NextGenCassavaBreedingProject

ReportforYear5Reviewand

PlanningWorkshop

IITAIbadan,Nigeria,14th-16thMarch2017

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DisclaimerThis report documents the year five review and planning workshop for NextGenCassavaBreedingProjectthatwasheldon14thto16thMarch2017atIITAinIbadan,Nigeria.Thereport isnotasynthesis,butadocumentationof theproceedingsandoutcomesoftheworkshopwithoutinterpretation.ItservesasareferencedocumentforNextGenandworkshopparticipantsbyprovidingdetailsofwhattranspired.Theresults of the working groups and plenary discussions are reported as they werepresented. The opinions expressed in this report are those of the workshopparticipantsanddonotreflectthepositionofPICOTEAM-theyareacompilationofparticipants’contributions.

Photocredits:Photos in the report provided by Samantha Hautea (Cornell University) and AnitaMsabeni(PICOTEAM)

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TableofcontentsAcronymsandAbbreviations..........................................................................................................v

Acknowledgments.........................................................................................................................vi

Forewordbyworkshoporganizers................................................................................................vii

ExecutiveSummary.....................................................................................................................viii

1. SettingtheScene..................................................................................................................10

1.1. WelcomeRemarks................................................................................................................10

1.2. Co-managementoftheWorkshop.......................................................................................10

1.3. Facilitationprinciples...........................................................................................................11

1.4. Gettingtoknowoneanother...............................................................................................11

1.5. Workshopagendaandprocess............................................................................................13

2. Officialworkshopopeningsession........................................................................................13

2.1. WelcomemessagebyIITA....................................................................................................14

2.2. NextGenCassavaprojectinbrief.........................................................................................14

2.3. GoodwillfromBill&MelindaGatesFoundation..................................................................16

2.4. GoodwillfromNationalRootCropsResearchInstitute.......................................................17

2.5. GoodwillfromACAIProject..................................................................................................17

2.6. BASICSProject......................................................................................................................18

2.7. Semi-AutotrophicHydroponicstechnology.........................................................................18

2.8. Unleashingthepowerofcassava:breedingandvarietiesofchange..................................20

2.9. Officialopeningoftheworkshop.........................................................................................22

3. TakingstockofprogressmadeinphaseI..............................................................................24

3.1. NationalCropsResourcesResearchInstitute(Uganda).......................................................24

3.2. NationalRootCropsResearchInstitute(Nigeria).................................................................25

3.3. ImplementationofgenomicselectionatIITA(2012-2017)..................................................26

3.4. CassavabreedingprogressinTanzania................................................................................27

3.5. Cassavagenomics:genomeassemblyv7.............................................................................28

3.6. GeneticLoadincassavaandrAmpSeq.................................................................................29

3.7. GenomicselectioninNextGen.............................................................................................30

3.8. Cassavabaseupdate.............................................................................................................31

3.9. NextgenCassavaGermplasm...............................................................................................33

3.10. Genderresponsivecassavabreeding...............................................................................35

3.11. UgandaBioscienceInformationCenter............................................................................37

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3.12. Embrapa’ssupplementaryprojecttotheNextGen..........................................................38

3.13. Flowering-methodsforcassavafloralinductionandenhancedseedset.......................40

3.14. Postersession...................................................................................................................41

4. SynthesisofNextGenprojectpresentations..........................................................................42

4.1. Successes,majorchallengesandimplicationsforthenextphaseofNextGen....................42

4.2. Addressingchallenges..........................................................................................................47

5. Futuretrends,highpotentialtechnologiesandproductsincassavabreeding.......................50

5.1. OptimumHaploidValueselectiontechnology.....................................................................50

5.2. Improvedphenotypingthroughimageanalysis...................................................................52

5.3. NIRSphenotypingandcalibration........................................................................................53

5.4. Fieldphenotyping.................................................................................................................54

5.5. MoreArtificialIntelligence(AI)forphenotyping..................................................................56

5.6. VarietyreleaseprocessinNigeria........................................................................................57

5.7. Analysisoffuturetrends,highpotentialtechnologiesandproducts..................................60

6. NextGenphaseIfinalyearandtransitiontoPhaseII............................................................62

6.1. Introductiontophase2ofNextGen.....................................................................................63

6.2. SWOTanalysisofNextGenphaseII......................................................................................64

6.2.1. Usecasesandneedsoffers..........................................................................................66

6.2.2. Newvarietiesandefficientbreeding...........................................................................67

6.2.3. Productprofilespreferencesandneeds......................................................................70

6.3. Planningforyear5...............................................................................................................73

Objective6:Biotech/biosafetyCommunication-BarbaraMugwanya........................................74

7. Nextsteps,workshopevaluationandclosing........................................................................75

7.1. NextSteps............................................................................................................................75

7.2. Workshopevaluation...........................................................................................................76

7.3. Closingremarks....................................................................................................................77

Appendixone–Nextgenattendancelist......................................................................................79

Appendixtwo-workshopprogramme.........................................................................................82

Appendixthree–photogallery....................................................................................................84

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AcronymsandAbbreviations

BMGF BillandMelindaGatesFoundation

CBSD CassavaBrownStreakDisease

DFID UKDepartmentforInternationalDevelopment

DUS DistanceUniformityandStabilityAnalysis

GBE GenotypebyEnvironment

GS GenomicSelection

IITA InternationalInstituteofTropicalAgriculture

NaCRRI NationalCropsResourcesResearchInstitute(Uganda)

NRCRI NationalRootCropsResearchInstitute(Nigeria)

UBIC UgandaBioscienceInformationCenter

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Acknowledgments

The three day Annual General Meeting for the NextGen Cassava Breeding Project thatbroughttogetherawiderangeofparticipantsrepresentingdifferentprojectpartnerstotakestockofprogressofphaseIanddevelopkeythrustsforphaseIIwasaninterestingexperienceforPICOTEAMtofacilitate.

We are optimistic that we managed to support the NextGen Cassava team identify andprioritizeactionareastobepursuedinphaseIIoftheprojectaswellaspotentialpartnerstoworktogethertoachievetheworkincludingdevelopingandleveragingcapacityandlearningamongtheactorsandbeyondtheproject.

We sincerely thank all the participants for their active and enthusiastic participationthroughout the workshop in addition to sharing their practical know-how, insights andtechnical knowledge. This enabled to articulate future plans of the project, expectedproducts, new partnerships and roles of each partner. PICOTEAM also extends itsappreciationtoallindividualsthatprovidedlogisticalsupportthatledtothesuccessoftheworkshop.

Specialthankstotheprocesssteeringgroup,whichspenttimeinreflectingwithusthedailyproceedingsandthenjointlyplanningforthenextday’sprocess.Throughtheirsteeringwewereabletonavigatethroughtheprocessandputtogetherthefinerdetailsoftheworkshopprocedure.

Wesurelyenjoyedworkingwithallofyouandwishyouthebestasyoutransittothe2ndphaseofimplementingtheacceleratedbreedinganddevelopingend-userpreferredvarieties.

BestWishes,EdwardChumaandAnitaMsabeni

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Forewordbyworkshoporganizers

ThisdocumenthasbeencondensedandeditedbyCanaanBoyer.PleaseclickonembeddedlinkstofindPDFsofthemeetingpresentationsandposters.

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ExecutiveSummary

TheNextGenerationCassavaBreedingProject(NextGenCassava),startedin2012,hasbeenimplementingandempiricallytestinganewbreedingmethodknownasgenomicselection;ithasalsobeenidentifyingpossibilitiestoimprovingfloweringincassava,understandingrolesdifferentgendergroupsinthedevelopmentofnewvarieties,andcreatedapremieropen-databreedingdatabase(Cassavabase),amongmanyotheractivities.Theprojectisnowinatransitionstagebridgingthephaseofdevelopmentandtestingofthesenoveltechnologiesand that of implementing them in accelerated breeding and development of end-userpreferredvarieties.

TheNextGenCassavabreedingprojectisfundedbytheBillandMelindaGatesFoundationandtheUKDepartmentforInternationalDevelopment.Projectpartnersinclude:CollegeofAgriculture and Life Sciences, CornellUniversity,USA;National Crops Resources ResearchInstitute (NaCRRI), Uganda; National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Nigeria;InternationalInstituteofTropicalAgriculture(IITA),Nigeria;BoyceThompsonInstitute(BTI)forPlantResearch,USA;USDepartmentofEnergy(DOE)JointGenomeInstitute(JGI),USA;Makerere University, Uganda; and West African Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI),Ghana.NextGenCassavahasexpandedtoincludeTanzania,partneringwiththeLakeZoneAgriculturalResearchandDevelopmentInstitute(LZARDI).

Inorder tomove seamlessly to the2ndphase, a three-daymeetingwashosted to reviewprogressmadefrominceptionoftheprojectto-dateandenabletheteamidentifyfutureplansfortheprojectcomprisingexpectedproducts,newpartnershipsandresultantrolesofeachpartner.

Theworkshopcommencedwithtakingstockofprogressmadewherevariouspresentationsweremade highlighting lessons, gaps, challenges and possible solutions for the NextGenCassavaBreedingProject.Majorsuccessesidentifiedinclude:germplasmexchange;NextGenvariety release; development of genomic resources; trainings; genomic selectionworking;Cassavabase; genetic architecture; gender responsive initiatives; better understanding offarmers’andprocessors’preferences.Mainchallengesencountered:phenotyping;effectiveadvocacy; trait management; genetic load; genotyping quality control; complexity ofgermplasmexchangesystem;limiteduseofCassavabase-ensuringusageofexistingfeaturesas well as new features and publication of an African cassava reference genome. Theimplications for the next phase of these challenges are the need for increased capacitydevelopment;makingCassavabaseaonestopshop;breedingfortargettraits;geneticloadduringcyclicimprovementthroughGSandenhancedcommunicationandadvocacy.

Someoftheemergingtechnologiesandtrendsessentialtosuccessfulcassavabreedingthatwerediscussedinclude:OptimumHaploidValueselectiontechnology;phenotypingthroughimageanalysis;NIRSphenotypingandcalibration;fieldphenotyping;andartificialintelligence

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(AI) for phenotyping. Participants then identified phenotyping, variety release anddissemination,SAH,genomicselectionmodels,andfloweringinductionastechnologieswiththe highest potential for success and which need to be developed further in Phase II.Intermediate products proposed include: protocol and technology and training packages,whilevarietiesandtrainedpersonnelwereproposedasfinalproducts.

The9 fundamental stepsof thevariety releaseprocess inNigeriawereelaborated to theNextGenteamtoguidethemastheyworkonregistrationandreleaseofnewcassavavarietiesthatwillbeproducedundertheNextGenpipeline.ThiswouldenabletheNextGenprojecttoevaluate its trials and register their varieties harmoniously with the variety releasecommittee.

TomanagethetransitionfromPhaseItoPhaseII,interconnectivityofthethreedivisionsofPhase II (research, breeding and communication) were examined and potential areas ofexpertiseandpathwaysofactivitiesproposed.

Finally,onthebasisoftrendsandfuturedemandsinviewtoPhaseII,participantsdevelopedworkplansofwhatneedstobefocusedonintheremainingtimeofPhaseI.

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1. SettingtheSceneThis sessionwas intended to create a relaxed environment during the three days of theworkshop,anenvironmentthatfostersopeninteractionsamongtheparticipantstoenablethembringoutkey issuestobeaddressedforsuccessful transitiontoPhase II. It involvedagreeingonthegroundrules,introductionsofparticipantsandclarifyingtheirexpectations,understandingofobjectivesandlookingoverthegeneralprogrammeoftheworkshop.

1.1. WelcomeRemarks

ThemeetingstartedwithwelcomeremarksfromChiedozieNgoziEgesi-ProjectManagerforNextGenCassava;whothankedeverybodyandwelcomedthemtothe5thAGMofNextGenCassavawhichisalsothebiggestintermsofage,numberofparticipantsanddiversity.Overthepastfour years NextGen Cassava has expanded andtherearenowmorepartnersonboard.Chiedozieappreciatedallthepartnersforworkingtogetherinmakingthemodeststepsofgrowthenablingtheproject deliver in its efforts along the cassavabreedingcycle.

Heurgedparticipantstofeelfree,relaxandusethemeetingasanopportunitytoshareexperiencesaseveryonewouldgetanopportunity to illustrate theprogress theyhavemadeanddiscussintensivelythefuturetrends.Hepromptedtheparticipantstoidentifytheir“moonshots”asmembersofthecassavateam.“MoonShot-whatwouldbemybeststrategytodeliverthebestproducts/cassavavarietiestocassavaendusersandfarmers”.

