{"id":14790,"date":"2026-06-20T12:37:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:37:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/revolutionizing-cassava-breeding-for-widespread-impact\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T21:21:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T21:21:31","slug":"revolutionizing-cassava-breeding-for-widespread-impact","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/revolutionizing-cassava-breeding-for-widespread-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"Revolutionizing cassava breeding for widespread impact"},"content":{"rendered":"Siraj Ismail Kayondo, a post-doctoral fellow at CGIAR<\/a>\u2013IITA<\/a>, is making a significant impact in the cassava industry with his in-depth research on the genetic architecture of Cassava Brown Streak Virus Disease (CBSD)<\/a> resistance. Through his PhD research and experience as a forage breeder at the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO)<\/a>, Kayondo brings a vast pool of knowledge and expertise to his role as part of IITA\u2019s multidisciplinary cassava molecular breeding research team.\n\n
\"IITA
IITA researcher Siraj Ismail Kayondo at cassava trial plot during harvest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\nKayondo currently works on the Root, Tubers and Banana (RTB) breeding project, formed by the merger of the NextGen Cassava Breeding and RTBFoods projects. The project aims to leverage cutting-edge molecular tools to aid in breeding and to deploy superior cassava varieties, with an expected conclusion in 2024.\n\nKayondo and his team are supported by esteemed organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID<\/a>, et DFID<\/a>, and have established partnerships with National Agricultural Research Systems (NARs), universities, and organizations including CIAT<\/a>, DSMZ<\/a>, et EMBRAPA<\/a>. Despite challenges posed by COVID-19, breeding barriers, funding constraints, and market dynamics, the team has overcome these obstacles through an unwavering commitment to finding solutions and sustained collaboration.\n\nThe tireless efforts of Kayondo and his team have borne remarkable fruit, achieving several major milestones in their work. These include the release of elite cassava varieties in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda and the development of several tools to support breeding activities across their extensive breeding network. These achievements have had a profound and positive impact on the lives of farmers across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and will continue to do so in the future.\n\nThe research involves using molecular markers to identify CBSD-resistant cassava varieties and track the inheritance of resistance genes. This information is then used for breeding improved cassava varieties through conventional breeding methods. The team is also developing tools to support breeding activities across their extensive network, including a genomic selection platform and a high-throughput phenotyping system.\n\nThe project\u2019s objectives are:\n
    \n \t
  1. To develop and release elite cassava varieties with CBSD resistance.<\/li>\n \t
  2. To support and strengthen the breeding efforts of National Agricultural Research Systems (NARs) and other organizations.<\/li>\n \t
  3. To improve farmers\u2019 livelihoods in SSA by increasing cassava yields and food security.<\/li>\n \t
  4. To foster collaboration and knowledge sharing between NARs, universities, and organizations.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nContributed by Martin Hope<\/em>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Siraj Ismail Kayondo, a post-doctoral fellow at CGIAR-IITA, is making a significant impact in the cassava industry with his in-depth research on the genetic architecture<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":14791,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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