Cassava mosaic disease and its whitefly vector in Cameroon: Incidence, severity and whitefly numbers from field surveys.

Cassava plays a key role in the food security and economy of Cameroon, but its production is constrained by cassava mosaic disease (CMD). However, comprehensive surveys of CMD in Cameroon have been lacking. This study aimed at evaluating the current status of CMD and its whitefly vector.

Potentials of cocoa pod husk-based compost on Phytophthora pod rot disease suppression, soil fertility, and Theobroma cacao L. growth.

Cocoa black pod disease caused by Phytophthora megakarya and reduced soil fertility are major constraints to cocoa production resulting in high yield losses. In the absence of effective control measures and constraints related to the use of chemical fungicides and fertilizers, there is a need to develop additional and sustainable disease and fertilization management strategies. With the lack of studies related to the use of compost in cocoa cultivation, the present study aims to evaluate the potential of cocoa pod husk (CPH)-based compost as a soil amendment to reduce the severity of cocoa black pod disease and enhance plant growth.

High-resolution identification and abundance profiling of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) microRNAs.

Background: Small RNAs (sRNAs) are endogenous sRNAs that play regulatory roles in plant growth, development, and biotic and abiotic stress responses. In plants, one subset of sRNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs) exhibit tissue-differential expression and regulate gene expression mainly through direct cleavage of mRNA or indirectly via production of secondary phased siRNAs (phasiRNAs) that silence cognate target transcripts in trans.

Results: Here, we have identified cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) miRNAs using high resolution sequencing of sRNA libraries from leaf, stem, callus, male and female flower tissues.

Somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) landraces from Cameroon.

A procedure to regenerate cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) cultivars from Cameroon via somatic embryogenesis (SE) was developed. Shoot apical meristems and immature leaf lobes were used as explants on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium containing 33 or 50 µM of the auxins Picloram (Pic), 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), Dicamba (Dic), and α-Naphthalene acetic acid. Cultivar performance was assessed using SE and number of somatic embryos produced.