Chiedoziethenintroducedthefacilitationteamwhowouldhelptheparticipantslookatwhathas happened, how to transition to the next phase, and future trends. EdwardChuma, aprofessionalfacilitatorfromtheInstituteforPeople,InnovationandChangeinOrganizations(PICOTEAM) explained that PICOTEAM specializes on facilitation and coaching, changemanagement and organizational development –with a predominant focus on innovationprocesses in agriculture. PICOTEAM supports organizations to perform better. EdwardintroducedAnitaMsabeni,whowasinthemeetingfordocumentationoftheproceedings.

1.2. Co-managementoftheWorkshop

Thefacilitatorwasassistedbyanine-memberWorkshopProcessSteeringGroup(WPSG).TheWPSGconsistingofacross-sectionoftheparticipantsandprojectpartners,whorepresentthewholegroupwell,wasresponsibleforco-managementoftheworkshop.Theyfirstmeton the day preceding theworkshop and at the end of eachworkshop day to review the

Picture1-welcomeremarksfromChiedozieEgesi

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progresstowardsachievingtheoutputsoftheworkshopinadditiontoaddressingconcernsarisingontheworkshopprocedure.Thisprocess-orientedprocedureallowsparticipantstotakeanactiveroleinco-creationoftheprocess,responsibilityforthesuccessoftheworkshopandownershipoftheoutcomes.

Box1:Workshopprocesssteeringgrouptask

1.3. Facilitationprinciples

To manage dialogue during the three days of the workshop, the facilitator introducedparticipantstokeyfacilitationprinciplesandrulesaspracticedbyPICOTEAM.Themeetingagreedtoadaptthesecorevaluestohelpcreateanatmosphereofeffectiveinteractionandconstructivesharingofideas.

1.4. Gettingtoknowoneanother

Tohelpparticipantsfamiliarizewitheachotherandcreateanatmosphereforfreeinteraction,thefacilitatorrequestedthemtositattableswithpeopletheyknewleast.

WorkshopProcessSteeringGroup

Amechanismforco-managementofthemeetingbyparticipantsandorganizers

Tasks:

§ Togetfeedbackfromparticipantsontheworkshopprocessandcontents§ Toplanwiththefacilitatorandadjusttheprogrammeaccordingly

Members:

Hale,Jean-Luc,Peter,Robert,Chiedozie,Canaan,Ismail,Seun,Anita,Edward

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Whoishere?

Anexerciseaimedatexploringwhoisrepresentedintheworkshopandtheimplicationsthismayhaveonthediscussionswasperformedasshownherebelow:

Category No Remarks

Gender Men=Majority

Women=15

Ageunder30=6pax

Age30-50=40pax

Age50-65=12pax

Over65years=1person

• Ratioofwomentomenis1:8,itisimportanttoincreasefemaleparticipationatalllevelsoftheproject

• Note:genderisnotaboutwomen,butmoreof social differentiation and social groups(men, women, youth and their differentroles)

• The age distribution is wholesome andreflectsawisegroup.

• ForAfrica,whendiscussing agriculture theyouthisakeysocialgroupwhichshouldbewidelyintegratedintoagriculture

Technicalareaoftraining

Breeders-conventional=18pax

Agronomists=2pax

SocialScientists=4pax

Extensionandcommunication=1pax

• The group is rich with a good number ofpeople with the required expertise andexperience.

• Conventionalbreedersarethemajorityandthisbeingabreedingprojecttheneedtofocusiscritical

• Non-conventionalbreedingincludesmolecularandtransgenicbreeding

• Theotherdisciplinesaddtherequiredtechnicalareastoensuremulti-disciplinarityoftheproject

Institutionalrepresentation

IITA=majority;CIAT=2pax;UBIC=1pax;EMRAPA=;NRCRI=10pax;BMGF=1pax;Cornell=23pax;NaCRRI=1pax;BTI=5pax;Other=13pax

• TheInstitutionalcompositionisdiverse• Howevertheultimateclients,theconsumers,farmerandprocessorsarenotrepresented

Countryoforigin

Africa=majority

(Nigeria=27,Uganda=4,Kenya=2,Tanzania=4)

Europe,AsiaandAmerica=(USA=6,Brazil=1,France=1,Netherlands=1,Columbia=2,India=3,Switzerland=1)

• Weareverydiverse• Wecommunicatedifferentlyandpushdifferentlywithsomebeingconfidentinarticulatingthemselveswhileothersaretimidinexpressingthemselves

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ConclusionThroughoutourdiscussions,weshouldtakeintoconsiderationourdifferentbackgrounds–THISSHOULDBEAPOINTOFSTRENGTHRATHERTHANAPROBLEM.

1.5. Workshopagendaandprocess

Thefacilitatorformallypresentedtheworkshopobjectivesofmeeting.TheoverallobjectiveoftheworkshopwastotakestockofprogressoftheNextGenprojectanddevelopthekeythrustsforthephaseII.Theanticipatedspecificoutputsoftheworkshopwere:

a. ToupdateonNextGen’sworkandreviewprogresswithlessons,gaps,challengesandexchangeideasandpossiblesolutionstogapsandchallenges.

b. To identify emerging technologies/processes and trends integral to a successfulcassavabreeding,includingbreedingpipelinesandproducts.

c. Tounderstandthefuturedemandforproductsandresultsoftheprojectandpossiblepartnersandpathwaysforsuccess/impact.

d. To identifyandprioritizeactionareas tobepursued inphase IIof theprojectandpotentialpartnerstoachieve.

e. Todevelopfurtherthecollaborativenetworkofactorsasameansfordevelopingandleveragingcapacityandlearningamongacrossactors.

f. Toclarifythewayforwardandcomeupwitharevisedworkplanforyear5.

g. Gettingtoknowandappreciateeachothermoreandhavingfun!

AdetailedoverviewoftheworkshopprogrammeissummarizedinAppendixone.

2. OfficialworkshopopeningsessionThissessionsoughttoshowthehighlevelgoalsbehindthemeetingsothatparticipantscanrelate to the sameduring thediscussions. Thiswas achieved through keynote addressespresentedbyrepresentativesofthevariouspartnerinstitutions.

Themasterofceremony,GodwinAtserofIITA,againformallywelcomedallparticipantstoIITAIbadancampustothe5thNextGenAGMaimedatlookingatthepast,whathasbeendoneandwhatneedstobedonegoingforward.Godwinrecognizedthepresenceofeveryonefromdifferentcountriesandinstitutions.Healsonotedthepresenceofthedeputydirectorgeneralof IITAwhowas representing the director general; the principle investigator forNextGencassavaproject;Bill&MelindaGatesfoundationrepresentative;executivedirectorforNRCRI;representativesfromtheministryofagriculturewhosepresenceshowedthegovernmentof

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Nigeria’s commitment to development of agriculture;westAfrica director for IITA and allcolleaguesfromthevariousinstitutions.

Fortheopeningandwelcomingremarkshecalledthefollowingtogivetheirremarks:

2.1. WelcomemessagebyIITA

Dr. Kenton Dashiell the Deputy Director General for Partnerships for Delivery of IITAwelcomedalltothemeetingandspecificallytoIITAheadquartersandcampus.Heenquired

oftheparticipantshowmanyhadusedanyofthe extensive research and recreationalfacilitiesinthecampusincludingtheswimmingpool, tennis court, golf course, squash courtsand the nature reserve area.Having seen theenergy in the group, he encouraged them tospare time after the workshop and use thefacilities.

ToillustratetheimportanceofcassavainAfricaandtoNigeria,Dr.Dashiellnarratedastory-hewasinameetingtodiscusshowtostophungerinNigeriaby2025whosechairwasGeneralOlusegun Obasanjo the former Nigerian President. IITA asked the former president whatwouldhappentoNigeriaiftherewasnocassava.TheformerpresidentacknowledgeditisnotpossibletohaveaNigeriawithoutcassavaasitisamajorfoodindifferentformssuchasgarri,abar,fufuandabachaeatenasamealthroughouttheday.

Bearing all this in mind, Dr. Dashiell reminded the participants they are the world’s topcassavaexpertsandshouldendeavortodevelopnewvarietiesofcassavawithhigheryieldandnutritionalcontent.Dr.Dashiellremindedthatabout25yearsago,cassavawasalmostwiped out by a disease, but concerted efforts by scientists came upwith a solution thatcombatedthedisease.HeconcludedbyremindingtheparticipantstheworktheydoonadailybasisiscriticalforsurvivalofmanyinAfrica.

2.2. NextGenCassavaprojectinbrief

ProfessorRonnieCoffmanbeganbyjoiningotherdistinguishedvisitorsincongratulatingIITAonits50thanniversary.CornellUniversityandtheotherpartnersinvolvedinNextGenCassavaare proud to be among the many global partners working with IITA to generate theagriculturalinnovationsneededtomeetAfrica’spressingchallenges.Ronniealsoappreciatedthediversityinagegroupsandexperiencerepresentedinthemeetingandinformedthathelovedworkingwithyoungpeopleastheybringnewideas.

NextGenCassavaproject,whichisnowinits5thyear,isaremarkableexampleofsuccessfulpartnershipsinagriculturaldevelopment.NextGenworkswith10institutionalpartnersacross

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sixcountriesonthreecontinents.RonniecommendedChiedozieEgesi,forhisleadershipaswellasthemanyscientistsintheUSandinAfricawhoareworkingonthisproject.

RonnieexemplifiedNextGenasaremarkablemodel for collaborative, open-source,shared-data networks that are needed toimproveagriculturalcropsgloballyinthe21stcentury.

Ronnie publicly recognized the scientistsfrom the various institutions praising theirability to successfully collaborate acrossscientificprecepts,acrosscultures,andacrossoceans.InAfrica,wehaveIITA(ourhostsherein Nigeria), the National Root Crops Research Institute in Nigeria, the National CropsResources Research Institute in Uganda, and, most recently, the Lake Zone AgriculturalResearchandDevelopmentInstituteinTanzania.InSouthAmerica,NextGenpartnerswithEmbrapainBrazil,andtheInternationalCenterforTropicalAgricultureinColombia.IntheUS,partners includeCornellUniversity (the lead institution), theUniversityofHawaii, theBoyceThompsonInstitute,theU.S.DepartmentofAgriculture-AgriculturalResearchService,andtheU.S.DepartmentofEnergyJointGenomeInstitute.

Ronniereportedthatsince2012,partnersonNextGenCassavahavebeenusingastate-of-the-artplantbreedingapproachknownasgenomicselectiontoimprovecassavaproductivity.Genomic selection shortens breeding cycles, provides more accurate evaluation at theseedlingstage,andgivesplantbreederstheabilitytoevaluateamuchlargernumberofcloneswithout the need to plant them in the target environment. Ronnie recognized Jean-LucJannink,fromtheUSDA-ARSforhisleadershipofthisobjective.

Using the kind of statistical predictive analyses offered through genomic selection, newreleasesofcassava,whichusedtotakeadecadeormoretodevelop,arereadyinaslittleassix years. Ronnie happily reported that after 5 years, some of the best clones from thisupstreamworkareinUniformYieldTrialsthisyearduetobereleasedtofarmersinthenexttwo years. In addition to using genomic selection, scientists are also working to identifypossibilitiestoimprovingfloweringincassava,andunderstandtherolesofdifferentgendergroupsinthedevelopmentofnewvarieties.Project leadershavecreatedapremieropen-databreedingdatabase,calledCassavabase.

As a long-time plant breeder, Ronnie reiterated how important it is to train the nextgeneration of plant breeders. Without that important pipeline, long-term sustainableimprovementsincropproductionwillwitherinthefaceoffuturechallenges.AssuchRonniewasveryproudthatNextGenhasbeenworkingtonotonlyimprovethenextgenerationofcassava,but,veryimportantly,iseducatingthenextgenerationofcassavabreeders.

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NextGenisprovidingeducationandtrainingforninePh.D.students(6ofwhomareatCornelland3ofwhomareatWACCI),whoarewellontheirwaytoobtainingadvanceddegrees,inresearchrangingfromfarmerrootqualitypreferences,tospectrometricanalysesofroots,togenotype by environment interaction, to genomic prediction and association studies, tobioinformatics.AnadditionalnineMastersstudentsweretrainedatMakerereUniversityinKampala.ThistrainingpipelinewillincreasetheefficiencyofbreedingstaplecropsforAfricansmallholderfarmers.

