Scientists at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) concluded a five year US$ 4 million project that improved plant breeding techniques and developed new cultivars to increase yields of Musa crops (banana and plantain) for application in poverty reduction and income generation efforts throughout sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The project also developed new methods for deploying the varieties in a way that preserves traditional varieties while offering additional value-adding processing options.
IITA’s research project was supported by funding of more than $4 million from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and the government of Belgium (Directorate-General of Development Cooperation, DGDC). Declining banana and plantain productivity was inverted by developing improved plant-stock in two countries representative of different Musa varieties and habitats – ie plantain in western lowl ands (Nigeria) and cooking bananas in the central and eastern highl ands (Ug anda).
“We are confident that our findings will bring a stop to declining yields in Musa output across Africa”, said Dr. Abdou Tenkouano, plant breeder at IITA in Ghana.
IITA has global responsibility for banana and plantain research as one of the 15 agricultural research institutions supported by the CGIAR. With overall production of 30 million tons annually across SSA, banana and plantain output has suffered from declining yields, in part through infestations of Black Sigatoka, a fungal pest. Despite increases in plantation acreage among small-scale Musa farmers over the past several decades, yield levels have fallen behind those of commercial growers and have also dropped against internal comparative benchmarks.
Aided by historical data and backed by new research in Belgium, the five-year IITA project targeted three goals: 1) maintaining breeding capability for plantain (West and Central Africa) and banana (East Africa); 2) evaluating and delivering varieties demonstrating high post-harvest value and resistance to disease and pests; and 3) strengthening the research capabilities of national institutions (NARS).
The project has produced superior plantain and banana cultivars with higher fruit quality, shorter stature and greater resistance to setbacks such as nematode predation. IITA scientists are encouraged by initial progress in technology transfer and human resource development by NARS and development partners but stressed the need for further national support to ensure availability of plant-stock and adoption by Musa farmers.
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