Presented at the Conference on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa: Fostering Innovation

Enhanced Utilization of Biotechnology Research and Development Innovations in ECA: ASARECA’s success stories

Seyfu Ketema, Charles Mugoya, and Clet Wandui Masiga

Presented at the Conference on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa: Fostering Innovation

Held at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Conference HallMay 13th to 15th 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

ASARECA has 10 MEMBER COUNTRIES• Burundi• Democratic

Republic of Congo

• Ethiopia• Eritrea• Kenya• Madagasca

r• Rwanda• Sudan• Tanzania• Uganda

Mission: Enhance regional collective action in agricultural research for development, extension and agricultural training and education to promote economic growth, fight poverty, eradicate hunger and enhance sustainable use of resources in Eastern and Central Africa.

Rational for ASARECA’s Investment into Biotechnology

To harness opportunities that biotechnology offer to agricultural development as envisaged by CAADP;

It is recognized as a powerful tool for economic development of the region;

Biotechnology offers promise to improve yield, nutritional quality, as well as human health

The tool has developed invaluable new methodologies and products in food and agriculture e.g. resistance to pests, diseases and herbicides

Objectives of ASARECA’s investment in Biotechnology

• Enhanced generation and uptake of demand driven biotechnology Innovations in ECA

• Strengthened capacity for using biotechnology in Implementing Agricultural Research for Development in ECA

• Enhanced Availability of information on biotechnological agricultural technologies and innovations in ECA

Biotechnological tools being promoted by ASARECA

Genetic Engineering of Maize for Drought tolerance

• Drought is a single most important abiotic stress responsible for reduced maize productivity in arid and semi-arid areas, leading up to 70% crop loss.

Success story of Maize project • ASARECA and its partners

(Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda and Sudan) led by Professor Jesse Machuka at Kenyatta University are introgressing drought tolerance conferring genes into the Maize

Sudanese Maize transformed with NHX1

gene

Putative transformant Glass house care of transfomats

Ms Rasha Adam invented a drought tolerant gene & named it ASARECA AnxZm35 gene

Success story of Maize project

• This will be a 70% increase in maize production in ECA, hence improving food security, reducing hunger and promoting economic development.

Sudanese Maize transformed with NHX1

gene

Putative transformant Glass house care of transfomats

Ms Rasha Adam invented a drought tolerant gene & named it ASARECA AnxZm35 gene

Vector transformation map of the ASARECA Plant Transformation- Annexin Zea mays 35 (AP-AnZm35) gene construct in pNOV vector

Ms Rasha Adam discovered a drought tolerant gene & named it ASARECA AnxZm35

gene

Establishment of a Genetic Transformation Platform for Cassava

Status: Completed and functionalAll have acquired biosafety level II status .

GM cassava has been developed for resistance to CMD and CBSD

Applying tissue culture to improve access to cassava and sweetpotato clean planting materials for farmers

a)Developed a DNA based method to detect viruses of cassava and sweet potatoes

b)Optimization of low-cost tissue culture protocols

c)Establishment of centralized regional tissue culture database

d)Established facilities at 8 NARI centres – NacRRI, ISAR, ISABU, INERA EIAR, Kenyatta University KARI, University of Nairobi & at Agrobiotech Ltd (Burundi)

e)Trained 41 scientists and technicians

Developing/acquiring and standardizing virus indexing tools for cassava and sweet potato culture materials

• Cassava/sweet potato virus sequences For the developing PCR-based and antibody based diagnostics now available.

• Specific diagnostic primers and the PCR based diagnostics for sweet potato and cassava viruses have been developed.

• Epitopes from coat proteins of cassava/sweet potato viruses for antibody development have been identified and have been used to develop antibodies.

• Antibodies against the synthesized peptides for plant viruses have been tested with the synthesized peptides, and evaluated with the infected cassava samples by blocking test with the injected peptides.

• Virus elimination protocols have been optimized and used to produce

virus free cassava and sweetpotato germplasm

Conservation for Sustainable Availability of Cassava and Sweetpotato Germplasm through Biotechnology Applications

a) Established facilities at 8 NARI centers – NacRRI, MARI, ISABU, INERA EIAR KARI, ARC &El Obeid

b) Trained 41 scientists and technicians\

c) Characterized and evaluated some key target crop accessions

d) Regenerated and safely duplicated some key regional crop collections

e) Facilitated capacity development for Invitro Conservation– Slow growth– Cryopreservation

• Both for cassava and sweet potatoes

Freezing equipment

Storage in liquid nitrogen in Dewar flask

Genetic Linkage Mapping of Field Resistance to Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD)

• A total of 316 SSR markers are being mapped on the linkage map.

Fighting Striga: Resistance Genes Deployed to Boost Sorghum Productivity

• Striga infestation threatens to bring 17 million hectares of farm land out of sorghum production

• Using Marker assisted breeding, ASARECA and its partners in Eritrea, Sudan, Kenya and ICRISAT, have developed 50 striga resistant sorghum lines capable of giving yield up to 3.6 t/ha

Success story of striga project

This breakthrough will enable 300 million people in Africa to get out of hunger, attain food security, walk out of the poverty bracket and lead better lives.