Ronnie explained the NextGen project is now in a transition stage, bridging Phase I ofdevelopmentandtestingofthesenoveltechnologiesandthatofPhaseIIinimplementingtheproducts of accelerated breeding and development of end-user preferred varieties. ThemeetingaimedtoreviewtheprogressmadefrominceptionoftheprojecttodateandfleshoutfutureplansforPhaseII,includingexpectedproducts,newpartnershipsandrolesforeachpartner.

WearehopingthatwehavearenewaloftheNextGengrantforanotherfiveyears.AnotherfiveyearswillallowNextGenplantbreedersandobjectiveleaderstomakemoreprogressindelivering improved cassava varieties to smallholder farmers through sub-Saharan Africa.Anotherfiveyearswillhelpstrengthenthelong-termsustainabilityofcassavaimprovement.

In closing, Ronnie recognized Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Department forInternationalDevelopmentoftheUnitedKingdom(DFID)underitsUKAidprogramwhoarethemain donors. These two organizations have tremendous foresight and visionwhen itcomestotheimportanceofagriculturaldevelopmentandtheneedtoimprovetheworld’sstaplecropstomeetthebioticandabioticstressesofthe21stcentury.Theyaremakingthecriticalinvestmentnecessarytofundtheobjectivesoftheprojecttoimprovetheproductionandnutritionalvalueofcassavaandbuildhumanandtechnicalcapacityforplantbreedinginsub-SaharanAfrica.

2.3. GoodwillfromBill&MelindaGatesFoundation

JimLorenzentheSeniorProgrammeOfficer,BMGFexpressedgreatpleasureandhonourtobe among the largest cassava meeting. Heappreciated the workshop organizers for the greatlogisticsinbringingtogetherpeoplefromallovertheworldtothebiggestlandofcassava–Nigeria.

Jim informedparticipants that theNextGencassavaprojectisveryimportanttoBMGFwherecassavaisatthe top with maize as robust crops to feed Africa.Cassavaandmaizearekeyfoodsecuritycrops.

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AkeycorevaluethatdrivesBMGFworkisthateveryonedeservestherighttoliveagoodlife.ForAfrica, theabilityto intensify foodproduction isverycriticalandtheNextGencassavaprojectiskeyinhelpingagricultureachieveitsobjective.NextGencassavaprojectisoneofthelargestinvestmentsforBMGF.BMGFwillusetheNextGencassavaprojectmodeltoupliftothercropsusingitsapproachessuchasdatasharing,clones,trials,breedingcycles.

Jim notified the participants that NextGen cassava project has gained the attention andrecognitionof Bill andMelinda as a leading researchprogrammewith great potential forimproving food security in Africa. Jim applauded the progress made especially inunderstandingthetoolsfordevelopingthecassavacropandnotedthesetoolswillbeusedtoimproveothertubers.

HeconcludedbyappreciatedthehardworkdoneandlookedforwardtoasuccessfulPhaseIIthatwouldvalidatethegenomicsworkandassuredofBMGFsupporttoPhaseII.

2.4. GoodwillfromNationalRootCropsResearchInstitute

Dr.JosephofNRCRIonbehalfofJuliusOkonkwodeclaredtheNextGenCassavaprojectasthebest thing to have happened toNRCRI. It has enableNRCRI tomakeprogress in breeding and builtcapacity of staff over the last fouryear.

Joseph reaffirmed NRCRI’s fullsupport to the NextGen Cassavaproject and is ready to give out itsbest staff to bring about the required change as well as any other capacity that will berequired.

2.5. GoodwillfromACAIProject

Onbehalf of Abdulai JallohDr. Christine Kreye of IITA explained that theAfricanCassavaAgronomy Initiative project works at last scale supportingfarmersandextensionworkersonfertilizerrecommendationsandbestplantingpractices.

ACAI and other partners look forward to working with theNextGenCassavaprojectascassavaisaveryimportantcrop.PartnersawaittheNextGencassavaproductstobeusedinthenext level.Sheurged theNextGenteamtobuildsustainablesystems for development and up scaling at the farmer level

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suchascassavaseedsystems.ItisanticipatedthatNextGenCassavaprojectwillreducethewaitperiodfornewvarieties.

Christinealsohailedthewideinvolvementofstudentsasitisimportanttotrainandimprovethecapacityofnextgenerationofbreeders.Shealsocautionedagainstfocusingonincreasingproductivitywithoutaddressingthemarketingandprocessingfeatures.Shegaveanexampleofa25%higheryieldingchickpeawhichwasreleasedtofarmerswhoproduced it inhugequantitiesbut5yearslaterabandoneditbecausemillershaddifficultiesprocessingitandsopaidlowpricesforit.

Sheconcludedbyadvocating thebenefitsofworkingwithallpartners toensure the rightproductisreleased.Workwiththe“end”inmind.

2.6. BASICSProject

HemantNitturkar,theprojectcoordinatorofroots,tubersandbananas,explainedthattheBASICS project aims to take morevarietiestofarmersandconsumers(tothetable).

Heenvisagedseeingmorevarietieswith farmer preferred traitsreleasedtofarmersbytheNextGencassavaproject.

HemantinformedthatECOWASblockhaddevelopedadocumenttoenablevarietiesreleasedinacountrytobereleasedacrosstheregion.NextGenhasalreadyenteredintoanagreementwiththeboard,andequallythenationalvarietyreleasecommitteeinNigeriaiscomfortablewithNextGenproceduresand is ready towork together in releaseofupcomingvarieties.NextGenshouldclearlyunderstandandadheretotheproceduresforbringingvarietiestothecommittee.

2.7. Semi-AutotrophicHydroponicsTechnology

LavaKumarof IITAexplainedthatSemi-AutotrophicHydroponics(SAH) isatechnologyforcassava propagation systems. SAH is a new, rapidmultiplicationtechnologyofvirus-freecassavaplantingmaterial.

Clean seed systems are important to control virusdiseasesparticularlycassavamosaicandcassavabrownstreak diseases which are spread through vegetativepropagation. Virus-free plants are produced using in

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vitromeristemcultures.Invitropropagationisaratelimitingstepcomparedtotissueculturewhichrequiresophisticatedfacilitiesandskilledpersonnel;hasrelativelyslowbulkingrateandrequireshardeningofplantsbeforeusinginthefields.Thereisalsohighrateoftissuecultureplantlossduringtransportationanddistribution.

SAHenablesrapidpropagationof tissueculture (invitro)plantletsundersemi-hydroponicandsemi-controlledenvironmentalconditions;offershighquality‘rootedplants’transferabletoscreenhouseorfieldandgeneticpurityandplanthealthcomparabletoinvitroplants.

Process:InvitroàSAHLabàField

Potentialproductionratetissueculturetotissueculturecycle SAHtoSAHcycle

• Inoneyear15,625plantlets

• 1:5every2months

• Additionalhardeningstagepriortouseofplants,effectivelyreducesto3,000to7,000SAHequivalentplantsperyear

• Inoneyear200,000-250,000plants

• 1:2every3to4weeks

• Moving5,000plantstothefieldperweek;10-15hastemproductionfieldsperyear

• Nohardeningstage

TheSAHfacilityinIITA–IbadanwasinitiatedinJuly2016.TheSAHroom(20sq.m)holdsupto25,000 to 30,000 plantlets and can producevirus-freecassavaplantingmaterialforupto10haperannum.

SAH technology is cheaper and efficientalternativetoinvitropropagationofvirus-free,true-to-typeplantingmaterial.

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2.8. UnleashingthePowerofCassava:BreedingandVarietiesofChange

AlfredDixon,thedirectorofpartnerships,IITA,waspleasedtoseetheteamofyoungcassavabreeders fullyengagedandmoving intomodernsciencefor improvement of cassava and general agriculturaldevelopment.

He voiced the need for transformation of Africanagriculture and noted this requires “business unusual”approaches. Africa is confrontedwith a rapidly growingpopulation and rising urbanization; parallel increase indemandforfood,feedforlivestock,andrawmaterialsforindustriesaswellashugefoodimportbill:$35bin2016,$110b in 2025. Climate change has dramatic effects on agricultural production in Africa.SimplestepsfortransformationofAfricanagricultureincludeshifttoagricultureasbusinessand not a way of life; Integrated approach to developing Agricultural Value Chains andcatalyzingfinancingoftheagriculturesector.

Dixonwentontoexplaintheimportanceofcassava: it isthesecondmost importantfoodcrop in Africa (Africa is the global leader in cassava production); it is an appropriatecommoditytofeatureinAfrica’seconomicdevelopment(NEPAD,CAADP,IFAD,GCDS)andrecentprojectionsforecastevenhigherdependenceforfoodsecurityandpovertyalleviation;faminereservecrop(foodinsurance)andruralfoodstaple;cashcropforurbanconsumption;sourceofindustrialrawmaterialandaforeignexchangeearner.Allpartsofthecassavaareuseful–foliageasatropicalspinachandalfalfa;stemasplantingmaterialandrootsforuniquestarch properties and yellow roots for carotenes. More focus should be put on cassavatransformation to end products such as fresh roots cooked, boiled, baked or fried at thehouseholdleveltohighlyprocessedstarchasafoodadditive.Thiscanbeachievedthroughefficiency,modernizationandcompetitivenessofcassavavaluechain.

Therearetwopathways-surpluscassavaproductsfindnomarket(thisisadisincentivetofarmers)ormarketsavailableforsurpluscassavaproducts(sourceofincomeforfarmersandthereforeanincentive).

Genetic improvementofcassavais importanttocontributetoreliablesupplyanddemand(increasing production, productivity,marketing opportunities, and profitability); source ofimprovedcassavavarieties responsive tochangingdemandsandmarketsbydrivingdowncosts of production, harvesting, processing and marketing to make cassava productscompetitivewithotherrawmaterialsaswellasimprovethequantityandqualityofcassavaproductsfordiversifieduses.

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Limitations/constraintsincassavaproduction:

q Bulkiness–thishasimplicationsforhandling,transport,storage,crophygiene.

q Perishability-thishasimplicationsformarketing,utilisation,cropmanagement.

q Lowmultiplicationratioofplantpropagules-thishasimplicationsforareaplantedperunittime.

q Lengthygrowingseason-longbreedingcycleanditsgeneticsislargelyunknown.

q Plantpestsanddiseases.

q Shorteningfallowperiodsanddecliningsoilfertility.

q Difficultiesintransferringusefulgenes(highgeneticloadandpoorfloweringability).

q Insufficient and poor quality planting material of more adapted germplasm onfarmers’field.

q Untappedmarketopportunities.

q Cyanidescare.

AddressingtheLimitations/constraints

q ProductionOrientation-entrypointforresearchagendaisprioritizationofproductionconstraints

q MarketOrientation-entrypointforresearchagendaistheidentificationofmarketopportunities

This requiresknowledgeofproducers toconsumers’continuum;alongwithapplicationofmodernscienceandtechnologyaswellasconventionalbreedingandincreasedpartnerships.

BreedingresearchneedsforvarietiesofchangeforAfricainthenewmillennium

q Multiple sources of resistant genes (pyramidingmultiple genes) for emerging pestthreatsfordurableresistance.

q Highstoragerootstarchquantityperunitareaandtime,andquality,forfood,feed,andagro-industrialuses.

q Enhanced nutritional content of storage roots (high protein and micronutrientcontents).

q Delayed onset or deactivation of physiological postharvest deterioration (PPD) ofstorageroots.

q Drought resistance as cassava expands to non-traditional areas and in the light ofglobalclimatechange.

q Nutrientuseefficientvarieties(Nutrientresponsiveness).

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q Herbicideresistancefordurableweedcontrol.

q Goodplantarchitectureforeaseofmechanizedoperationsandeaseofprocessing.

q Highrootandfoliageyield(dualpurposecassava)forfoodandfeed.

q Acyanogenesis to reduce costs of processing, enhance nutrient bioavailability andpreventsetbackincassavaglobalmarket.

Breeding efficiency and effectiveness can be tackled through: shortened breeding cycle;robustseedproductionmethods(e.g.doublehaploidsforrapidproductionofhomozygouslines,purehybridseedproduction,apomixesandseedsystems);profuseflowering“atwill”to access a greater diversity of parental materials; development of effective molecularmarkers and database to optimize the use of genetic resources and marker-aidedintrogression/selection;andrapid,cheapmoleculardiagnostictoolsforimportantdiseasessurveillanceandtoensurethesafemovementofgermplasm.

