.g. improved/increased measurement of theprocess(meta-data)andofthephenomena(bio-degradablechips)
• “*-as-a-service”paradigmse.g.phenotyping-as-a-service,breeding-as-a-service,GS-as-a-service,etc.
5.6. VarietyreleaseprocessinNigeria
Dr.SundayAladele-registrar,NationalCropVarietiesandLivestockBreedsRegistrationandReleaseCommitteeexplainedtheprocessofregistrationofvarietiesforrelease.Acopyoftheircataloguecanbedownloadedfromtheirwebsite:www.nacgrab.gov.ng
TheNationalCropVarietiesandLivestockBreedsRegistrationandReleaseCommitteewasestablished through Decree No 33 of 1987 (now Act of Parliament 2016 as amended).Functionsofthecommitteeinclude:
§ Officially release list of superior crop varieties, livestock breeds and fish strainsrecommendedbytheTechnicalSub-Committee(TSC),
§ Ensure imported crop varieties or livestock breeds into Nigeria meant forcommercialization and use pass through the same process as seeds of new cropvarietiesandlivestockbreedsdevelopedbybreedersinNigeria,
§ Formulate policies onmatters concerning the validation, registration, naming andrelease of new crop varieties and livestock breedswhich are either introduced ordevelopedinNigeria
Page|58
ActivitiesofthisNationalCommitteeandTechnical-SubCommitteesarecoordinatedbytheNationalCentreforGeneticResourcesandBiotechnology(NACGRAB),anagencyundertheFederalMinistryofScienceandTechnology.
Membershipofnationalcommittee MembershipofTSC(crops)TheDirector/CEOofNACGRABalsodoublesas the Registrar of the Registration andReleaseCommittee
• TheChairman
• Registrar
• TSC Chairmen for Crops, Livestock &Fisheries
• RiverBasinAuthority
• RTEP
• PrivateFarmer
• SeedAssociationofNigeria
• FDA/ARCN
• Observers
• All National Coordinators of differentcrops
• PresidentGeneticSocietyofNigeria
• HeadofGRU,IITA
• PrivateBreederselectedonmerit
• TheChairman
• TheRegistrar (whomustbe theHeadofNACGRAB)
• NASC
• Chairman, Committee of Deans ofFaculties/CollegesofAgriculture.
Achievements:
Sinceinaugurationin1989,theNationalCommitteehas:
§ Registered and released 595 varieties from 38 different crop species (actively andretroactively)asattoday(CASSAVA-46)
§ Launched166varietiesof10Cropspecies(namelymaize,sorghum,rice,pearlmillet,cowpea, groundnut, cassava, yam, potato and tomato) into the ECOWAS cropcatalogue(CASSAVA-24)
Step-by-Stepproceduretoregisternewcropvarieties
Step1:Identificationofacultivarordevelopmentofanewvarietywithnoveltraitsbetterthantheexistingones.
Step2:On-stationtrialtotestforDUS,yieldandreactionstoinsect-pestsattacksamongotherthings.
Step3:Multi-locationaltrialinrelevantagro-ecologiesfortwoyearsORgrowingseasons(minimumof5-10testingsites)
Step4:On-farmtrialforayear/season(>20testingsites).
Page|59
Note:Theon-farmtrialcantakeplacesimultaneouslyduringthesecondyearmulti-locationaltrial.ItmustalsobemonitoredbytherepresentativesoftheTSC(crops).
Step5:Submityourapplication(includingresults,requireddescriptorsandrelevantpictures)40 copies to: The Registrar, National Crop Varieties and Livestock Breed Registration andReleaseCommittee
Step6:DefendthenominationattheTSC(crops)meeting
Step7:TheTSC(crop)rejectorrecommendthenominationtotheNationalCommittee
Step 8: The National Committee approves or rejects the registration and release of thenomination
Step9:5kgbreeders’seedtobegiventoNACGRABwhile50kgfoundationseedtobegiventoNASC.Sizeableplantingstemsforcassavagenotypes
WhocanregisternewcropvarietiesinNigeria?
Thefollowingcategoriescandevelopandregisternewcropvarieties:
§ NationalAgriculturalResearchInstitutes(NARIs)
§ Universities
§ RegisteredPrivateSeedCompanies
§ Non-GovernmentalOrganizations(NGOs)
Page|60
Incaseanewvarietyisdevelopedbyotherorganizationapartfromthebreedinginstitute,suchorganizationmustworkharmoniouslywiththebreedinginstitutetoevaluatetheirtrialsandregistertheirvarieties
Plenarydiscussions.
• Science(breeding)workisnotcompleteuntilitgetstothefarmer.Successismeasuredbyadaptabilityofscienceproducts.
• Rigid certification process is notmeant to discourage breeders, but to ensure qualityproducts are released. The scientists have to convince the committee adequately byelaboratingexplicitlythenewtraits,benefitsetc.
• Biotechnologypolicyvs releaseprocess– the lawcapturesbothand there is anMoUbetween biosafety andNational CropVarieties and Livestock Breeds Registration andReleaseCommittee.
• AImemory/ability:WhatarethesuccessratesofAIinmultiplediseasesurveyinaplantandinanetplot?–AIworkswellsolongastheproblemisdescribedclearly/wellandtheAIsystemistrainedadequately.
• IntegrityandtrustissuesofdatacollectedbyAI–itispossibletogetapproximately80%accuracy.
• IncentivizingfarmerstouseAI–whataretheincentivestoencouragefarmerstouseAI?Dataairtime;recognition,smallmicro-funds.Howeverthereisstillabigproblemwiththeincentivesystems.
5.7. Analysisoffuturetrends,highpotentialtechnologiesandproducts
The facilitator took participants through the task to analyse potential technologies andproducts for the futureor forPhase II thatwouldaddress the identifiedchallenges,gaps,demandandtrendsintheprevioussessions.Fourgroupswereformedanddiscussionsheldforapproximately1.5hoursfollowingtheguidelinesinBox6below.
