Evaluation of different cassava genotypes for adaptation in highland areas of Uganda
S. Ntivuguruzwa1*, R. Edema1, R. Kawuki2
1) Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, 2) National Crop Resources Research Institute.
*, Registrant ID# 3287
Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), is the world’s most widely grown starch storage root crop. It is a principal food staple in sub-Saharan Africa where it accounts for approximately one-third of the total production of staple food crops. It plays a key role as a food security and an income-generating crop for millions of smallholder farmers. In Uganda, cassava ranks second to bananas (Musa spp.) in terms of area occupied, total production and per capita consumption. Cassava presents substantial differential genotypic responses under varying environmental conditions, a phenomenon termed as genotype by environment interaction (GEI) (Egesi et al., 2007). The main constraint to cassava production in Uganda and especially in highland areas, is the use of local varieties with poor genetic traits contributing to low yield (Ntawuruhunga, 2000). Selection and recommendations of improved and stable cassava varieties, specifically for the highland areas is one of the solutions that can improve the situation. The main objective of this study is to contribute to the development of cassava genotypes for high yield adapted to the highlands of Uganda, whereas the specific objectives are: 1. To identify genotypes with superior performance in the highlands of Uganda; 2. To compare the relative efficiency of two different types of selection indices (Base and Multiplicative indices). To carry out this study, 570 cassava genotypes were planted (September 20014) in augmented design, in 2 locations (Zombo and Bundibugyo). Phenotypic data will be collected in interval of 3 months and harvesting data will be used to select the best genotypes for the highland areas in Uganda and to construct these two indices for comparing their relative efficiency.