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.