VIRCA - Progress and Challenges for Delivery of Virus Resistant Cassava in Africa

The tropical root crop cassava (Manihot esculenta) is an essential component of food and economic security throughout much of tropical Africa. The Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa (VIRCA) project is a public sector collaboration between the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, the National Crop Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), Uganda, the Kenyan Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), Kenya and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA). VIRCA is utilizing RNAi technologies to transgenically modify cassava for resistance to cassava brown steak disease (CBSD) and cassava mosaic disease (CMD), with the goal of delivering enhanced planting materials to farmers in East Africa. The project encompasses all steps of a product delivery process including scientific proof of concept, large scale transgenic plant production and molecular screening, confined field trials for event selection, and trait and yield determinations, intellectual property rights, environmental and food safety regulatory assessments and dissemination of the de-regulated product. Proof of concept for control of CBSD has been achieved under field conditions in Uganda, allowing VIRCA to transition into a product development phase. Progress will be reported on the technologies, field trials, logistics, capacity building and associated challenges that are being met as the VIRCA project moves towards delivery of virus resistant germplasm to small holder farmers.