{"id":15515,"date":"2026-06-20T12:43:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:43:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/strengthening-cassava-virus-diagnostic-capacity-in-dr-congo\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T20:32:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T20:32:29","slug":"strengthening-cassava-virus-diagnostic-capacity-in-dr-congo","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/strengthening-cassava-virus-diagnostic-capacity-in-dr-congo\/","title":{"rendered":"Strengthening cassava virus diagnostic capacity in DR Congo"},"content":{"rendered":"A training workshop on \u201cApplication Molecular Diagnostics for Cassava Virus Surveillance\u201d took place 2 to 6 March, at\u00a0IITA<\/a>-Kalambo, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This course is part of the USAID-funded project on \u201cActions to Control Cassava Brown Streak Disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo\u201d. Twenty-three participants attended the workshop including six female participants from the DRC and the Congo Republic. Participants trained in the application of Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RAP) for the detection of viruses responsible for cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD).\n\n
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A practical session in the laboratory.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\nThe Project Manager,\u00a0Sikirou Mouritala<\/a>\u00a0said, \u201cCMD, endemic to all regions in DRC, is controlled using the disease-resistant cassava cultivars, whereas CBSD\u2013localized in eastern provinces\u2013is controlled using virus-free propagation material.\u201d He continued, \u201cWork is in progress to develop CBSD resistant cultivars suitable for cultivation in DRC, while intensive efforts are focused on preventing the westward migration of CBSD. Another threat to cassava production, particularly in Western DRC, is dry root rot disease (DRRD), the cause of which is not yet clear. However, studies have shown that DRRD is not associated with any virus infection.\u201d\n\n\u201cReliable diagnostic tools are necessary for research and extension services for surveillance, production of virus-free planting material, and seed health testing,\u201d said\u00a0Lava Kumar<\/a>, Head of Virology & Molecular Diagnostics, IITA-Ibadan, Nigeria, who was the key resource person for the training course. He mentioned that simple technologies usable with minimum equipment under laboratory and field conditions immensely benefit CBSD mitigation efforts in DRC.\n\n
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Group photograph of participants and resource persons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\nParticipants consisted of researchers and laboratory staff from different stations of the Environmental Institute for Agricultural Research (INERA) and IITA-Kalambo, as well as seed inspectors from the National Seed Service (SENASEM) and extension agents (SNV, \u2018Service National de Vulgarization\u2019). In addition, two participants from Congo-Brazzaville, the neighboring country, also benefited from this course. Participants were trained in:\n