Page|61
Box3:Identificationofhighpotentialtechnologiesandproducts
GrouppresentationsoftechnologiesandproductsthatcanbedevelopedfurtherinphaseII.
Technologies
Phenotyping
• Cassavabase
• PhenoApp
• Fieldbook–socialdatausingfieldbook
• NIRS(rootandproductquality)
• E-tablets
• Rootbulkingandyield
• Qualitytraits(freshroot,product)
Sensors:
• FlowercountingYield
• Pestanddiseasequalityscoring(canopyandroots)
• Weedmanagement
Groundpenetratingradar:
• Yield
• Adaptation-drought
• Maturitytime
• Rootdisease
Mechanizesharvestersforyield
Varietyreleaseanddissemination
• Candidatevarieties
• SAH
• Incorporateend-userpreferences
• Integratesocialstudies(gender)
Genomicresources • DevelopmentoflowcostSNPchip
• rAmpSeq
• genomicselectionmodels–newgenomeassembly
Floweringinduction • Grafting
• Hormones(STS+BA)
Group task – Identification of high potential technologies and products
a)WhatarethetechnologiesandproductswiththehighestpotentialforsuccesssofarandwhichneedtobedevelopedfurtherinphaseII?
b)Whattechnologiesandproductsareinhighestdemandbydifferentstakeholdersandthushaveahighpotentialforsuccessfuladoptioninthenextphaseoftheproject?
c)Whatarepossiblepathwaysofgettingtheproductstotheusers?
d)Whatactivitiescouldbecarriedoutinyear5ofphaseItobeabletounderstandmoretheproductsandresultsdemandedbydifferentstakeholders?
Page|62
Potentialproducts Possiblepathways(how)Intermediateproducts
• Protocol
• Technology
• Trainingpackages
• Research
• Collaboration
• Knowledgeexchange
• Equipmentsharing
• Databasesforexchange
• Storage
Finalproducts
• Varieties
• Trainedpersonnel
• Explorealternativesforbetterdeliveryofvarieties
Activitiesforyear5ofPhaseI
• NIRS–collaborationandcalibrateformoretraits
• CASSproject–interactionwithNextGenproject
• Writebrochureoftechnologydescription
• OptimiseGSmodelsfordownstreamuse-GSimplementationandtrackingGSmaterials
• Floweringinductionrecords
• Humanresources–trackinggraduatestudentstoensuretheyremainactiveoncassavaresearch(seedgrants?)
• Stakeholdermappingtoidentifypotentialproductusers
• Trainingonstandardphenotypingprotocols
• Fast-trackingeliteclonesforrelease–PVS
6. NextGenPhaseIfinalyearandtransitiontoPhaseIITheaimofthisstageistoaddresstheimplicationsofthetrendsandthefuturedemandsinviewofPhaseIIandthelastyearofphaseIofNextGen.AnoverviewpresentationofPhaseIIconceptandgroupdiscussionsenabledparticipantstocriticallyexaminetheimplicationsofprevious analysis of high potential technologies and products, and possible demands andpathways.ParticipantsthenidentifiedwhatneedstobepursuedinPhaseII,andwhatneedstobefocusedonintheremainingtimeofPhaseI.
Page|63
6.1. IntroductiontoPhase2ofNextGen
Jean-LucJanninkgaveanoverviewofPhaseIIconceptnotewiththefollowinghighlights:
WhatNextGenDoes
• Improve cassava through breeding cycles that involve generating and identifyingimprovedprogenythatwetakethroughtorelease.
• Improveourunderstandingofthegender-responsiveproductprofilesdesiredbyendusersthroughcommunicationwithstakeholders.
• Improve our ability to deliver higher-valued varieties rapidly and efficiently bytechnologicaladvancesdrivenbyresearch.
Therearethreemanagementdivisions:research,breeding,andcommunication(seediagrambelow).
Breeding Communication Research• Varietyreleasepipeline
– FromCETtoUYTandNationalreleasetrials
– Optimizednumbersandlocations
• Populationimprovementpipeline
– 40,000seedsfrom250to500families
– 20,000tissuestoMAS– 10,000DNAstogenomic
prediction– Selectioninthecrossing
nurserypriortocrossing• Participatoryevaluation
• Participatoryevaluation
• Newtraitdiscovery
• EquityofopportunityandSustainablechains
• Externalimpactmetrics
• Projectadvocacyandcommunication
• Technologyoutreach
• ICTinfrastructure
• CommunityofPracticePartnerships(Ghana,Rwanda,MozambiqueandD.R.Congo)
• Uniformmethodsacrossprograms
• Rootqualitytraits,CBSVtitre,Stakequality
• Cassavabasedigitalecosystem
• PhenoAppintegration
• Processmap:identifyandminimizeerrors
• Decisionsupport
– Crossingandpopulationmanagement,trainingpopulationdesign,Breedingvs.persevalue
• Wholegenomesequenceinformationinprediction
Page|64
– Whilethereisstilldiversity(~100clonesfromAYT)
– 10farmersineachof20groups(Mother/Baby)
• Breedingschemeoptimization
• GxEandselectionindexinproductprofiles
• Germplasmacquisition
• Flowering
MoreinAfrica,lessintheUSThePhaseIIconceptnotewillbedevelopedinafullproposal.Atthemomentitisdeficientinspecificitiesandresearchobjectives.Therewillbeaneedtoprioritizeonresearch(itisnotpossible to carry out everything from the onset). Key activity is to understand points ofinteraction between research, breeding and communication. Additionally how to enforcecomplianceinuseofthesystems.
6.2. SWOTanalysisofNextGenPhaseII
Six groups were formed based on participants areas of expertise to discovery inter-sectionality between breeding, research, and communication (see diagram below).Thereafterachallengeandofferexerciseforspecificquestionswasundertaken.