ACGIAR-commissionedstudytoassessimpactofIITAgermplasmimprovementrevealsthat:

q Between1965and1998,200cassavacultivarswerereleasedbyNARS

q IITAmaterialsrepresented80%ofthegermplasmincorporatedinnewvarietiesforthe1990sandresultedinyieldadvantageofabout49%

q Representsanincrementtoannualproductionthatprovidesfoodsecuritytoafurther14millionpeople

q 1381cassava scientists (38%of senior, and49%of intermediate level researchers)trainedinSSA

In conclusion Dixon pointed out unfinished tasks - arrest of the limitations, modernizingcassava production, enhancing productivity, adaptability, value addition, and adoptability.Thisrequiresforcinga“breakthrough”incassavaimprovementthroughbothconventionalandnewinnovativeapproachesandtools.Heurgedthescientiststobewareof increasingprominenceofCassavaBrownStreakDiseaseandemergingpest threats suchaschlorosiswhichaffectsthebottomofleaves;brownstreaksonstems;drynecroticrot–mostdamagingtorootsandbemisiatabaci(whiteflies)asadirectpest.

Healsoemphasizedthatwithoutmarkets,technologywillgonowhereandtheneedformoreresourcesandeffectivecapacitybuilding,networkingforsustainabilityofR&Dandeffectivepartnershipswitheffectivecoordination.

2.9. Officialopeningoftheworkshop

OlusegunAyenithedeputyministerforagricultureandruraldevelopmentonbehalfoftheHon.MinisterChiefAuduOgbehwasgladtobepartoftheimportantNextGenAGMeventaswellastobeinIITAwhentheinstitutecelebratesits50yearsofresearch.Hecongratulated

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IITAfortheirexcellentresearchnotonlyincassavabutalsoinotherimportantcropssuchasmaize,soybean,banana/plantain,yamandcowpea.

Ayenireiteratedtheimportanceofcassava–it’samajorstaplecropandpovertyfighterinNigeria. Traditionally, cassava is processed into gari, fufu and akpu, but recently with

increased investments cassava isnowprocessed intoflour, ethanol and starch. The entrance of thecompanies has increased the demand for cassava inNigeriaandthisisgoodnewstothefarmers.

AyeniwasconcernedthatalthoughNigeriaisamajorproducer of cassava the yield per hectare is notimpressive. Farmers get between 8-10 tons perhectare;comparingcassavayieldinNigeriawithothercountriessuchasThailand,whereyieldsgoabove20

tonsperhectare,thenNigerianfarmerscannotcompete.Forthesereasons,researchersareimportantandthefirstphaseoftheNextGenCassavaprojectalreadyproducedgoodresults.Scienceiscriticalforatransformationalchangeofthecassavasectorespeciallybecausetheremore issues to contendwith such as low cassava productivity, climate change, pests anddiseasesamongmanyothers.Theseemerginglimitationscallfornewbreedingoptionsthatarequickandsmart.AyenicongratulatedtheNextGenteamfortheworktheyarealreadydoingtoaddresstheconstraintsforcurrentaswellasfuturegenerations.

TheNigeriangovernmenthasmadeacommitmenttorepositionagricultureforeconomicandinclusivegrowthandhaslaunchedtheAgriculturalPromotionPolicy,2016-2019,tagged“thegreenalternative.”Thegreenalternativeroadmaprecognizesthekeyroleofbothsmallholderfarmers and large scale farmers in maximizing agricultural output, achieving increasedefficiencyofagriculturaloperationsbyentrustingtheprivatesectorwiththeroleofdrivinggrowthoftheagriculturesector.Theprivatesectorisalsotaskedwiththeresponsibilityofcreating linkages to help smallholder farmers to take advantage of better organizationmethods, technological access, financial services and linkages to input supply chains andmarkets.

Ayeni concludedby acknowledging thatNextGenCassava goals are in alignmentwith thefederalgovernmentsagendabyworkingtowardsagriculturerevitalizationthroughprovisionofbetterseeds.Heemphasizedthecriticalroleofresearchersforthesuccessofthegreenalternativeandurgedallpartnerstocontinueworkingtogethertotakecassavatothenextlevelandputsmilesonthefacesoffarmersandhouseholds.

Ayenideclaredtheworkshopopenandwishedtheparticipantsfruitfuldeliberations.

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3. TakingstockofprogressmadeinphaseIThisstepofthemeetingaimedatlookingatthestateoftheartoftheworkintheNextGenproject.Usingpresentations,groupandplenarydiscussionsparticipantsexploredthestateoftheworkdonebythedifferentpartnerssoastounderstandprogressmadesofar,successes,challengesfaced,gapsandimplicationsforthefuture.

AselectnumberofInputpresentationsweremadedetailingtheprogressdoneafterwhichparticipantsofferedfeedback,soughtclarificationsandidentifiedthesuccesses,challengesandimplicationsforthefuture.

3.1. NationalCropsResourcesResearchInstitute(Uganda)

ThepresentationbyRobertKawukiprovidedupdateson:

GenomicSelectionunder2-yearcycle(Selection,Crossing,Evaluating):RankingTPbasedonGEBVs (2014); Crossing among top clones (2014); Cycle 1 in field (2015-2016); Cycle 2generation(2016-2017).LeadTraits-CassavaBrownStreakDisease,DrymattercontentandHarvestIndex

GxE studies: 120-150 Clones/site across 32 environments: Environmental componentsrecorded–temperature,rainfall,relativehumidityandsolarradiation.Candidatesforofficialrelease-pendingregistrationandyieldperformancetrials.

Genome-wideassociationstudiesforCBSD:714clonesevaluatedin4locations;2-3seasons;genotypingdoneatCornell~41,530SNPssharedthehighlysignificantSNPsforfoliaronbothchromosome 4 (128) and chromosome 11(29); Re-analysing the root necrosis data andthereaftersharetheinformation.

Participatory variety selection trials - 9 farmers (3 from each of the target 3 districtsinvolved);Testclones:top4ofthe5CPvarieties;Targetdatasets-qualitativesocialdataandquantitativebiologicaldata.

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M.Scstudent inMakerereUniversityunderProf.PaulGibsonandDr.RichardEdema -3havesubmittedtheirthesiswhile5areyettosubmit.

DatauploadsintoCassavabase

ExaminationofgenderdisaggregatedcassavatraitspreferencesofsmallholderfarmersinUganda-informationwillbeusedtodesignappropriatebreedingstrategiesforthepreferredtraits.

PEARL component - Seedling nursery for improvedgermplasmfromIITA–35,000seeds;PhenotypingTPforpro-vitaminAcarotenoids;Genderdisaggregatedstudyonperceptionsonyellowcassava;Crossingblock forpopulation improvement–20parents;Diseasedata fromTP forpVAC;Enhancedcapacityforhighthroughputphenotyping.

FascinatingchallengesandOpportunities:

• Highlyresistantclones(potentiallyprogenitors);

• Yieldpenalty(canincreasingploidyhelp?)

3.2. NationalRootCropsResearchInstitute(Nigeria)

ThepresentationbyJosephOnyekaprovidedupdateson:

Objective1:identifyingmethodstoimprovefloweringandseedsetincassava-Agronomicdata was collected on plant height (PH), branching height (BH), level of branching (LB),numberof inflorescence/fork (NI),numberofmale flowers/fork (NMF),numberof femaleflowers/fork (NFF) and number of fruits/fork (NF). Data was analyzed using Analysis ofVariancemethodinGenSTATedition3.0andMSExcel2007.

The conclusions: BA application on cassava plant showed little or no influence on thefloweringinductionatthefirstyearofspray;cassavaplantscarriedoverthememoryofthefirstyearBAapplicationatthesecondyearofestablishment(whencloned)andthisinducedfloweringonTME419;thememoryoftheBA,wearsoutatthethirdyearofestablishment(secondcloning).

Objective 2: implementing genomic selection in cassava: C1 prediction and selections ofparents:GEBVSwerepredictedfortheC1aindividualsfromGSandpolycrossprogenies.Fiftyprogenieswithhighindexvalueswereselectedasparentsforthenextgeneration.Theyhavebeenplantedoutinacrossingblocktogenerateseedsforthenextpredictioncycle.The50progenies were selected using Index weights guided by the price of gari and desiredcorrelationamongtheselectedtraitsofinterest.

Genome-wideassociationstudyforCGM:Toidentifymarker-traitassociationsforcassavagreen mite resistance and associated traits using genome-wide association studies. 848

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diverseNRCRIbreedinglineswereusedintheanalyses.Evaluatedin2013/2014,2014/2015and2015/2016croppingseasonsinthreedifferentlocations:Umudike,OtobiandKano.

Traits:CassavaGreenMiteSeverity,LeafPubescence,LeafRetention,StayGreen,ShootTipCompactnessandShootTipSize.

Conclusion:Awell-definedpeakonchromosome8wasobservedforCGMS,LPandLRinallthelocations.TherewasnoeffectofgenotypebyenvironmentforthetraitsbycomparingtheGWASresultsacrossthethreeyearsandthreelocations.

Movingforward

• OfficiallyreleaseNextGencassavavarietiesinNigeria

• Breeding pipelines development for new populations and varieties targeting specificpreferredtraits.

• Phenotyping reference lab for root quality traits: defining trait profiles, calibration oftools,improvedphenotypingusingPortableNIRS.

• Preliminary results using our potable NIRS are promising for the quantification ofimportanttraitsandprovidesflexibilityforfield-basedsamplepreparation

• PhD students will resume greater responsibilities in the national cassava breedingprogrammeaftertheirgraduation.

3.3. ImplementationofGenomicSelectionatIITA(2012-2017)

ThepresentationbyIsmailRabbiprovidedupdatesonprogressmadeandfutureprospectsofthecassavaBreedingUnitatIITA:

Accomplishments

• FourannualbreedingcyclesimplementedusingGS.

• >8500clones(C0,C1,C2,C3)genotyped-by-sequencing.

• ThousandsofclonesfromsuccessiveGScyclesphenotyped.

• PotentialvarietiesfromGSpipelineevaluated:

– FirstUYTfromCycle1

– SeveralAYTsfromCycle2.

• Selectiongaintrialunderway–intendtoimplementthefirstNEXTGENgeneticgainstrialin2015-2016usingC0,C1andC2clones.ClonesfromGSC0,C1,andC2plantedinthesamereplicatedtrialin2015-2016and2016-2017seasonsatIbadanandMokwa.

• Implementationofannualbreedingcycle-breedingactivitiesmodernized.

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• Geneticarchitectureonimportanttraitsunderstoodandtrait-linkedmarkersdeveloped.Recordedtraits-Pestanddiseaseresistance(MCMDS,MCBBS,MCGM);Agronomictraits(sprout, vigor, Plant type, Flowering); Nutritional content (TCC, b*); Yield and yieldcomponents(DM,HI,FYLD,RTWT,RTNO)

Challengesandopportunities

• Phenotypingplatformforqualitytraits

– Current focus is onobservable traits (pest, diseases, yield and yield-components,plantmorphologyetc.)

– Limitedcapacityforqualitytraitassessment

– Needdedicatedanalyticalchemistrylab+Personnel?

• Fieldphenotyping

– Improvefielddesigns

– Irrigationfacilities

• Genotyping

– GBStorAmpSeq:PotentialforgenotypingmoreseedlingsrequiredupgradingofDNAextractionfacilities

– Need to improve local capacity to prepare rAmpSeq libraries and bioinformaticspipeline.

• Diversifybreedingpipeline.

3.4. CassavaBreedingProgressinTanzania

ThepresentationbyHenerikoKulembekaprovidedupdatesonNextGenactivitiesinTanzania:

• VisittoTanzaniabyNEXTGENteamfromCornellandIITAinApril2016-discussedandagreedontrainingpopulations,activitiesforLZARDIUkiriguruandSRIKibaha

• Signed Sub-Agreement (No. 67724-10707) betweenLZARDI Ukiriguru and CornellUniversityonimplementationofNEXTGENinTanzania.

• Establishment of Training population - Clonal Evaluation Trial; Preliminary Yield Trial;AdvancedYieldTrialand5CPGxEtrialforARI-Ukiriguru,ARI-KIbahaandChambezisite.

