Assessment of Cassava Pollen Viability and Ovule Fertilizability under Red-Light, 6-Benzyl Adenine, and Silver Thiosulphate Treatments.

Understanding pollen and ovule fertility as factors influencing fruit and seed set is important in cassava breeding. Extended daylength with red light (RL) and plant growth regulators (PGRs) have been used to induce flowering and fruit set in cassava without any reference to effects on pollen viability or ovule fertilizability. This study investigated the effects of field-applied RL and PGR on pollen viability and ovule fertilizability.

Cassava brown streak virus evolves with a nucleotide-substitution rate that is typical for the family Potyviridae.

The ipomoviruses (family Potyviridae) that cause cassava brown streak disease (cassava brown streak virus [CBSV] and Uganda cassava brown streak virus [UCBSV]) are damaging plant pathogens that affect the sustainability of cassava production in East and Central Africa. However, little is known about the rate at which the viruses evolve and when they emerged in Africa - which inform how easily these viruses can host shift and resist RNAi approaches for control. We present here the rates of evolution determined from the coat protein gene (CP) of CBSV (Temporal signal in a UCBSV dataset was not sufficient for comparable analysis).

Identification of Genomic Regions for Traits Associated with Flowering in Cassava ( Crantz).

Flowering in cassava ( Crantz) is crucial for the generation of botanical seed for breeding. However, genotypes preferred by most farmers are erect and poor at flowering or never flower. To elucidate the genetic basis of flowering, 293 diverse cassava accessions were evaluated for flowering-associated traits at two locations and seasons in Uganda.

Genome-Wide Association Analysis for Resistance to Causing Red Leaf Blotch Disease in Soybean.

Soybean is a high oil and protein-rich legume with several production constraints. Globally, several fungi, viruses, nematodes, and bacteria cause significant yield losses in soybean. (), the causal pathogen for red leaf blotch disease, is the least researched and causes severe damage to soybean.

Flowering and fruit-set in cassava under extended red-light photoperiod supplemented with plant-growth regulators and pruning.

Background: Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is staple food and major source of calories for over 500 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. The crop is also a source of income for smallholder farmers, and has increasing potential for industrial utilization. However, breeding efforts to match the increasing demand of cassava are impeded by its inability to flower, delayed or unsynchronized flowering, low proportion of female flowers and high fruit abortions.