Towards Identifying the Physiological and Molecular Basis of Drought Tolerance in Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

Drought is one of the most important factors limiting crop production in sub-Saharan

Africa. This has detrimental effects to the people living in this region, and whose

population is increasing more rapidly than their domestic food production.

Noticeably, pressure on agricultural land has continued to intensify. Cassava is one of

the staple crops with remarkable tolerance to drought. It is adapted to diverse and

poor soil conditions, in addition to its flexibility in planting and harvesting times.

Understanding its physiological and molecular basis of drought tolerance may help to

target the key traits that limit crop yield under drought conditions. To improve our

understanding on drought tolerance mechanisms in cassava, the project ¿Identifying

the physiological and genetic traits that make cassava one of the most drought-tolerant

crops¿ was initiated in 2005 by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation

(Embrapa) in collaboration with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture

(CIAT); the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA); Cornell University

and University of Goettingen. The ultimate goal of the project was to identify

morphological, physiological and molecular traits related to drought tolerance

mechanisms in cassava for further progress, and for their application in cassava and

other crop breeding programs.