• Phenotyping and data collection - number of cuttings planted per plot, sproutingpercentage,CMDincidences:3,6,9MAP,CMDseverity:Maximumscore:3,6,9MAP,CBSD incidences: 3, 6,9 MAP, CBSD severity-maximum score: 3, 6,9 MAP, Branchingheight,Plantheightincm,CGMincidencesandseverityandDMC

• Genotyping-collectionandshipmenttoIITA-IbadanofLeafsamplesforDNAextractionandgenotyping

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• Trainingcourseondatamanagement-2staff (1male,1Female)attendedtrainingatIITA:experimentaldesignanddataanalysis,Cassavabase,datacaptureusingtabletsanduseofelectronicfieldbookandtablets:received6tabletsfromCornellUniversity:3forARI-Ukiriguruand3forKibaha

Successes

• Identified7bestvarietiesunder5CPGxEthataregoodforCBSD,DMCandYield

• ThreecandidategenotypesidentifiedforOfficialRelease

• Stafftrained

Challengesandgaps

CassavabrownstreakdiseaseisstillbigchallengeinTanzaniaandtheregion

• Sourcesofresistance–notyetenough

• Mechanismofresistancenotfullyknown:

– Leafsymptoms-rootnecrosis

– Leafsymptoms–norootnecrosis

– Noleafsymptom–rootnecrosis

• CBSDPhenotypingmethods-mainlyvisualobservations-subjective

Movingforward

• Harvestingoftrainingpopulations

• Phenotypingofpresenttrainingpopulationsforsecondyear

• SearchformoresourcesofCBSDresistance

• GeneticcrossesandphenotypingforCBSD

• UtilizemarkersforCBSDresistance(MAS)??

• Participatoryvarietalselection

• Processesforofficialreleaseofavailablecandidatevarieties(DUS,NPT)

• Seedmultiplicationofcandidateandreleased

3.5. CassavaGenomics:GenomeAssemblyv7

RobertoLozanopresentedonbehalfofSimonProchnikthefollowing:

• Historyofimprovement-AM560-2referenceversions:totalbases-v4*532Mb(2012),v5.1†534Mb(2014),v6‡582Mb(2016).

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• Improvingassemblywith long reads - 97xdepth, 73.3Gbof sequence (8.1M reads);Assemblyreads(10+kb)-63xdepth,48Gbofsequence(3.3Mreads).Longreadsenableamorecompleteassembly,howeverlongreadsarenotimmunetomisassembly

Successes:

• Longreadsenablingalonger,morecompleteassembly.

• Manymisassembliesinv6willberemediedinv7.

• Manygapsinv6canbefilled.

Challenges:

• Newmisassemblieswilloccurandmustbecorrectedwhenidentified.

• Repeatscontinuetofragmentlongreadassembly.

Implicationsforthefuture:

• Muchmanualreviewisrequired.

• Mustresearchanddevelopmethodstovalidatecontigs,breakmisjoins.

• Scaffoldoverrepeatsandback-fillresultinggaps,ifpossible.

3.6. GeneticLoadinCassavaandrAmpSeq

RamuPunnapresentedthefollowing:

Accomplishments

v NextGenCassava:

o NewdiscoverybuildwasdevelopedinJune2016with32000clonesand450KSNPs

o GBSSNPswereprojectedtoHapMapIIsites(28Mvariants).

v Geneticload:

o MutationalburdenisestimatedinallcultivatedcassavaclonesincludedinHapMapII

Take home: Genetic load is increasing in cassava, but breedersmasking harmful deleteriousmutationsinheterozygousstatetomaintainyield.

o Deleteriousmutationsaffectthefitnesstraits(yield/clone)incassava.

o Machinelearningalgorithmsarebeingdevelopedtopredicttheeffectofdeleteriousmutationsonyield.

v rAmpSeq(formerlyrepGen):Developed incassavaand istreatedasdominantmarkersystem.

o rAmpSeqisworkingincassava.

o rAmpSeqhassimilarpredictionaccuracyasGBSsites.

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Challenges Gaps Implicationsforthefuture• Maize (lots of repeats)HapMap pipeline did notworkforcassava

• High edit distance toreference genome due torepeatsequences

• Phasing of the parentallines

• Quality of other species’genome preventsregulatory elements frombeingscoredeasily

• Differentiation betweendeleterious vs adaptivevariants

• Genetic load is increasingincassava

• Developnewstrategies topurge deleteriousmutationfromthecassavagenome

• Masking the load is ashort-termfix:‘mutationalmeltdown’ is on itshorizon

rAmpSeq(formerly:repGen)incassava

• 26primerpairs -primerpairdistribution incassava -reasonablyenriched ingene-richregions

• EvaluatedoninbreedingpopulationfromIITA(95samples)=Cost$3/sample

• Datageneratedasdominantmarkersystem=NoSNPscalled.Tags(amplicons)usedasmarkers(+/-)

• rAmpSeqisgoodforpopulationstratification

Challenges Gaps ImplicationsforthefutureLess power to maprepeat reads toreference

• Trainingofscientists/studentsinsequencealignments

• Handling big data(programming skills –Java/Python/PERL/R)

• rAmpSeqworks,butitwilldiesoon

• Why? Illumina – NovaSeq: cost3-foldlower

• Whatisthealternative?WGS

Conclusions

• Geneticloadisincreasingincassava

• Breedersaremaskingload-‘mutationalmeltdown’isonthehorizon

• Needstrategiestopurgeload

• rAmpSeqischeapandworkingwellincassava,butitwilldiesoon-PredictionissimilartoGBS,notexploitedfortraitmapping.

3.7. GenomicSelectioninNextGen

Jean-LucJanninkgavethefollowinghighlights:

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Intheorygenomicselectionshouldwork.In“theory”thereisnodifferencebetweentheoryand practice. In practice, there is. We have to acknowledge the very important role ofconventionalbreedingandphenotyping

• Preliminaryevidenceofgain(FreshRootYield)-Traitislogtransformedtosatisfystatisticalmodel assumptions. Calculations show ~ 5% gain perselectioncycleinthesefirsttwocycles.Wecan’tpretendtoknowwhetherthatwillcontinue(itseemsunlikely)butit’saveryencouragingresult.ContrarytodrymatterandCMDresistance,foryield,theverybestclonesoftheC2aresubstantiallyhigheryieldingthantheverybestclonesofC0(by10%!!!)

• Elitecassavamasksdeleteriousalleles-excellentresearchwasdonebyRamuPunnaandFeiLuwhousedpopulationgeneticapproachestoidentifydeleteriousallelesandwhethertheywereinthehomozygousorheterozygousstate.ComparedtoProgenitors(PRO),eliteLatinAmerican(LAC)andAfricancassavashavelowernumbersofallelesinHOMOZYGOUSstatebutgreaternumbersinHETEROZYGOUSstate.Topurgethesealleles,theyneedtobeexposedinthehomozygousstate.

• Firstyearvalidationtrial–sametrendsasfrombreedertrialsBUTonly~2%improvementsinyieldontheaveragefromC0toC2.

TakeHomes

• Much evidence suggests GS is working: all traits are moving in the right direction;validationandbreedertrialsareconsistent

• TheerrorrateendsmytakeonadownnoteBUT:whatdefinesusistheprogresswemake- continuous improvement is our moonshot(needtoworkmoreonqualitycontrol)

• Integrating research with practice is anongoingchallengethatisaproblemofitsown-we apply ourselves to this challenge goingintoPhaseII.

3.8. CassavabaseUpdate

LukasMueller’spresentationgaveupdatesonchallengesfaced,gapsandimplicationsforthefuturefortheCassavabase:

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NewfeaturesoftheCassavabase:

• TrialDesign:Supportfornurseries+physicaldesignuploadandonlineediting

• CrossingManager:nowsupportsmulticross,polycrossandreciprocalcross

• Plant-levelphenotyping-eachplantonaplotisaseparateentityinthedatabasethatcanbeassociatedwithphenotypicscores.Plot-levelscoresarecalculatedfromplantscores

• Database-direct phenotyping - Use Cassavabase directly in the field; new interfacesemulatesfieldbook interface;requirestabletwithcellulardata,cellulardataplan,andcellularsignalatfield

• Support for barcodes: in field book and database-direct phenotyping; 2-D barcodes;improvedbarcodeprintingandsoonaninterfaceforportablebarcodeprinters

• TrialComparison

• solGStool-addedgenotypedatafilters(e.g.MAF,missingdata,monomorphicmarkers);selectiongainvisualization;expandedjobqueueingformoretimeconsumingtasks;uselist of trials to create training dataset; speed improvements and user interfaceimprovements

• CassavaExpressionAtlas

UpcomingFeatures

• Post-composingofphenotypeterms-allowtomixontologiestocreatenewterms

• CrossSearch-Searchforcrossesusingfemaleormaleparents

• Accessionusagestatspage-Howoftenanaccessionhasbeenused

PlannedFeatures

• Supportformorehand-heldappsforphenotypingandcrossingmanagement(PhenoApps)

• Supportformorepredictionalgorithms(OHV)

• Farmer-basedevaluations,questionnaires

ChallengesandGaps ImplicationsfortheFuture� Internetstability

� Datacuration-mustbeon-going,datamanagersarecentral

� Training:Workshopsandneedtoassurethatsystemisused

� Cassavabase“DigitalEcosystem”-CassavaBreedingInc.

� Users should not have to leave “ecosystem” as thiscreatesproblemswithdataintegrityandquality.

� SupportforGOBII

� SupportforBrAPI

Caution:

• Dataqualityissues

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• Datasovereigntyissues

• useofgoodtechnologyandsoftwareprinciples

• Thedatabaseiscurrentlynotavailable,butplansareunderwaytocreateapublicversion.

3.9. NextGenCassavaGermplasm

PeterKulakowgavethefollowinghighlights:

TheGermplasmexchangeaimstoenhancecassavabreedingacrosscontinentsbyuseofmostadvancedphytosanitaryprocedurestoensuresafeandeffectivemovementofalleles.

PriorityTraitsforIntercontinentalGermplasmTransfer:

• CBSDresistancesourcesfromLatinAmericatoAfrica

• HighcarotenoidsfromLatinAmericatoAfrica

• CMDresistancetoLatinAmericaandAsia

• HighstarchyieldfromLatinAmericaandAsiatoAfrica

• Qualitytraits:poundabilityandcookingquality;Starchproperties

• Otherbiotic andabiotic stress resistance:white fly resistance;Cassavabacterial blightresistance

• Mechanization traits: Uniform root shape; Plant type; Herbicide tolerance; Nutrientresponse

• Heterosispotentialforyield

IntercontinentalGermplasmtransfersachieved

• 24accessionsof8ManihotspeciestransferredtoUgandathroughStephanWinterlab,mediatedbyTimSetter’slab

• 103 high carotenoid clones received byIITA from CIAT in January 2017 - 100clones established in tissue culture atIITA;TransferfromIITAtoNaCRRI,NRCRI,CSIR-CRIinprocess

• 1500 botanic seed received by NRCRIfromCIATin2016

• 75CIATclonesreceivedbyIITAfromStefanWinterlabinFebruary2017–

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allareestablishedintissueculture-asimilarshipmenthasbeenreceivedinMarch2017byNaCRRI;PurposeofthetransferistoCBSDresistancesources

HawaiiSeedProduction–Seedlingnursery

No.plants

Seedparents Totalseed

%plantsproducingseed

IITA openpollinated 250 156 7198 62.4

CIAT openpollinated 207 121 4171 58.5CIATxIITA biparental 140 725 Total 457 12094

• ProofofConcept:Highseedproductionpotentialfromaseedlingnursery

• Highfloweringenvironment

• SeedcanmovetoAfrica,SouthAmericaandAsia

• Increased technical pollination support during the peak flowering seasonwill result inhigherbiparentalcrossseedproduction

• Crossesneedtofocusonhighpriorityselectedparents

HawaiiSeedProduction–2017ClonalEvaluation

• 64clonesselectedbasedonseedproduction,planttype,drymattercontent,plantvigor

• 30CIATclones,34IITAclones

• 5plantsperplot

• AlternatingrowsofCIATandIITAclones

• Plansforadditionaltechnicalsupportduringpeakpollinationseason

TheWayForward–IntercontinentalGermplasmExchange

• Transferofallelesbetweencontinents iscritical to the futureofcassavaproduction inAfricaandAsia

• Criticaltraits:resistancetoCBSDandCMDmustbesharedtoaddressbioticthreats

• Climatechange:adaptation tochangingenvironments.TheseenvironmentshavebeenunderselectioninLatinAmerican

