Research and Development Achievements 2015

41 countries around the world received a total of 5,967 accessions and breeding lines from headquarters. From the Center’s seed repository at AVRDC Eastern and Southern Africa, 675 accessions from 13 different crops were sent to universities, research institutes, nongovernmental organizations and private seed companies across Africa.

Screening the Center’s vast collection of mungbean (Vigna radiata)—more than 6,700 accessions—for traits of interest is now easier for plant breeders with the creation of core collections, or subsets, representing the maximum diversity available in the whole collection. AVRDC breeders chose 1,481 accessions for the mungbean core collection; of those, 289 make up the mini-core collection, seed of which was distributed to seven countries for multilocation trials.

Salt tolerance is a vital trait for many vegetable crops grown in semi-arid and irrigated land. AVRDC researchers developed a hydroponic system for screening salt-tolerant eggplant and tomato lines for use as rootstocks, and discovered 10 accessions in the mungbean mini-core collection with germination rates above 90% under salt stress.

Training rural women in home gardening and nutrition is a beneficial and cost-effective intervention. A study of 646 households in Bangladesh found the intervention increased vegetable production, consumption, and the micronutrient supply from the garden.

In Pakistan, six seed villages were established for mungbean seed production, and two for onion. The practice will ensure a steadier supply of quality seed for the 2016 season.

The First International Symposium on Moringa organized by AVRDC and partners attracted hundreds of participants to Manila to review research and prospects for Moringa oleifera. This fast growing, productive tree adapts well to a range of environments—especially hot, semi-arid regions—and the edible leaves and pods contribute vital micronutrients to diets.

Wild tomato species Solanum pimpinellifolium, a close relative of cultivated tomato, is an important source of traits for resistance to pests and diseases and tolerance to abiotic stress. To map the location of resistance genes, 190 S. pimpinellifolium accessions from 14 countries were characterized for 54 traits, and 6,000 single nucleotide polymorphic (SNP) markers were generated for use in breeding programs.

A study of incorporating nutrition messages into the regular promotion activities of a seed company in Bangladesh indicated the practice was effective in influencing the knowledge, attitudes and practices of women vegetable growers toward nutrition and improved agricultural methods.

Pepper mottle virus (PepMoV) is transmitted by aphids and affects both hot and sweet peppers. First identified in West Africa, the virus is now emerging in Asia. Twenty-five Capsicum accessions were screened for resistance to PepMoV using a mechanical inoculation method, and three—one each of C. chinense, C. frutescens, and C. annuum—showed resistance.

In the quest to produce dual-purpose tomato for yield, multiple disease resistance, fruit color, and nutrient content, AVRDC breeders conducted preliminary yield trials of lines with the recessive high pigment (hp-1) gene, which intensifies fruit chlorophyll, carotenoids and vitamin C, and the recessive crimson gene (ogC), which increases lycopene content but reduces beta-carotene. Three lines with different combinations of the genes are available through the AVRDC online seed catalog.

Research and Development Achievements 2015

avrdc.orgAVRDC - The World Vegetable Center

In Burkina Faso, more than 600 people participated in cooking demonstrations to learn about the nutritional and medicinal importance of traditional African vegetables. Recipes were distributed to encourage greater vegetable consumption in the home.

An impact assessment revealed 50% of tomato seed and 98% of African eggplant seed produced commercially in East and Southern Africa was of varieties that originated as AVRDC lines—demonstrating attractive returns to investment in vegetable improvement.

After two years of trials, AVRDC breeders selected four superior Malabar spinach (Basella alba) lines for international distribution and promotion. Flowering is delayed in these high yielding lines, allowing for multiple harvests.

With similar symptoms, tomato foliar diseases such as early blight and bacterial spot are difficult to detect in the field. A protocol to support distance diagnosis using FTA™ cards proved to be useful in distinguishing among different diseases on samples collected in Vietnam. In Uzbekistan, 70 AVRDC tomato accessions were tested as rootstocks for local variety TMK22 in the open field, and eight were identified as potentially useful.

Field validation of integrated pest management strategies to control pests in yard-long bean in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam showed sequential application of biopesticides and pesticides reduced pod damage, increased marketable yield, and reduced the amount of synthetic pesticides required for control.

AVRDC projects provided training for more than 17,000 people in vegetable production, postharvest methods, and nutrition to enhance their food security and livelihoods. For instance, through training, 20 lead onion farmers in Cameroon updated their skills in bulb and seed production and marketing. In turn, they trained 192 farmers in 11 groups. Nine of the 11 groups reported average yield increases of 60% with the improved techniques.

To demonstrate the effectiveness of drip irrigation, onion was grown under three different irrigation systems—flood, furrow, and drip—in Quetta, Pakistan. Drip irrigation saved 54% of water compared to furrow irrigation, and onion yield was 31% higher with drip irrigation compared to flood irrigation.

Farmers identified seed supply and availability as a major production constraint in the Solomon Islands. During a 2015 field day in North Malaita, farmers received 364 seed packets of AVRDC improved open-pollinated lines that have been released as varieties in the country, including ‘Rose’s Choice’ tomato and ‘Pingtung long’ eggplant.

The AVRDC Nutrition Laboratory collaborated with Academia Sinica to develop a food phytonutrient database with 933 plant-based foods, based on values of 10 selected phytonutrients from major phytochemical groups.

More than 7,200 nutritional seed kits with okra, tomato, African eggplant, pepper, amaranth and other vegetables were distributed in Mali, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

74 participants honed their skills in all aspects of vegetable production during the 34th International Vegetable Training Course at AVRDC East and Southeast Asia.

A total of 933 visitors from 59 countries visited the Demonstration Gardens at AVRDC headquarters and regional offices, where they saw improved vegetable lines, traditional vegetables, and enhanced production technologies such as vertical gardening, net houses, and pheromone traps on display.

Ca KFe