Questionsforchallengeandoffermodel
1. Howdoweassembleproductprofiles?
2. Howdowecreatebreedingprocessmaps?
3. Howdoweelicitfarmerpreferencesandneeds?
4. Howcanresearchhelpproductdevelopment?
Questionone–howdoweassembleproductprofiles?
1. Howdoweidentifykeytraitsweightedbypreferencesandneedsandthefeasibilityofbreeders?
2. Howdowebalancethedifferentprofilesintheassemblingofthefinalproducts?
3. Arethetraitsheritable(geneticorprocessing–dependent)
Page|65
4. Whatisaproductprofile?
5. Whatarethedifferentlevelsofend-user(farmer,processor,etc.)
6. whataretheenduses
7. Howdowemeasurethosetraits?
Questiontwo–howdowecreatebreedingprocessmaps?
1. Howtoidentifycommontraitsandproperphenotypinginthebreedingprocess?
2. Whenandhowtoinitiatetheparticipatorybreedingprogram?
3. Whatisabreedingprocessmap?
4. Whatshouldbetheextentofstakeholderengagement?E.g.participatorybreeding
5. Whatselectionstrategiesshouldweadopt?
Questionthree–howdoweelicitfarmerpreferencesandneeds?
1. Howdowedevelopsurveystogatherunbiasedfarmerspreferencesandneedsacrossgender,geographicandsocial-economicgroups?
2. Whowillbefarmer–researcher/breederliaison?(Socialscientist?productmanager?breeder?extensionofficer?)
3. Canweinvolvefarmersintheselectionprocess?(participatorybreeding)
Questionfour–howcanresearchhelpproductdevelopment?
1. Howcancommunicationimproveresearch?
2. Howdoweassessourownprogress?
3. Whowilldotheresearch?
4. Whatkindofexpertise/researchisrelevant?
5. Canwepredict/forecastepidemicsandanticipateneeds?
6. Canwedeveloppredictiveabilitytodeterminethe“lifespan”ofaproduct?
7. Whatproblemsdon’thavesolutionsyet?
Page|66
6.2.1. Usecasesandneedsoffers
Questionone-howdoweassembleproductprofiles
Masterchallenge Offer who
HowtobalancethedifferentprofilesintheassemblyoftheFINALPRODUCT
Usesurveysofenduserpreferencesandbalancewithbreederknowledgeofwhatisrealistic
PeterHyde
Datasharingandminingwillallowestablishinggeneticcorrelationsamongtraits.Thiswillbehelpfulindefining“wise”selectionindexes
HCeballos
Developvarietydevelopmentpipelinesforspecificmarkets PeterKulakowHowtoidentifyKEYTRAITSbypreference,needandfeasibility
• Haveseriesofmeetingswithfarmersandsurvey• Identifyendusersandaskfortheirpreferredtraits• triangulationofavailabledataanduseof
understandableandcurrentdataanalysistools
Whoarewebreedingfor?(breeder)
Ensureunbiasedsamplingoffarmer/end-userpreferencessothatallpreferredtraitsareidentified
PeterHyde
Wearebreedingforend-usersandstakeholderpreferencesandneeds
OSA
Surveystoidentifytheneedsandgapsinbreedingprograms
Paula
Cassavabasecanhelpclusteringthedifferentfarmer/consumers
Runmarketsurveys Edema,researcher
Whoarewebreedingfor?weshouldtargettheindustriesandfarmers(end-users)
NwaoguAhamefule
End-userspreferencesandneeds Whatisthecassavamarket(percountry)(socialscience)
Identifymarketdriversinrelationwithcassavatraits DDThecassavamarketmustbe:
# Profitable(rootsandproducts)# Availableandaccessibletomarketersandbuyer# Socialgroups
• Culinarytraitsarekeyformostend-users• Clusteringnichemarketsandkeyproductsinthese
niches
BREEDING RESEARCH
CASSAVA
FOOD INDUSTRY
FRESH PROCESSED ETHANOL SYRUP ETHANOL
Page|67
Whatarethedifferentlevelsofend-user?
Consumptionpatternsandusesidentifiedbyregion DD
Whattraitsarecriticalforeachuse?
• Baselinesurveys• Assessenduserneeds
Hale
Howdovalidate(factcheck)anewproductprofiletoensureitcontainstherightelements?