• Transit centers are challenging to organize - two excellent transit centers have beensupportedbyNextgenCassava–Univ.ofHawaii/USDAandStephanWinterlaboratory

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3.10. GenderResponsiveCassavaBreeding

HaleTufan’spresentationhighlightedthefollowing:

Genderisnotaboutwomen–itisthediversityofendusersandequitablyaddressingtheirneeds.GenderResearchprovidesinformationthatwillenabledevelopmentofvarietiesthatmeetproducer,processorandconsumerdemands-increasedadoptionandimpact.Thinkinglikeacompanyincassavabreeding–havetounderstanddemandandconsumerprofiles(smarteconomics).Betterdefinetraitsandrelativeimportanceforendusersby“ground-truthing”preferredcharacteristicsandrefinephenotypingmethodsforbreeding

Summaryofprogressingenderresponsivecassavabreeding

• NEXTGENPhaseIfocusedonunderstanding-baselinestudiesinNigeriaandUganda

• Paperontraitprofiles,genderbasedneedsandopportunities incassavaproduction inNigeria-submittedtoEconomicBotany(seepartialresultsbelow)

Variety(type)

Reasonsforpreference

Men WomenMolekanga(local)

Highyielding,poundable,goodforgarri, marketable, earlymaturing(6-9months). Also called povertyremovalcrop

Poundable, root size, high yielding, weedsuppression, low cost of production andearly maturing. Also called food securityfriendlycassavavariety

OkoIyawo(local)

Poundable, mealy, high yielding,earlymaturing (7-12months) andresistancetopestanddiseases

Mealy, short time tocook,good tasteandproductqualityforgari,eba,fufuandlafun

Dangaria(Improved)

Good taste,white color, very talland multiple stems for plantingmaterials. Good for feedinglivestock

Highmarketdemand,poundable,goodrootand product color, weed suppression, tallstems, goodproductquality for garri, fufuandlafun

Idileruwa(local)

Resistant to pests and diseases,underground storability withoutrotting, weed suppression, lowcostofproduction

Cansurviveafterpestattack,undergroundstorabilitywithoutrotting,canstayfor3-4daysafterharvesting,goodproductquality

Nwaocha(local)

Dewaters faster,highdrymatter,late maturing, allows forintercropping

Beautiful to behold, good plantarchitecture, ferments quickly 2-3 days,odourless,goodproductqualityforabacha,lafunandgari

Nwankwo(local)

High yielding, marketable andearlymaturing

Goodproductquality,highrootnumberandearlymaturing

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IITA(Improved)

Pest and disease resistance, rootsizeandshape,brancheswellandsmoldersweeds,cansurviveharshconditions

Highyielding,post-harveststorability,highdrymattercontentmakesgarriswell.

• CGIARgenderpostdocBelaTeekenjoinedteam,designingnextphaseofPVStrials

ü Movefromextractivetointeractive:GenderresponsivePVS

ü Current varieties and advanced breeding lines evaluated by farmer-processors:agronomic,processingandend-useperformance-testpipelineonfarm

ü Uncovernewpreferences/traits?Relationtosocialcontext

ü Actionresearch-examinesprocessitself: intra-household/intra-villageandintra-taskgroupdecisionmaking.PowerrelationsandnormsrevealedbystudyingPVSprocess-whodecidesandwhyandhow-tiestopositionality

ü Test15varieties-Mother-babytrials

Mother:farmer’sfieldthatwillcontainallthe15varietiesplusalocallygrownandhighlyappreciatedvariety-researchermanaged-geneticpotential

Baby:20individualfieldtrialswith3varietieseach(VanEtten2016)

ü Processstudy:informalinterviews,focusgroupdiscussions,incomeallocationgames,lifehistories,andpositionalityanalysis

• Studentupdate-Keytraitsidentifiedandphenotypingmethodsindevelopment

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Challenges Gaps Implicationsforthefuture• Transcription of what exactlyfarmers like in a variety isproblematic-differentaspectsareinvolvedandfarmershaveatacit feelaboutwhatworksforthem

• Farmerpreferencesareoftennot determined by singletraits only but by acombinations of traits. Traitpackages?Prioritization?

• Correlating lab basedmeasurements withpreferences-weakproxies

• What are ”gendered traits”?Binary comparisonofmen vswomen.

• Understanding- quality traitslike good for gari are stillopaque- need considerablework to unpack thesedescriptions into “breedable”units

• Prioritization- Need to linkwith economic weightscoming out of Ugo’s work.Inform further studies withtraits emerging from genderwork

• Holisticview-onlySEandSWNigeria,andcertaindistrictsinUganda

• Linkages- link breedingdirectly to survey and socialresearchwork

• Validation-Empiricalevidencetobacksurveyinformation

• Positive re-framing: Focus ontacit knowledge and co-creation

• Add 1000minds methodologytotoolbox

• Refinetools,addvarietiesandexpand geographically togenerate user profiles andpossible trait packages tomatch, to inform breedingprograms

• Newlinesofenquiry:”Informaladoption” study- measurediffusion? Comparative study:does participation matter?Deeper study into the qualitycharacteristics- what is goodgari?

• Formulate breeding strategiesin relation to the present andanticipated social dynamics incassava cultivation andprocessing

3.11. UgandaBioscienceInformationCenter

BarbaraMugwanyalookedatUBICasaspecialinitiativeunderNextGen.UBICisabiosciencesinformationhubofNAROwhosecoremandateisBiotechnologyandBiosafetyeducation.

UBICachievements

• Keyplayer in theprocessof settingupenablingBiotechnologypolicy environments inUganda,Tanzania,Rwanda

• Keysourceforbiotechandbiosafetyeducationandinformation–NARO.One-stopcenterforbiotechandbiosafetyinformationinUganda;exhibitions,increasedmediapresence,awareness meetings, seeing-is-believing tours; Integration of modern biosciences ineducationcurriculum

• TrainedBiotechspokespersons:scientistsandcommunicators

• Strengthenedmediadialogueforagriculturalresearch

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• Keyadvisorforagriculturecurriculumreforms

• BiosafetycomplianceandcommercializationpathwayoversightforBiotechProjects

• Advisorforvariousregionalinitiatives:ABNE,OFA

• Strengthened skills for the UBIC Team to support biotech products’ research andcommercialization - Risk Communication training; training in Grassroots Mobilization;TechnologyTransferandIPRmanagementforBiotech;AWARDLeadershiptrainingandBiosafetyLegislationImplementation

• Drafted a NextGen Publication Policy - to provide the NEXTGEN Cassava project withguidelines to communicate research findings with target audience and provide thegroundworkforastandardproceduretoenableconsistent,fairandrepeatableprocessforprojectpublications.Alongwithplanningpolicy; researchdatamanagementpolicy;authorship policy;manuscript review policy; publication avenues policy and grievancepolicy

Challenges ImplicationsfortheFuture• Very pro-active and well-funded anti-scienceadvocates

• The battle between emotionalmanipulationvsfacts

• Increasing negative perception ofimprovedtechnologiesandproducts

• Willingness of scientists to bespokespersons

• Support implementation of enablingbiotechpolicyenvironmentsinUgandaandbeyond

• Up-scale training programs forscientistsandcommunicators

• Support commercialization pathwaysfordifferentbiotechproducts

• Increased NextGen communicationwithIP-CALSCommunicationsTeam

UBIChasbecomethesciencecommunicationvoiceforNARO.ThismodelshouldbereplicatedinotherNARs.

3.12. Embrapa’sSupplementaryProjectforNextGen

EderJ.OliveiraelaboratedtheEmbrapagivingthefollowinghighlights:

“EmbrapaNextGen”runsfromApril2016toSeptember2019toadvanceongoingactivitiesoffloweringandgenomeselectionincassavaandgermplasmexchangetoNextGenpartners.

1.Genomicselection:twoyearbreedingcycleatEmbrapa(1stcycle(2016-2017)and2ndcycle(2018-2019))

2.Improvingcassavafloweringandseedset:

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ü Grafts between genotypes with high and low flowering rate - 3 Genotypes; 12Treatments;Cleftgraft;#ofsuccessfulgrafts:~70%(48–88%)

ü Newgraftingmethod for cassava flowering induction -Multi-graftingon rootstockallowsseveralgraftsofthesamegenotypeinasinglerootstockplantàfacilitatinggreatertransferoffloweringstimulusbetweencontrastinggenotypes(highandlowfloweringrate)

3.Germplasmexchange-Sexualseedsof11wildcassavaspeciesavailableforexchangeandM. esculenta clones with highest GEBV – available on August 2017, after tissue cultureintroduction

Challenges Implicationsforthefuture• Severe drought stress in the lastyears(2011-2016)®lowseedset,especially from September toFebruary

• Fewgraduatestudents (Doctoral)andnoPost-doclinkedtoNextGenEmbrapateam

• Low flowering brings difficulties to obtain lotsamount of seeds® move to partially half-sibfamilies?

• Reinforcing links with Cornell and otherinstitutions mainly for training to develop anstandardizedpipelineforgenomicselection

• New breeding approaches and tools to allowrapidphenotyping

Inductionoffloweringincassavathroughgrafting

HernanCeballosgaveanupdateofCIAT-CornellUniversityworkonfloweringincassava:

ü SM3348-29:Branchedandfloweredaftergraftingü GM3500-2:Branchedbutdidnotflowerü SM3409-43:Didnotbranch,norflowered

AllgenotypesplantedonAugust8,2016

• Percentageofplantswithdifferentlevelsofbranching:averageoffourlightintensitiesvschecks-extendedphotoperiodinducedearlierbranchingineverygenotype;Genotypesthatflowerbymid-season(GM971-2)orlateintheseason(CM4919-1)hadthreelevelsofbranchingby5MAP

• Fruits developed through five and a half months after planting in four genotypesresponsivetoextendedphotoperiod-Therewasnomajordifferenceintheresponsetothedifferentlightintensities;Theearliertheextensionofphotoperiodbeginsthebetter;Therewasaclearimpactinenhancedproductionoffruitsinthreegenotypes

• Numberoffruitsstillintheplant192daysafterplanting-Ingeneral,thecombinationofBA+STSprovidedbetterresults;Forthe1sttimethe“asparagus”cassavafloweredand

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alreadyhadwelldevelopedfruits5MAP;Noticethatthereisconsiderablefruitproduction(andretention)inthefirstbranching;Clearinfluenceinnumberoffemaleflowers

• Consolidated responses: for grafting, photoperiod, BA, STS, BA+ STS. Combination ofgenotypes x stimuli is ideal for molecular studies; will combine light AND growthregulatorsandhopetohavea0.5ha“redlightdistrict”byJune2017

3.13. Flowering-MethodsforCassavaFloralInductionandEnhancedSeedSet

TimSettergavethefollowinginsightsonflowering:

Theproblem:Latefloweringdelaysorpreventscrossingandflowernumbersaretoofew.

OverallGoal:to identifymethodstoinduceearlierfloweringandstimulateprofuseflowernumbersandhelpbreedersmakemorerapidprogressbyenablingearliercrossesonmoreflowers,therebyshorteningthebreedingcycle.

Approaches:

• Graftontoahostplantthatisprofuselyproducingflowerstimulus-Identificationofsuperior under stock germplasm (Early, profuse flowering genotypes and wildrelativesofcassava)

• Environmental responses (Photoperiod X Temperature) - Main target: Flowerinductionforearlierflowering

® Photoperiodtreatments:

• Longday-lengths:Stimulatesearlierflowering,doesnotprovideprofusefloweringorflowerlongevity,decreasespartitioningtostorageroots

® Temperaturetreatments:

• Cooltemperature(moderate):Suppressesvegetativegrowth,stimulatesearlierflowering,doesnotprovideprofusefloweringorflowerlongevity

• Planthormoneandgrowthregulatorapplications–Compounds(Gibberellin–GA;PBZ(anti),Cytokinin–BA,ethylene–STS,AVG(anti),Auxin–NAA,NPA(anti),Salicylicacid,Jasmonicacid,combinations,dosages)

Successes Challenges Thewayforward• Long daylength hastensflowering;achievablewithdimredlight

• STS applicationmethods

ü phytotoxicity

• Optimize STS+BA applicationmethodsandtiming

• Develop field scale methodstoextenddaylength

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• Optimumtemperatureforearlyflowering≈25°C

• STS + BA stimulatesprofuse flowering, andincreasespercentfemales

ü sufficientuptakeinfieldplants

• Workshops and support foradoptionofthesemethodsincassavabreedingprograms

3.14. Postersession

Additionalsharingofprogressofworkdonebythedifferentpartnerswasundertakenthroughpresentation of the following posterswhichwere also analyzed thereafter in round tablediscussionswiththeearlierpresentations.

