1. Publication
  2. Research Highlights
  3. 2024

DNA markers for assisted selection of cassava resistant to cassava mosaic disease (CMD)

Related Research Project
Tropical crop genetic resources
Country
Viet Nam

Description

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is an important crop cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions. The stable production of cassava is crucial for food security, as its starch is used in both food and industrial applications. However, cassava mosaic disease (CMD), a viral disease, has significantly hampered cassava productivity, particularly in Africa, India, and recently in Southeast Asia. Developing CMD-resistant cassava varieties is essential, but traditional breeding methods are time-consuming and costly. Therefore, there is a need for DNA markers that can identify the mutations providing CMD resistance to accelerate and reduce the cost of breeding resistant varieties.

As a result, the authors have confirmed mutations in the DNA polymerase δ subunit 1 (MePOLD1) gene, associated with CMD resistance, in cassava varieties and lines maintained by the Agricultural Genetics Institute (AGI) in Vietnam. These mutations, G680V and L685F, were found in lines introduced from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria, respectively. The developed DNA markers can distinguish these POLD1 genotypes using two methods: the dCAPS method, which is cost-effective, and the KASP method, which is suitable for high-throughput screening. Field trials in CMD-infected areas showed that cassava lines with the G680V mutation exhibited significantly less severe symptoms compared to non-mutated lines, demonstrating the effectiveness of the DNA markers.

In terms of applications, the developed DNA markers enable the efficient selection of CMD-resistant cassava, thereby facilitating the breeding of varieties suited to conditions in Southeast Asia. These tools can be applied not only to combat CMD in Southeast Asia but also to develop resistant varieties against CMD races prevalent in Africa.

Figure, table

  1. Figs
Research project
Program name

Information

KAKEN
Term of research

FY2022-2024

Responsible researcher

Tokunaga Hiroki ( Tropical Agriculture Research Front )

ORCID ID
0000-0001-7316-0791
KAKEN Researcher No.: 30768479

Pham Thi Nhan ( Hung Loc Agricultural Research Center, Vietnam )

Truong Minh Hoa ( Hung Loc Agricultural Research Center, Vietnam )

Nguyen Huyen Thi Trang ( Hung Loc Agricultural Research Center, Vietnam )

Nguyen Ba Tung ( Hung Loc Agricultural Research Center, Vietnam )

Pham Thi Huong ( Agricultural Genetics Institute, Vietnam )

Nguyen Hai Anh ( Agricultural Genetics Institute, Vietnam )

Le Mai Thi Huong ( Agricultural Genetics Institute, Vietnam )

Le Huy Ham ( Agricultural Genetics Institute, Vietnam )

Le Cu Thi Thuy ( International Center for Tropical Agriculture )

Zhang Xiaofei ( International Center for Tropical Agriculture )

ORCID ID
0000-0003-4516-9179

SEKI Motoaki ( RIKEN )

ORCID ID
0000-0001-8288-0467
KAKEN Researcher No.: 80281624

ほか
Publication, etc.

Tokunaga H. et al. Breeding Science. 2024/12 accepted

Japanese PDF

2024_C06_ja.pdf3 MB

English PDF

2024_C06_en.pdf807.87 KB

＊ Affiliation at the time of implementation of the study.

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