• participatorybreedingandfarmerinvolvementinmulti-locationtrials
PeterHyde
• PVStovalidateprofiles Hale
Howwouldfarmersandend-usersprioritizetraitsforagivenproductprofile(eggaricassava)
• goodprocessingevaluationwithfarmersusingtheircurrentvarietiesalongwithnewones
• choiceexperimentation
Hale
• assessprocessingabilitywithfarmersandprocessors DD
6.2.2. NewvarietiesandefficientbreedingQuestion2-Howdowecreatebreedingprocessmaps
Masterchallenge offer whoWhenandHowtoinitiateparticipatorybreedingprogrammes
• interactionoffarmersandscientistsinthefarms,markets,fielddaysetc.tocreateawarenessandalsoidentifychallengesthatmighthinderadoptionofimprovedproduct
• participatorybreedingprogramcanbeinitiatedatthesecondstageofbreedinordertobringendusersonboardaswellastowardstheendstage
• participatorybreedingapproachintheearlyprocessofidentification
• farmersshouldbeinvolvedinidentificationoftraits
• farmersshouldbeinvolvedintheselectionprocesses
• standardizethephenotypingprocessbyuseoftools(Cassavabase)
• capacitybuildingondataqualitymanagementforresearch
• Participatorybreedingcouldinvolveendusersatmultiplestepsinthebreedingprocess:# IDkeytraitsearlyin
theprocess# Multilocationyields–
lateintheprocess• StructuralPVStrials
PeterHydeFemiA
Howtoidentifycommontraitsandproperphenotyping
• Correlatesocialperceptionswithtraitsanddevelopmethodtomeasurethem
DD
Page|68
inthebreedingprocess
Usenewphenotypingtools–NIRS,PhenoApp
Phenotyping–usemorereliableandlesssuffiticateddata
Tessi
• Efficientphenotypingmayrequirelessbutmorereliabledata
• Reliablephenotypingachievedbystartingwith3clonalevaluationtrails(in3ǂlocks)fromthesamegenotypes
HCeballos
• Createlistofidentifiedtraits• Identifythesourcesoftraits
genes• Breedingprocedurestobe
used
Howdoyougetdifferentactorstocommunicate(worktogether)(communications)
Properintegrationofparticipatingdisciplines• lettherebeexchange
programmese.g.socialscientistsfromNigeriacanparticipateinUganda
AdoptandactivelyuseSlackorBasecampapplication
Marnin
Howdoweincreasetheefficiencyofthebreedingprogramme(breeder)
• participatoryapproach• Exchangeofgermplasmto
increasevariation• communityofpractice• townhallmeetings• surveys• feedbackdisseminationvia
severalplatforms• settingupstandard
procedures• ensuringbreedersfollow
procedures• howdoweusebreeding
processmapstocreateaninstitutionalcultureofcontinuousprocessimprovement
•
Effectivefieldteamtoexecutehighqualitytrails
PeterKulakow
Advocateforandimplementhighqualityfarmmanagement
PeterKulakow
Describebreedingstagesindetailforeachprogramme
PeterKulakow
Developdetailedbreedingschedulesforeachprogramme
PeterKulakow
Makesureyouclearlyunderstandyour:BreedingtargettraitsBreedingtargetenvironment
DMeyer
TrackallbreedingprocessesinCassavabase
Lukas
Chainofcustodyforphenotypesandgenotypes–allmetadataandallpeopleassociatedwithdataatalltimes
Marnin
Track/estimatetheaccuracyineverycycle
Ramu
TrackQTLinbreedingprocess
Morag
Developeasytestsforevaluatingcomplextraits(phenotyping)
DD
Page|69
Developplanforworkshops/seminarstoaddressinstitutionalcultureofcontinuousimprovement
PaulGibson
Efficientbreedingwillbenefitifgeneticvariancesaresplit(somehow)intotheircomponents
HCeballos
Howdowemaximizeusefulgeneticgain
• Standardizephenotypingprotocols
• Howmuchgeneticsourceofdiseaseresistancearethereinbreedingprogramme
• developprotocolsforselfinganddevelopheteroticgroupsviagenomicselection
• howmuchgenomic
Writedownthegenericgainequationandfindstrategiestooptimizeallthepartsoftheequationinyourbreedingprogramme,butremembergeneticgaindoesnotmatterifitisnotREALISEDinthefarmersfield
Damian
Whatvariationispresentamongcurrentselectioncandidates?(pre-breeding)
• lackofenoughgeneticdiversityforthetargettrait
• developaninterfaceforuserstosearchandretrievethebestpotentialparents,givenaspecificproductprofile(basedonpastperformance,geneticrelatednessandcombiningability)
Genotypingandidentifyingthevariationamongselectedcandidates
Ramu
Efficientscreeningofalreadyexistinggermplasm
Smith
Whatisthetargetpopulation
Baselinesurveys-conductbaselinesurveysforthetraitsofinterest
Hale
Evaluationofgeneticresources,traitandmarkeridentificationandtrackinginpopulations
Morag
TPE-onceidentifiedandgenotypetested,canbeevaluated
researcher
Page|70
6.2.3. Productprofilespreferencesandneeds
Question3-Howdoweelicitfarmerpreferencesandneeds
Masterchallenge offer whoHowdoweinvolvefarmersandextensioninNextGenphaseII(communications)
• Interactionwithfarmersandextensionserviceprovidersthroughsocialsurveys
• identifyingkeyextensionagentbyregionandinvolvingthematanearlierstageofphaseII
• Participatoryvarietyselectionandcreatediscussionplatforms
KJM
• Surveyandtraining Tessy
Howwillthefarmer/breederinteractionbestructured?
• usevarietyasproductprocessingandevaluationprotocols
• feedbackmechanismsbetweenfarmers,socialscientistsandbreeders
DDTessy
Howdoyouprioritizepreferencesandneeds(breeder)
• talktoendusers(farmers,consumers,industry,women)–thenmakeprioritylist
• usepreferencebasedindexforselection
Howtodevelopunbiasedsurveystobestcapturefarmerpreferences(acrossgender,geographicandsocioeconomicgroups)
• Canwedoabaselinesurveytocapturefarmerpreferencesandneeds
• Howbest,costefficientwaycanwecapturefarmerpreferencesindustrymodel?
• considerusingmetadatae.g.consumptionandmarketinformation(datascienceapproach)
ErnestM
PREFERENCES/NEEDS
PRODUCTPROFILES
PVSVALIDATION(linktobreeding)
TRAITPACKAGE+MARKET
Page|71
• Baselinesurveycanstartwithreadingpreviousreportsandpaperstounderstandneedsandpreferences
• designbaselinesurvey• identifynichemarketsourcesandtracktheirinputs
• regionalsurveytocapturetraitpreferencesandproductdevelopmentthroughvaluechain
TessyDD
Howdowedefinethegroupofadopters?