Clickonatitletoaccessthefullposter.

Listofposters:

1. TheGeneticBasisofReducingPostharvestPhysiologicalDeteriorationinCassava

2. ProgressiveRegionalGraduatePlantBreedingTrainingatMakerereUniversity,Uganda

3. AccuraciesofUnivariateandMultivariateGenomicPredictionModelsinAfricanCassava

4. EvaluationofSpatialCorrelationandGeneticCompetitiontoImproveGenomicPredictioninCassavaFieldExperiments

5. Genome-WideAssociationStudiesAcceleratesGenomicSelection:ImplicationsforCBSVResistanceinCassava

6. IntrogressedManihotglazioviiGenomeSegmentsSegregateinCassavaGermplasmandInfluenceKeyTraits

7. SocialDifferencesandGeneticAnalysisofPreferredCassavaTraitsofSmallholderFarmersinUganda

8. DevelopmentofProvitaminACassavawithVirusResistanceandFarmer-PreferredQualitiesinUganda

9. PlantGrowthRegulators’EffectonFloweringinCassava10. FlowerInitiationResponsetoPhotoperiodandTemperatureEnvironmentsinCassava11. CassavaGermplasmCollectionsinTanzania12. QTLAssociatedwithFieldResistancetoCBSD13. ModificationofFloweringinCassavaUsingaTransgenicApproach14. TowardsaGenderResponsiveCassavaBreedingPrograminNigeria15. PracticalityofGenomicSelectioninanAfricanCassavaBreedingProgram16. GenomicSelectiontoPre-BreedforResistancetoCBSDinWestAfricanClones17. GenomicSelectionMeetsTranscriptomics:PredictingQuantitativeResistancetoCBSV18. AlleleMiningandBreedingforCassavaGreenMiteResistanceinManihotesculenta19. DeleteriousMutationsareMaskedinCassavaGenome20. EffectsofGraftingTimeandMethodsUsedonScionandRootstockCompatibilityofCassava21. NIRSCalibrationforDMCandTCConWholeandMashedFreshCassavaRootSamples

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4. SynthesisofNextGenprojectpresentationsWithrefreshedunderstandingoftheprogressinNextGencassavaproject,theparticipantswereaskedtosynthesize thesuccesses,challengesand implications for thenextphaseofNextGen.

4.1. Successes,majorchallengesandimplicationsforthenextphaseofNextGen

Asmallteamwasformedtoclusterthesuccesses,challengesandimplicationsforthenextphaseofNextGenwhicharepresentedunderthethemesbelow:

SuccessGermplasmexchange

• Internationalexchangeofclonestotacklediseasesandotherchallenges• Hawaiigermplasmnurseryestablished–despitecassavabeingondonotgrowlist

fromUSDA• Germplasmtransferplatformavailable• Establishmentoftransferringcentrese.g.Hawaiiforthesharingofgenetic

material• BreakthroughingermplasmexchangeviaHawaiiandGermany• ProvedstabilityofHawaiifortransferbetweencontinents

NextGenvarietyrelease

• Varietyrelease–TanzaniaandNRCRI• Numberofprospectivenewvarietiesinthepipeline• Varietiesforreleaseinhand• NextGenvarietieswillbereadyforreleaseinthenextthreeyears• Candidatevarietiesforrelease

Genomicresourcesdeveloped

• Morecompleteandaccurateversionofcassavagenomesequence• Genomicresources• Excellentresourcesdevelopedforcommunity–Genome,Cassavabase,GS

performingasexpected

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• Excellentunderstandinggenomicloadincassava–buthowshouldNextGenrespondtothis?

Trainings

• Studentstrained• Youngbreederstrainedtosupportbreedingefforts• Capacitybuildingforallinvolvedpartnerinstitutionsandcountries• PhDstudentsareintegratedintoprogramsacrossallcountriesandseemtobe

thrivingGenomicselectionworking

• Genomicselectionworksincassava:gainsreportedfromcyclicimprovement• IITA?C0,C1,C2,C3• Genomicselectionseemstobeworkingandingoodprogress(GSbyC2)• DevelopmentandadvancementofGCcyclesinEastandWestAfrica• Collaborationissuccessfulforgettingfruits• Transformingfromconventional• ProgressinmadeinapplyinggeneticGS• Genomicpredictionmodelswork

Cassavabase

• Newfeaturesindatabasefromusersfeedback• Cassavabaseanalysistool• Cassavabaseflexibilityexpandedconsiderably• Electronicdatacapture• Databasedevelopedandaccessible• Datamanagement• Needformorecrossdisciplinaryworkinthenextphaseaswellasintensifygender

responsivebreedingandtraining• Traitsaremovingintherightdirection• GettingthegenomicselectionframeworkandCassavabaserepositorygoingin

goodtimeCommunicationandpublication

• Draftpublicationpolicy• Demystifyingconceptswithregardtobiotechnology• EfficientcommunicationonGMOswithfarmers• EstablishmentofUBICtospeakandadvocatewithaconsistentvoice• UBIChasbecomeagoodmodel(forlearning)• AwarenesscreationthroughUBIC• Movingtowardsend-userpreferredvarietiesthroughgenderinvolvement

Geneticarchitecture

• Pricereductionongenotyping• Lotsofgenotypicdatathatcanbelinkedtophenotypes• Greaterunderstandingofgeneticarchitecture• Enhancedfloweringwithcoolertemperaturesandlongerdaylength

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Crosscutting

• Genderresponsiveinitiatives• Betterunderstandingoffarmerspreference• Recognizedimportanceofconsumerqualitytraits(softness,Kwin,waterholding

capacity)• Enabledseed/cuttingstransfer• IdentificationofstarchtraitprofilesinnorthUganda

ChallengesPhenotyping

• FocusonidentifyingsourcesofCBSDresistance• Phenotypinghighthoughtfulmethods• BetterphenotypingtoolsforCBSD/CBSDPhenotyping• HowtomitigatespreadofCBSDwhichhasnegativeinfluenceonyield

performance• Standardizedatacollectionandphenotypingtrialsdesign• Capturenewsourcesofvariability(CBSD)• Phenotypingtoolsforconsumertraits(softness)• Understandinggeneticarchitectureofconsumerqualitytraitsandpathways• Newtraits–gariquality,cookingquality,nutritionalevaluation• Tacitlyevaluatingvarietieswithendusers–newvarietiesappreciatedalreadyand

newvarietiesfromNextGenandothers• Qualitytraitsdefinition• Difficultiesinfindingproxiesforgendertraits(i.e.softness)• Accuratetraitcharacterization• Lackofphenotypingprotocolsforgoodgari• Connectionsbetweengenomicsandconsumerspreference• Interventionofthefarmersintheselectionprocess• Goodunderstandingoffarmerpreferredtraits• Linkgenomicswithphenotypicdatavariability• Howtointegratemakersintobreedingschemes• Howtoincorporateconsumerpreferencesintobreedinglines• Betterphenotypingmethod(NIRS)DMC• Translatingpreferencesintomeasurabletraits• Transferofdiseaseswithgermplasminternationally

Advocacy

• Emotionsvsfacts(GMOandBiotechnologycommunication)• Antagonismbyanti-sciencegroups• Misconceptionsofbreedingefforts/products• NegativeperceptionofbiotechnologyinAfrica• Communicationofsciencetosociety(GMOvsmarker-aidedvarieties)

Traitmanagement

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• Skillmanagementtotransformfromconventionaltophenotypingtoelectronicphenotyping

• Protocoloptimization• Adjustmenttomanagingbigtrials• Tooearlyforrigorouscomparisonof1-+2-yearcycle• Howtomeasuregeneticgainswhencomparingearlycycles(“old”planting

material)andlatecycles(“young”plantingmaterial• Highqualityfieldtrailsthathavelowvariability,highH2• GenotypingskillshortageinAfrica–needforcapacitybuilding• Improvementofexperimentaldesigntocapturebetterheritability• Diversifytraitbreeding• Addingandidentifyingcassavatraitsinrelationtoenduserpreferences

Geneticload

• Whattodoaboutdeleteriousalleles• Purgingdeleteriousallelesprolongsbreedingcycle• Threatfromdeleteriousmutations–needfornewmethodstopurgethemout• Defineendusers’traits• Howtoidentifythespeciesdivergedatregularintervaltocharacterizethe

regulatoryelements• Howtoreducethegenotypingerrorrate• Howtoreducegeneticload• Morediscussionofcrossingstrategytoobtainbestrecombinants

Genotypingqualitycontrol

• Genotypingerror–adoptstandardoperatingprocedures• Errorrateingenotyping(duplicateclones)• GBSlabelingcontamination• ReduceGBSerrors–22%errorrate• GetconsensusoncassavaIDs• Effectivequalitycontrol

Germplasmexchange

• Complexityofseedexchangewiththissystem• MovinggermplasmfromHawaiiortissueculturefromCIATdirectlytofieldsin

Africa• Suitableparentsformakingcrossestobesharedacrossprograms• SourcesofCBSDresistance

Cassavabase

• Shouldthefocusbeonmakingnewfeaturesorensuringusageofexistingones• IsCassavabasehandytouseforcassavabreederswithintheircurrentdailywork• UseofCassavabaseislimited• Howfrequentlydocountryteamssharedata/information(docountries=silos)• MaintenancesupporttimeforCassavabase• ContinuoususageoftableandCassavabasesite

Referencegenome

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• PublicationofAfricancassavareferencegenome• GetanAfricancassavagenomereference

ImplicationsforthenextphaseCapacitydevelopment

• Partnerindependentsustainability• Strategicdevelopmentforutilizationofdevelopedcapacities• CoordinationofficeinAfricatofacilitategermplasmexchange• Needtohavemorecrossdisciplinaryworkinthenextphase• Intensifygenderresponsivebreedingandtraining

Cassavabase

• TrainallNextGenteammemberstouseCassavabase(especiallynewfeatures)• Integrateenduserpreferencestudiestoinformcassavabreeding(including

gender)• MakeCassavabaseaonestopshop• Consideradditionaltrainingfordatabasemanagerswhoareresponsiblefor

uploadingtoCassavabase• Analyticsispriority• IITAtrialstobealldesignedwithCassavabase

Breedingfortargettraits

• Trackefficientlystarchpropertiesinbreedingprogram• Drought• Biofortification• PhenotypingforDMCistrickyandhighlyinfluencedbyarrivalofrains• Understandingthequalityoftraits• Expandbaseoftraitsbeingstudied(informedbysurveywork)• Refinefloweringenhancement–light,grafting,PGR,locationandtiming• DocumentraftercloningPGRseedsettreated

Geneticload

• Needtostarttalkingaboutgenomeediting• TakeintoaccountgeneticloadduringcyclicimprovementthroughGS• GSimplementationisajourney–manageexpectations,incorporatedeleterious

allelesinGSmodels• Oneyearcyclewillleadtohighlybranchingtypes.Inductionoffloweringhighly

relevant.• Crossingstrategyisveryimportant.Usefulideasofselectingfordrymatterand

rootyield(120selectionsaremanyplantstorecombine).• Practicalimplications/usageoftransformedFt• FindroutingwaysofenhancingfloweringinbreedingandGScrossing

Communicationandadvocacy

• Goodscientificcommunication• Needforscientiststoengageincommunication

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• Bridgethecommunicationgapbetweenfarmersandbiotech

4.2. Addressingchallenges

Fourgroupswere formed toaddress theeightmainchallengesand reportbackusing theguidelinesintheBox5below.Discussionswereheldforapproximately1.5hours.

