Researchers and Scientists working on cassava breeding have adopted the use of Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics (SAH) technology to multiply the propagation of clean cassava planting materials.
The SAH technology involves the use of modified soil which holds plant roots in planting pots with little water. Usually the trays are filled with a little amount of water, and the soil transports the moisture up to the plant roots, yet the top of the soil remains relatively dry. The roots are encouraged to grow down, and the dry soil on top discourages damp-off and other diseases caused by excess moisture.
Peter Kulakow, cassava breeder with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), said in a press statement made available to BusinessDay that the beauty of the SAH technology was its rapid multiplication ratio.
Before now, when breeders develop new cassava varieties, the challenge has been how to multiply and disseminate it to farmers because cassava is a clonal crop and multiplication is usually done using stems which takes several years.
According to Kulakow, the slow and low multiplication process explains why it takes long for new improved varieties to be disseminated at scale to farmers across the country.
“With this technology, these constraints will be addressed and it will be easier for farmers to have easy access to new varieties once we develop them,” the breeder said.
“But besides addressing the constraints of slow and low multiplication ratio in cassava seed system, the SAH technology also produces clean planting materials that are disease-free. The cost of production of the plants is cheaper using SAH when compared to tissue culture,” Kulakow said.
Ahemant Nitturkar, project director, Building an Economically Sustainable Integrated Seed System for Cassava (BASICS) explained that once the technology, which is adopted from Argentina, is adapted and perfected in Nigeria, it is expected to have a significant impact on the ability of early generation seed businesses to quickly bring suitable varieties within reach of farmers.
Grown by more than 500 million people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America; cassava is an important crop for both food security and wealth creation. The root crop is a source of commercial animal feed, fiber for paper and textile manufacturers, and starch for food and pharmaceutical industries.
Josephine Okojie