• socioeconomiccharacteristics–groupshavingsimilarcharacteristicsandneeds;groupsaffectedbygenderissues
• conductregionspecificandgenderspecificsurveys
researcher
Question4-Howcanresearchhelpproductdevelopment
Masterchallenge offer whoHowcanyouacceleratebreedingforcomplextraits(simplephenotypicmethodsandunderstandgenetics)(breeders)
• transcriptomics Andreas
Howcanweaccess/usegeneticresourcesinpre-breedingtoconcentrateallelesinpopulationimprovement(breeders)
• includepromisingfarmervarietieswithdesiredqualitytraitsinpre-breedingprocess
• genotypeanddatabaserelevantaccessionsorsequencecaasavabase
• conductpre-breedingfordifferentproductprofilesi.e.disease,goodcooking,highqualityDMCandstarch
• Identifypriorityparentsandproduceseedofcriticalgermplasmcombination
PeterKulakow
• evaluationandcharacterizationofgeneticresources,traitmarkerassociations,trackingmarkers/QTLinpopulation
MoragKiddo
• Cassava,Increquiresageneticresourcesteam–worksacrosscountries,runstrials,studies,diversityandgeneticarchitectureconsiderswildgermplasm
Marnin
Howdoweprioritizetheresearchandallocateresources
• needsassessment
• identifythemostimportantandhighlydemandedresearchoutputandallocateresourcesthatarepreferredbyfarmers
OSA
• Shouldbeagroup/committeeincludingpeer
Marnin
Page|72
representativesfromeachdivisionwhowill(democratically)determinethis
• canwegetmoreexposureonhowindustrydealswiththesechallenges?exchanges,morefrequentsurveybyexternalcommittee
Guillaume
Howdoweensurethevarietiesreleasedwillbeasuccessinthemarket(communication)
• createareadilyaccessibleandprofitablemarketforthevarietyreleased(expertpotential)
• knowtheneedsandpreferencesofyourfarmers/targetpopulationandaddresstheirconcerns
• capturefarmers/enduserspreferencesduringbreedingprocess(participatorybreeding)
• regularupdateandconsultingthefarmers/consumers
• farmersparticipatorytrials
DD
• earlyinvolvementoffarmersvarietydevelopmentpipeline–advanceyieldtrials(AYT)
Alfred
Marketdriventraits • earlycommunicationwithkeyactorsinthevaluechain
Howdoourproductsremainrelevantintheseedsystem
• howdoextensionagentstrainfarmerstoincreaseproductivityandqualityofcassava
• providingfarmerswithinformationonhowtoconnectdirectlytoaconstantdemandwithoutmiddlementhatlowertheprices
• constantsurveyofpreferred/changingpreferencesofendusers
OSA
Howdoweensurethatresearchisdrivenbybreederneeds
• askwhattheirneedsareandtryouttheproducts(feeltheirpain)
• breedingandresearchcommunicationmusthaveregularprojectmeetings
• seekandadoptcurrentbreedingtools–GSetc
• needajointworkshop/strategysessionwithkeybreedersandpartnerstoincreasesharedknowledgeonthechallenges/needsofthebreedingprogramandthepotentialsolutionsthatnewtechnicaltoolscanprovide
DavidMeyer
Page|73
Canwedeveloptoolstomakethebreedingprocessmoreefficient?(Allowingmoretimeforbreedertoensuretrajectoryofprogramiscorrect)
• increaseduseofstandarddatabases(Cassavabase)forphenotypingandgenotypingprocesses
• highthroughputmethodsforphenotyping
DD
• Developtech-tools(PhenoApp)forstandardizedmeasurement
ErnestM
• PhenoApp–communicationbetweendevelopersandbreederstomakesureappsareusefulandhelpfulinincreasingefficiency,standardizationofphenotyping
Jenna
Howcancommunicationimproveresearch
• communicationcanimproveresearchbothinternally(project)andexternally
• Interactmoreininformalsettings(notjustannualgeneralmeetingdancepartners).MaybemoreNextGensocialeventsoncampuses/researchstationsorintramuralsports
• researchbreederexchangevisitsandworkshops
• real-timecommunication researcher• utilizeextensionagentstoimprovecommunicationbetweenfarmersandresearchers
PeterHyde
• StrengthenICTinfrastructureacrossparticipatingprograms
Fadil
• enforceopenandhonestdialoguebetweendifferentactorsinvolvedinthebreedingpipeline
HCeballos
• engagethefarmersinsmallgroupdiscussions
FemiAlaba
• Betterflexiblecommunicationplatform(wehaveslackbilateralmeetings)anoteforCassavabase?
Guillaume
Quickcommentsonchallengesandexpertiseoffered
• Itisimperativetostopworkinginsilos–theprocessshouldbemoreintegrated
• Communicationwillbecentralforthequalitytraitstobeusedbyconsumers
• Commonunderstanding-allhavetobeonthesamepageandunderstandoneanotherbetter
6.3. Planningforyear5
Followingtheextensiveanalysisofprogressmade,highpotentialtechnologiesandproducts,futuredemandsandpathwaysandimplicationsforPhaseIIandyear5,participantsdiscussedtheprioritiesandmodifiedactivitiesforyear5wherenecessary.Eightgroupsbasedonthe
Page|74
objectiveswereformedtoplanindetailfortheremainingyearintheobjectivegroupsandcomeupwithupdatedworkplansusingguidelinesinBox7below.
Box4:Planningforyear5
Objectiveleadersguidedthegroupsinupdatingtheirworkplansforyear5.
Objective1:Flowering-TimSetter
Objective2:GenomicSelection-Jean-LucJannink
Objective3:Cassavabase-LukasMueller
Objective4:GermplasmExchange-PeterKulakow
Objective5:CapacityBuilding-RichardEdemaandPaulGibson
Objective6:Biotech/biosafetyCommunication-BarbaraMugwanya
Toconsolidatesuccess:
Planning for year 5
• Clarifyagainwhatyouwanttoachieveunderyourobjectivearea.
• Lookingatwhatyoureallywanttoachieve,whatactivitieswillyoucarryouttoconsolidatethesuccessmadeandaddresschallengesdiscussedinthisworkshop?
• Whatactivitieswillyoucarryoutinpreparationofphase2?
• Whichpartnerswillyoubeworkingwithandhowdoyouengagewiththemtobetterlearnandcollaboratetogether?