Donor Parent N13 for striga resistant gene

Background parent, Wad Ahmed

One of 50 lines developed with resistance to Striga

Fine Mapping of genes associated with Fine Mapping of genes associated with Striga resistance in sorghumStriga resistance in sorghum

isep08390.0isep09493.9isep032712.6

msbCIR26850.0

sbi01a

SbPB168700.0SbPB18521 SbPB1824315.1SbPB1633518.0SbPB19553 SbPB1656236.6SbPB1842843.7isep103946.9SbPB18047 SbPB1446349.8SbPB18044 SbPB1784358.6SbPB2022670.3SbPB19269 SbPB18754SbPB1675476.4

isep102889.8SbPB15954105.4txp037112.6SbPB18878121.0SbPB16842 SbPB13930SbPB19149131.8

SbPB19296 SbPB19319SbPB19427140.1

Yellow_White161.9SbPB15155168.9SbPB13459 txp061176.2SbPB18387205.5txp340206.6

sbi01b

isep0747-modified0.0txp096 txp19711.6

SbPB1820530.9

txp08070.4msbCIR22374.2

iabtp346121.6iabtp500127.8isp10366133.6iabtp444140.0txp013143.7txp298174.4SbPB20418180.6SbPB15263 SbPB20191SbPB16959203.3

SbPB19237218.7SbPB13645231.5SbPB19547234.8SbPB18699242.4SbPB16174249.5txp100256.4SbPB17297258.7SbPB14137264.8isep0841 txp296265.6isp10228274.9txp008285.0SbPB16712293.8isep0310299.8

sbi02

isp102820.0isep010718.9SbPB1533430.5SbPB1963134.0isep010145.0SbPB1675247.6SbPB1658855.1SbPB1398262.2

SbPB18673 SbPB18468SbPB2043099.5

SbPB17785105.5txp033109.9SbPB19743 SbPB20391SbPB13634122.8

SbPB19092137.4isp10307151.7SbPB20790 SbPB19627152.0SbPB19216177.3SbPB15248179.7txp114188.2SbPB15051 SbPB20606190.7SbPB19924 isp10361224.3txp038_lg225.4SbPB15076 SbPB20919241.1isep0843252.6isep0138259.1Awnspresent259.7isp10323 isep0824271.6

sbi03

SbPB137570.0SbPB20255 SbPB194111.8isep02245.3isep09487.4SbPB18950 SbPB1738027.1SbPB1782035.1isep020241.6SbPB1625655.1SbPB1837359.4SbPB1985461.0SbPB1984665.4SbPB1972873.9SbPB15562 SbPB1983976.6txp343102.4SbPB15834 SbPB16452121.8SbPB15043 SbPB14470136.3SbPB18038143.6txp327152.2isp10229161.2SbPB20728185.7SbPB17083 SbPB19521SbPB14938192.8

isep0234196.5

sbi04

txp0650.0iabtp4209.3

SbPB16049 msbCIR32939.5isp10258 SbPB1691143.5SbPB2028549.5SbPB15837 SbPB19771SbPB1855775.7

gpsb1782.9SbPB13628 SbPB1435796.9

txp303121.8

SbPB20205142.6

isep1107 SbPB18356160.3

SbPB20477 SbPB19264179.4isep1133185.2

txp015 txp014226.0

txp225249.3

sbi05ab

SbPB184520.0SbPB1930520.2txp123_Kaf238.5txp26241.1SbPB1985944.8SbPB13580 SbPB1564248.0SbPB13574 SbPB18794SbPB1448962.2

SbPB1388268.6

sbi05c

SbPB157600.0

SbPB18272 SbPB1829643.0

SbPB19610 SbPB1524576.0SbPB17948 SbPB17708SbPB1866080.5

SbPB19385 SbPB15059128.7SbPB19082136.2SbPB20374141.0SbPB14603157.6SbPB17274160.1SbPB13448175.7SbPB14403183.7txp145 txp45190.4txp317193.9txp219 SbPB15430SbPB17601197.8

SbPB19263223.5isep0443230.4txp176232.5isep0422239.9txp057 SbPB19817241.8isp10347 isep0449250.9SbPB17031267.9

sbi06L

txp0400.0isep08057.8

SbPB2018924.5txp31235.2SbPB16143 SbPB1805847.7isep0328 SbPB1941759.1SbPB16133 SbPB1765570.5

SbPB1417388.0SbPB1705698.2

SbPB18227122.8

SbPB20952 isep0829159.7SbPB19093164.5SbPB17956 SbPB14841173.6isep0831192.1isep0704192.2

isp10344239.1

sbi07

SbPB168040.0SbPB17191 txp2735.6

SbPB2017629.5SbPB1838047.7SbPB1593954.3isp1019870.2SbPB14396 SbPB2059279.5SbPB1874389.3SbPB18473 SbPB1843793.3SbPB16127 SbPB19795104.4isp10279120.9txp018130.3SbPB16194130.5txp105146.1

SbPB14017 SbPB13986SbPB17046169.5

isep0809183.8

sbi08

SbPB14181 txp2890.0SbPB160586.1SbPB1865610.5isep101427.4isep050635.0

isep0550 SbPB1893953.5

isep124169.9SbPB1989782.4txp010 SbPB1504189.0

SbPB17608127.4gap32140.9SbPB18224153.8

sbi09

SbPB160100.0

isep060724.9

SbPB1542145.9SbPB1467054.1SbPB1670163.0SbPB18083 SbPB1879579.9isp10359 txp21781.4isp1026394.1SbPB17455112.7SbPB19308 SbPB15751SbPB18966132.9

SbPB18039135.7

txp141164.8

sbi10

Diagnostic and control tools and strategies for Taenia solium Cysticercosis

a) Taenia solium (pig-tapeworm) vaccine and diagnostic kits developed

b) Epidemiological data collected c) 2 Msc students received training

Pig1 and Pig3 are negative others positive. The top line is the control (present in all samples) while the bottom is the test line (present only in the positive samples). So the antibodies have good potential in this assay. We now have 300 of the devices at ILRI and aim to start testing them on many more pig sera

Transfer of Banana Tissue Culture, Tissue Culture Certification and Tissue Culture

Business Network Projecta) Produced and disseminated TC banana to farmersb) Established banana nurseries in 6 districtsc) Training of farmers and stakeholders