Towards development of an integrative cassava genome analysis platform for advancing cassava molecular breeding

Abstract

Cassava is an important source for food security and income generation for poor farmers in Asian and African countries. Despite the global importance of cassava, there has been little investment in improving cassava production. RIKEN group has started a new cassava project to develop an integrative genome analysis platform for the global cassava research community to advance cassava molecular breeding in collaboration with CIAT and Mahidol University. We aim to construct the following research platforms for cassava molecular breeding: 1) Full-length cDNA resources from useful varieties with high yield (KU50 cultivar) and resistance to harmful insects (ECU72 and MPER417-003 cultivars), 2) ESTs using next generation sequencers, 3) Integrative cassava database of international standard, 4) Cassava DNA-oligoarray analysis containing more than 30,000 genes, 5) Molecular markers for useful traits, and 6) Transformation system in elite Asian and African cultivars. In this meeting, our cassava project will be presented.