Informeddecisionmaking
Publicunderstanding+awareness
Buildconfidence
Betterinternalcommunicationandinfrastructure
EffectivestrategiesChallengesOpportunities
ReflectonPhaseI
UBIC’sexperience
Otherobjectives
•Whatcommunicationneedswerenotmet
•whatpolicyhurdleswereencountered
Templateforothercountriestofollow
Opportunitiesforbettercollaboration&supportfromcommsteam&betweenobjectives
ASSESS •Policyenvironmentinothercountries•Potentialchampionsandadvocatesnowthatwehaveresults
Page|75
NextSteps(subjecttotimeline)
1. Protocol for crisis communication (country/project) and internal communications (keypeople/howtostayintheloop)
2. Identifycurrentcommunicationscapabilities/needofeachpartnerincludingICTneeds
3. RevivetheNextGenmailing listandestablishquarterlynewsletterwithregularprojectupdates
4. Useexistingmaterialstocreate/packagecommunicationskits
5. Takestockofpublicsentimentsandpolicy/politicaldevelopmentsineachcountry
Objective 7: Enhancing of GS through Cassava Genomics - Ramu Punna and RobertoLonzano
CrosscuttingObjective:Genderresponsivebreeding-HaleTufan
7. Nextsteps,workshopevaluationandclosing7.1. NextSteps
Thefollowingnextstepswerediscussedandagreeduponinplenary.
What Who Bywhen
Workshopreporttoorganizers PICOTEAM 10thApril2017
Year5workplansandnotestoincludeinreportandproposal
Projectmanagement 7thApril2017
PhaseIIProposal Projectmanagement Tobediscussed
Page|76
Box5:workshopevaluation
7.2. Workshopevaluation
At the end of the workshop quickfeedback was sought from theparticipants on what they liked most,whatcouldhavebeendonebetter,thetake home message andrecommendations for next phase ofNextGen(seebox8).
Belowisasummaryoftheevaluationresults.
Whatparticipantslikedmost Whatparticipantsfeelcouldhavebeenimproved• Timemanagementandmaximization–good
timeforgroupdiscussions
• Valueofseeingallthatwasaccomplishedinthethreedays
• Varietyandrepresentationofthecollaborators/partnerinstitutions.Invitationofexternalpartnersprovidedopportunitytolearnandacquiremoreinsights
• Havingthewholeteaminoneplace
• Dynamism,interactionsandmeetingnewpeople-therotationsanddiscussionsaroundthetablesenabledparticipantstotalkwithmostpeople.MembersoftheNextGenteamnowknowoneanother
• Facilitation–thatenableddynamicinteraction,participatorycontributions,organizedprocesses,nohierarchies/bigbosses,livelysessions
• Energizersandappreciation/motivation
• Informationsharing–content,qualityandusefulness.Learntalotaboutourproject
• Nationalvarietalreleaseprocess
• Valueanddisplayofpostersthroughoutthemeeting
• Logistics–efficientmovementofpeopleacrosstheregions
• Timeallocatedforpresentations–10minuteswastooshort;moretimeshouldalsobeallocatedforformalandinformaldiscussionsaswellasquestionsandanswers
• Theremaybeneedforanextradayinviewoftheamountofworkandpresentationsforin-depthdiscussions
• Haveallthesub-projectsworkingtogetherbeyondthemeetingwillbeexcellent
• Someinstructionswerenotclear–needtoexplaincomplexquestions/instructionsbetter
• Hardtoknowinsomeoftheinstanceshowthepiecesfittogetherintermsoftheactivitiesandhowtheyrelatetotheoverallworkshop
• PhaseIIpresentationwasrushedandunclear;moretimewasalsoneededforplanningandprioritizationofPhaseII–didnothaveenoughtimetodeliberateontheobjectives
• Feedbackonthechallenges-needmorechallenging/constructivecriticism
• Feedbackofthereviewwasnotpresented
• Neededtohearmorefromthestudents
• Resultsfrompostersessiondidnotcomeout
• Invitefarmers(didnottalkaboutthemindepth)
• NeededmoretimetoprioritizeforPhaseII+finalyear?
Tabletask:workshopevaluation
Reflectonpastthreedaysanddiscussaroundyourtable:
a) Whatdidyoulikemost?
b) Whatcouldhavebeendonebetter?
c) Whatisthetakehomemessageforyou?
d) ForNextGennextphasewerecommend....
Page|77
Participantstakehomemessage RecommendationsfornextphaseofNextGen• Greatsuccesshasbeenmadeinthegenetic
gainsoverthe4years
• Workinprogress
• Weareintherighttrackandmakingprogress,andweshouldcontinueworkinghardbuildingonwhatwehavelearned
• Newvarietiesandmapwillbereleased
• HighthroughputphenotypesfocusofPhaseII
• Lotsofworkhasbeendone,butthereisstillevenmoreworktobedoneinPhaseII
• Stayfocusedonthegoalofreleasingawardwinningvarieties
• GSisworking–itisnotatheory
• Advancetechnologies–NIRS,PhenoApp,moretoolsinCassavabaseandgood/qualitygenotyping
• Openmindsandopenphase
• Broadencommunications
• NeedM&Eunit
• Morefarmerrepresentation
• Workharder
• ByendofnextphasethereshouldbeaNextGencassavavarietyreleased
• Clearmechanismsforbringingallsub-projectstogether
• Feedbacktoeveryone
7.3. Closingremarks
• Thefacilitatorthankedtheparticipantsforbeingwonderfulandengaging,thusenablingsuccessof theworkshop.He thankedNextGen,Chiedozieand theorganizing team forexcellent coordination and inviting PICOteam to facilitate the meeting. Edward alsothankedtheprocesssteeringgroupwhoreviewedtheprogresseveryeveningandworkedwithhiminmakingthenecessaryadjustmentsforsuccessoftheworkshop.
In concluding Edwardwished the participants all the best in implementing their plansnoting thatbasedonone’sperspectiveof“Opportunity is nowhere”.Theprojectteamcanmournortakeadvantageofopportunitiesavailabletoupscalecassavaforgreatimpact.
