Managing Phenotypic Data through Cassavabase with Fieldbook App

Cassavabase (https://cassavabase.org/) is a central datastore for the Next Generation Cassava Project, aiming to leverage cassava genomic breeding and accelerate variety development in Africa (http://www.nextgencassava.org/). Cassavabase supports breeder’s daily activities as a comprehensive information source on phenotypes and genotypes through Cornell's IGD LIMS system. As well, it provides tools for performing trait analysis, genomic selection and other tools such as maps, genome browser. Cassavabase is a globally accessible resource, and data can be contributed and viewed by any registered user.

Traditionally, much of the phenotypic information generated from a breeding program is: access restricted to users as stored in paper based field books or researchers’ computer files. To efficiently address these issues on phenotypic data collection, Cassavabase developed a pipeline to collect and upload phenotypes.

Adopting the Fieldbook app (KSU website) and an Android tablet, Cassavabase offers an efficient tookit to address field data collection. The fieldbook app provides a user friendly interface, large autonomy for data collection, flexible file transfer and has little glare while being used in the field for data recording. However, this presentation forms part of the dialogue to address the many challenges that threatens the continues adoption of the Android tablet for field data recording. Cassavabase enables large data storage (7 millions phenotypic datapoints currently stored) and uses of a cassava specific trait ontology dictionary, listing users’ phenotypic trait description and measurement method. Altogether this toolkit facilitates Field to Office data transfer, making information quickly and accurately available for further analysis (I.e: descriptive statistics, genomic selection)

In this workshop, we will highlight the practical aspects of field data collection and uploading using cassavabase with two use cases including field data collection and trait ontology management. We will highlight challenges encountered that can be addressed by ongoing dialogue between field teams and developers of the fieldbook app and Cassavabase.