• JimLorenzeninaspecialwaythankedallparticipantsforenergyandhardworkputinthethreedaysofthemeetingaswellasthepastfouryears.Hewasgratefulthatparticipantshad found time to participate in the workshop. He applauded the objective leaders,researchers and all the teams back in the various countries and stations. He notedNextGenisanexcitingprojectwithgreatpotential–thereisroomforgrowthandtogetevenbetter.Heassuredtheteamofcontinuedfunding.
• BenonbehalfofEPAClaudedtheteamforgreatachievementsandreiteratedtheteamwasontherighttrackofchangingcassavaproductioninNigeria,UgandaandbeforelonginTanzania.Hecongratulatedthepeople in the field trials,genomics,breedersandall
Page|78
workingintheNextGenproject.Heappreciatedthechangeinthegroupoverthelastfouryears – has increased in number and dynamics and asked the team to stay andworktogetherasagroup. Itwaswonderful tohavestudentsgoing through theprojectandgetting respectable results. He urged them to continue working on the manyareas/objectives,andtalkacrossthefieldstobewellinformedaboutthewholeproject.
• Davewasgladtohavebeeninvolvedwithalltheprojectstaffandnotedtherearemanyresearch areas and issues in cassava. He advocated for vision, passion and scientificexcellence – when these three are put together, there is somuch power to improvecassava.HeremindedthatphaseIIisaboutbringingimpactfromworkdoneinphaseI.The most important next step is bring the products to the farmers. He asked theparticipantsnotshyfromaskingthequestion“Iamsorry,canyouhelpmeunderstand.”
• Chiedozie thanked PICOteam for the facilitation and support noting that though thefacilitatorwasnotascientisthesuccessfullymanagedtocoordinatetheteamtobringoutthe necessary information. He also thanked Jürgen who co-facilitated the meeting.ChiedoziecommendedtheEPACgroupandmemberswhomakeNextGenachievetheirobjectives(dowhattheyaresupposedtodo).TheEPACteamenablestheNextGenstaffprioritisequalityof theirworkandensuretheyareontheright track.TheEPACgroupprovidesuniquesupport,andtheyhavepassionforcassavaintheir“blood”.
Chiedozie notified of an event to mark the science achievements of Phase I, andencouragedtheparticipantstocontinueworkingwithpassion.Herequestedthespiritoftogethernessandunity tobeendured–agreeandwalk/run together.He thanked thelogistics team for their remarkable work, IITA management, director or roots andtubercrops, executive director of variety release committee, BMGF and DFID andthereafterclosedthe5thNextGencassavameeting.
Page|79
Appendixone–NextGenattendancelist
FullName Institution E-mailAdress
AfolabiAgbona IITA,Nigeria [email protected]
AlexOgbonna BTI,USA [email protected]
AlfredOzimati CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
AlfredDixon IITA,Nigeria [email protected]
AlfredoAugustoCunhaAlves EmbrapaCassavaandFruits,Brazil
AndrewIkpan IITA,Nigeria
AniElias CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
BarbaraZawedde MakerereUniversity,Uganda [email protected]
BelaTeeken IITA,Nigeria [email protected]
BenHayes GovernmentofVictoria,Australia
BryanEllerbrock BTI,USA [email protected]
CanaanBoyer CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
ChiedozieEgesi NRCRI-IITA,Nigeria [email protected]
ChinedoziAmaefule NRCRI,Nigeria [email protected]
DamianNdubuisiNjoku NRCRI,Nigeria [email protected]
DavidMeyer DowAgrosciences,USA [email protected]
DeborahAde CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
DominiqueDufour CIRAD/CIAT,Columbia [email protected]
DuniaPinodelCarpio CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
EderJorgeDeOliveira EmbrapaCassava&Fruits,Brazil
EdwardKanju IITA,Tanzania [email protected]
EmmanuelOkah NRCRI,Nigeria [email protected]
EmmanuelFrankMrema MakerereUniversity,Uganda [email protected]
ErnestMwebaze MakerereUniversity,Uganda [email protected]
GuillaumeBauchet BTI,USA [email protected]
HaleTufan CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
HenerikoKulembeka AgriculturalResearchInstitute(ARI),Tanzania
Page|80
HernanCeballos CIAT,Columbia [email protected]
IkechukwuNnaji NRCRI,Nigeria [email protected]
IsaakTecle BTI,USA [email protected]
IsmailSirajKayondo NaCRRI,Uganda [email protected]
IsmailRabbi IITA,Nigeria [email protected]
JaronPorciello CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
Jean-LucJannink CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
JennaHershberger CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
JimLorenzen BMGF,USA [email protected]
JosephOnyeka NRCRI,Nigeria [email protected]
KaseleSalumFeruzi AgriculturalResearchInstitute,Tanzania
KatherineLopez IITA,Nigeria [email protected]
KennethEluwa NRCRI,Nigeria [email protected]
KiddoMtunda AgriculturalResearchInstitute(ARI),Tanzania
LukasMueller BTI,USA [email protected]
LydiaEzenwaka NRCRI,Nigeria [email protected]
MarninWolfe CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
MercyElohorDiebiru IITA-WACCI,Nigeria [email protected]
MichaelGore CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
MohamedSomoIbrahim CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
MoragFerguson IITA–Nairobi,Kenya [email protected]
OliveWonehka UgandanEmbassy,USA [email protected]
OlumideAlabi IITA,Nigeria [email protected]
OnnoMuller InstituteofBio-andGeosciences,Germany
OnyeyirichiPrincessOnyegbule NRCRI,Nigeria [email protected]
PaulGibson MakerereUniversity,Uganda [email protected]
PaulaIragaba CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
PeterHyde CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
PeterKulakow IITA,Nigeria [email protected]
PrasadPeteti IITA,Nigeria [email protected]
Page|81
RachelMukisa MakerereUniversity,Uganda [email protected]
RamuPunna CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
RichardEdema MakerereUniversity,Uganda [email protected]
RichardOfei IITA,Nigeria [email protected]
RobertKawuki NaCRRI,Uganda [email protected]
RobertoJesusLozanoGonzalezdelValle
CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
RonnieCoffman CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
SamanthaHautea CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
SarahAdeyemo CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
SimonPeterAbah NRCRI,Nigeria [email protected]
StefanEinarson CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
StephenAhamefuleNwaogu NRCRI,Nigeria [email protected]
SteveRounsely DowAgrosciences,USA [email protected]
SundayAladele NationalCenterforGeneticResourcesandBiotechnology,Nigeria
TessyMadu NRCRI,Nigeria [email protected]
TimSetter CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
UcheOkeke CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
UgoIkeogu CornellUniversity,USA [email protected]
WilliamsEsuma NaCRRI,Uganda [email protected]
ElizabethParkes IITA,Nigeria [email protected]
MoshoodBakare IITA,Nigeria
PeterIleubbey IITA,Nigeria [email protected]
ChumaEdward PICOTEAM [email protected]
AnitaMsabeni PICOTEAM [email protected]
Page|82
Appendixtwo-workshopprogramme
Day1:TuesdayMarch14,2017
Time Session
Session18:15–9:00
WelcomeandOpeningRemarksChiedozie/Richard
SettingtheScene:Interactiveintroductions,objectives,expectationsEdwardChuma,Facilitator
Session29:00–10:00
AnalysisofProgressI(Presentationsstrictly10minutes,10slides)1. Jean-LucJannink:GSupdate2. RobertKawuki:NaCRRIupdate3. JosephOnyeka:NRCRIupdate4. IsmailRabbi:IITAupdate
Tablegroupanalysisofpresentations
10:00–10:20 CoffeeBreak
Session310:20–12:30
OfficialOpeningCeremony• WelcomeDG–IITA• GoodwillfromBMGF-JimLorenzen,SeniorProgrammeOfficer,BMGF• GoodwillfromNRCRI–JuliusOkonkwo• GoodwillfromACAIProject-AbdulaiJalloh,IITA• BASICSProject–HemantNitturkar,RTB• SAHTechnology–LavaKumar,IITA• Cassavabreedingandvarietiesofchange–AlfredDixon,Director,Partnerships,IITA• Intro.ofHon.MinisterofAgriculture–NteranyaSanginga,DG,IITA• FormalOpening:Hon.MinisterofAgriculture
GroupPhotograph/Displays/Exhibitions–OutdoorsIITAConferenceCenter
12:30–14:00 Lunchandinteraction
Session414:00–15:30
AnalysisofProgressII:(Presentationsstrictly10minutes,10slides)5. TimSetter:Floweringupdate6. SimonProchnik:Cassavagenomicsconsensusmappingupdate7. LukasMueller:Cassavabaseupdate
Tablegroupanalysisofpresentations(toinclSession2)
15:30–16:00 CoffeeBreak&OpenSpaceSharingOpportunity
Session516:00–17:00
AnalysisofProgressIII:(Presentationsstrictly10minutes,10slides)8. PeterKulakow:Germplasmupdate/wayforward9. HaleTufan:Gender-responsivecassavabreedingupdate10. RamuPunna:GeneticloadincassavaandrAmpSeq
Tablegroupanalysisofpresentations
Session617:00–18:00
EPACMeeting
18:30–20:00 cocktailreception
Page|83
Day2:WednesdayMarch15
Time Session
Session18:00–10:30
AnalysisofProgressIII:(Presentationsstrictly10minutes,10slides)1. EderOliviera:EmbrapaNextGenupdate2. HernanCeballos:CIATupdate3. BarbaraMugwanya:UBICupdate
Tablegroupanalysisofpresentations
InteractivePOSTERSESSION9:30to11:00
10:30–11:00 CoffeeBreak&OpenSpaceSharingOpportunity
Session2a11:00–11:50
Analysisoffuturetrends,highpotentialtechnologiesandproducts(Presentationsstrictly10minutes,10slides)
1. BenHayes:OHVtechnologyanduseinbreeding2. MikeGore:Improvedphenotypingthroughimageanalysis3. DominiqueDufour:NIRSphenotypingandcalibration4. NgEnghwa:Highthroughputgenotypingandsampletracking5. SundayAladele:VarietyreleaseprocessinNigeria
Session2b11:50–13:00
Analysisoffuturetrends,highpotentialtechnologiesandproductsGroupdiscussions–analysisandreportback
13:00–14:00 LunchSession3
14:00–15:30AnalysisoffuturedemandsandpathwaysGroupdiscussions–analysisandreportback
15:30–16:00 CoffeeBreak&OpenSpaceSharingOpportunitySession4
16:00–18:00ImplicationsandthrustsforphaseIIandyear5Groupdiscussions–analysisandreportback
Day3:ThursdayMarch16
Time SessionSession1
8:00–10:30
WayforwardinfosteringthejointlearningandcollaborationnetworkGroupdiscussions,conclusionsinplenary
10:30–11:00 CoffeeBreak&OpenSpaceSharingOpportunity
Session211:00–13:00
Planningforyear5Groupdiscussionsinobjectivegroups–majoractivitiesforeachobjective,andcross-objectiveactivities
13:00–14:00 LunchSession3
14:00–15:30Planningforyear5Groupdiscussionsinobjectivegroups–majoractivitiesforeachobjective,andcross-objectiveactivities
15:30–16:00 CoffeeBreak&OpenSpaceSharingOpportunitySession4
16:00–18:00ReportbackonplansNextstepsEvaluationandClosing
Page|84
Appendixthree–photogallery
Participantsfollowingtheproceedingduringtheworkshop
PeterKulakowseekingclarificationsafterapresentation
Postersession
Page|85
Groupworksessions
Guidelinesonmakingofferstocontributetoachallenge
Energizer–makingfufu(therewasalsoacassavaclap,locomotiveclap;rainandthunderclapandparliamentariansclap)