TaskBox2:Addressingchallenges

Herebelowthegrouppresentationsandplenarydiscussion

Challenge Underlyingissues Promisingstrategies,waystoaddressissuesandchallenge

Keyplayers

Phenotyping • Productquality• Institutionaldisconnection

• Disease–rootandleaf

• Homogeneityofsymptomsforimageanalysise.g.CBSD

• NIRS• largerpopulationfortraining/calculationofmultiplefarmerpreferredtraits

• Standardizeprotocols• Optimizationofcassavausagebyregion• Trialmanagement

• Farmers

• Personnel

Yieldanddrymatter

• Precision• Throughput

• NIRSadoption Breeders

Diseaseresistanceandsusceptibility

Precisionandthroughputofexistingtoolsisdeficient

• Highthroughputtoolsfortraitsthatwehavegoodunderstanding

• Artificialintelligencetorecognizeandscoredisease

• Computerscientistsspecializinginmachinelearning/remotesensing

Grouptask–Addressingchallenges

Foreachofthechallenge(s)/issue(s)

1.Whataretheunderlyingissues(whyisitanissue?)

2.Whatarepromisingstrategiesorwaystoaddresstheseissuesandchallenges?(Takeintoaccountgoodexperiencesandlessonspresentedintheworkshop).

3.Whoarethekeyplayerstoberesponsibleforthedifferentaspectsofthestrategiesorwaysofaddressingthechallenges?

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fromimages(drones/smartphones)

Trialmanagement Non-uniformfields • experimentaldesign • Mechanizationunit

• FieldscientistsEnd-userqualitytraits

Translatingconsumerpreferencesintomeasurabletraits

• Testkitchen• Participatorytrials• Relatetomeasurabletrials

• NIRS

• Breeders• Socialscientists• Foodscientists• consumers

GenotypingQualityControl

• Genotypestophonotypeslinkhassignificanterrors

• Duplicationofsamples

• sampletrackingfromfieldtolabandvice-versa

• GDFduplicationcoding(-1)buthavetobeaccordedwithcomments

• IITAstrategy–uniquebarcodeforeachplate

• ClonalmislabelingInthefield

• Implementprocedurestominimizeerror

• Developmethodstodetectproblems

• ConfirmlinkstogenotypewhenfirstenteredintoCassavabase

• Doublecheckbygenotypingspecificplantsusedforcrosses

• IDsourcesoferror-whichprogramsgenerateerrorsororetheyuniformlydistributedacrossprograms?Developbestpracticetominimizeerrors

• Insert“TEST”errorsandseewhattheylooklikeinordertoIDrealerrors

• IDeverystepwherethereisapossibilityoferror

• implementationofqualitycontrol–genotypinginCassavabase

• Cassavabasetobeusedfortrackingsamples–usersmustsetupagenotypingtrial

• Cassavabasetocheckgenotypeagainstparentsifavailable

• BTI,whohasidentifiedtheproblem

• Breederswhoaredoingcollectionsremoveerrors

GermplasmExchange

• ResourcelimitationinHawaii

• Riskofseedbornviruses

• Usingnewgermplasm

• Clearplanforusingnewgermplasm

• Implementaquarantinesiteforgrowingseedsuponarrivalatresearchstations

• Researchstations

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• Difficulttogetpermitsforfieldplanting

• LocationoutsideofUS(Vanuatu?–CIRADprogram)

• MovegermplasmthroughDSMZinordertobeverycareful

• Technicalcapacityformakingcrosses

Geneticload • deleteriousalleles–inbreedingdepression

• reducethenumberofdeleteriousallelesthroughintroductionofinbreedingstep

• breeders

CassavaBase

• Isusagehighenough• DuplicationbetweenBMSandCassavabase

• Needformoretoolsforanalysis(GWAS,QTLetc.)

• Analysisforvariance,heritability

• Fieldbooknotadequatefornurserytrails

•

• Trainingoutofprojectbreeders

• CollaborationswithFieldBookonappdevelopmenttoavoidduplication

• Addusefulapplications(addnewfeaturesandensureusage)

• StarttrialsinCassavabase(alsoforgenotypes)

• Maintenancesupport

• CassavaBaseTeam

AfricanReferenceGenome

• IsthereanAfricanreferenceGenome

• Yes,TME204genomewillbeavailablesoon

•

Communicationandadvocacy

• antagonismbyanti-sciencegroups

• pro-active,relevantinformation

• persuasivecommunication

• Alliancesofallgroupsinvolvedwithscience

• sciencecommunicators

• AdvocatesMisconceptions • lackofinformation

(reliable,trusted)• getmorecrediblesources • Government

agencies

• TrustedsourcesIntegrationofcommunicationsacrossproject

• Prioritizationofcommunication

• Betterinternalcommunication

• implementcommunicationstrategy

• communicationpeople

Communicationinfrastructure

• connectivityviainternet

• strengthencommunicationsinfrastructure

• ITpersonnel

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5. Futuretrends,highpotentialtechnologiesandproductsincassavabreeding

Having looked at NextGen’s progress, this stage was aimed at identifying emergingtechnologies/processesandtrendsintegraltosuccessfulcassavabreeding,includingbreedingpipelines and products. Input presentations on future trends, high potential/ promisingtechnologies,approachesandproductstobefocusedoninfuture(includingphaseII)weremadetostimulateparticipants.

5.1. OptimumHaploidValueselectiontechnology

BenHayesexplainedOptimumHaploidValue(OHV)applicationasfollows:

Doubledhaploidsusedinwheat,maize,canolabreedingprograms-generateinbredlinesinonegenerationvs~six

Criticalquestion-Canwetakegenomicselectiontothenextlevelbycombiningwithdoubledhaploidtechnology

• Developsuperiorelitecultivars?

• Acceleraterateofgeneticgain?

Asimplethreemarkerexample

GenomicSelection-GEBV=∑genotypes*markereffects

Sumgenome-wide

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OptimalHaploidValue

Step1.Ifheterozygousparentsareused,OHVonF1,iftwoelitelinesarecrossed,makeOHVonF2,oronparentsdirectly.

Step2.Haploidvalues(HV)estimatedforeachhaploidgenomesegment.

• Insilico,theoptimumhaploidvalue(OHV),thebestdoubledhaploidthatcouldbeproducedfromthatline,ispredicted.

• NotethelinewiththehighestOHVmaynotbetheplantwiththehighestaveragegenomicbreedingvalue.

Step3.DoubledhaploidsarecreatedfromthislineuntiltheOHV,oranindividualveryclosetotheOHViscreated.Bygenotypinghalfseedsorveryyoungplants.DoubledhaploidclosesttoOHVoftheoriginalplantbecomesthenewvariety.

DoesOHVgivemoregainthangenomicselection?

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Generation

True

Gen

etic

Var

ianc

e

GS OHV

• Testinasimulatedbreedingprogram

• BasewasrealgenotypesfromTriticeaeCoordinatedAgriculturalProject(TCAP)

− 1110Pre-breedingandbreedingwheatlinesgenotypedwith9KSNP

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Takehome

• OHV delivers up to 0.5 genetic standard deviations additional genetic progress toGenomicSelection

• AdvantageofOHVoverGenomicSelectiongrowsasbreedingprogramprogresses

• OHVpreservesmoregeneticvariationthanGenomicSelectionàincreasedlong-termgeneticgain!

• Worksbestwith largenumberofrecombinants,100offspringper line,100DHperOHVselectedplant

5.2. ImprovedPhenotypingThroughImageAnalysis

MikeGoreexplainedhowautonomousrobotsworkside-by-sidewithhumansinthefieldtogreatlyenhancediseasephenotypingandearlydiseaseidentification.Suchrobotsperformdailyscansandalerthumancoworkerstounusualorsuspectedpathologies;theywillcollectdetailed data over time to track disease spread dynamics, consult remote experts inambiguouscasesandguidehumanstolocationswheremanualinterventionisrequired.

ConvolutionalNeuralNetwork(CNN)combinedwithdrones:detectNCLBlesionsonmaizeleavesinthefield.CNNaretrainedtodetectNCLBinmaize,theCNNcovertspixelsintowords:extractsmultiplelayersofnon-linearfeaturesandthenaclassifiercombinesallfeaturestomakepredictions.

Automated mobile detection of cassava mosaicdiseasewithdeeplearningalgorithms

Machinevisiondetectionofwhitefliesbytrainingacascadingclassifiercombinedwithdecisiontrees.

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1KK-Seedanalysisapp.Onethousandkernelweight,referencecirclesforscaling,usesSmartGrainalgorithm,IntegrationwithUSBscales.

BinarythresholdingalgorithmextendedfromImageJtoAndroidtocountandsize(area)cassavaroots

AverageimportancerankingforPhenoApptraitdevelopment

5.3. NIRSPhenotypingandCalibration

Dominique Dufour explained how high-throughput screening of root quality traits forprocessingabilityanduser’spreferencesworks.

NIRSLOCALCalibrationforcassavatraits

ScatterplotsofTCCHPLCvaluesversusTCCNIRSvaluesofyear2013

UsingPLSmodelLocalregression,basedon2009-2012

Althoughtheautonomousrobotscanfindwhatthenormaleyecannot,itissusceptibletoerrors.

Dependingonthequestion–youdeterminethearease.g.plantbasis.YoutraintheAIadequatelyforeachdisease(provideenoughpicturesandsounds).

1. Brownstreak(rootsymptoms)

2. Whiteflies3. Rootsizeandshapes4. Cassavamosaicdisease5. Brownstreak(leaf

symptoms)6. Plantarchitecture7. Plant

physiology/reflectance8. Leafmorphology

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Harvest2016screeningbiofortifiedcassava

Numberofclones Harvested Dailyevaluation

Inthefield(seedling) 9160 327

Selectedforrootlabevaluation 1832 65

SecondscreeninginthelabforNIRSevaluation 1065 38

Cookingqualityevaluation 515 19

CyanideandCarotenecontent(Spectro&HPLC) 134 5

836 Clones were selected for 2017 evaluation (based on NIRS prediction). Traits of theselectedclones(836from9160):

• Boiled cassava cooking patterns:CookingtimeestimationusingNIRS- Soft Independent Modelling ofClassAnalogy(SIMCA)

• Cassavamealinessandpoundability

• Physiological PostharvestDeterioration(PPD)

• Screening of cassava fermentationability

• Gariswellingcapacityevaluation

DM variability evaluation trials - 7 clones planted each 15 days in the same plot; DMevaluationon5plantseach15daysatexactly10months;3repetitionsbydatapoint.

5.4. FieldPhenotyping

OnnoMullerelaboratedonfieldphenotypingwhoseaimistoquantifydynamicplanttraitsinthefieldacrossscales.

The Jülich research centre in Germany has more than 5,500employeesand900+guestscientistsfrommorethan45countries;budget:560M€andthird-partyfunding:~170M€.Therearethreemainportfoliosasshownintheadjacentdiagram.

Jülich research centre plant sciences strategy for improvedresource use efficiency and optimized biomass (see diagrambelow)

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The5pillarsofFieldPhenotyping:fromtraitstosensorsandexperiments

Fieldpositioningsystems

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Fieldphenotypingsensorsphotosynthesis:Fluorescence

AsctecFalcon-8features:

- 8rotarywings- 1,8kgoperationalweight- Autopilottonavigatealongwaypoints- Live-videoview- Varioussensors:RGBcameraSonyNex5n,

VIS/NIRspectrometer,thermalcamera- Rigidcasing- 9batteriesforalmostcontinuousoperation- Eachflight15minutes

5.5. MoreArtificialIntelligence(AI)forPhenotyping

ErnestMwebazeofAIandDataScienceLabatMakerereUniversityelaboratedontheartificialintelligence(AI)technology.

Loosely explained, AI is about getting specific “intelligent” aspects of a human being andputtingthemintoapieceofsoftware,machine,internet,etc.forexampleintheautomationofexperttasksandimprovedaccuracyinmeasurement.AI/tech-assistedcaneitherbefullyautomated/assisted – approximately zero humaninputorsemi-automated–humaninvolvedtosomedegree.

AI/tech-assistedPhenotypingfacilitates:

• Repeatability in data collection e.g. takingimages

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• Non-subjectivity/relativeuniformityinassessmente.g.automatedassessment

• High-throughput

Crowdsourcingsurveillanceinformationfromfarmers

• Farmersgivensmartphonesorthosewithsmartphonesrecruited

• Farmertakesaseveralpicturesofhisgardenandhisneighboursgardenseveryweekanduploadstoonlinesystem

• Incentivemechanismsusedtoencouragefarmertosendininformation

• CanbeagoodextensiontoPVCstudies– surveillanceofvarietiesgrown,eatenorsold.

Futuretrends

• MovingtowardsfullAI-integratione.g.drones+geo-spatialanalysis,deeplearning

• Data science/big data integration e.g. improved/increased measurement of theprocess(meta-data)andofthephenomena(bio-degradablechips)

• “*-as-a-service”paradigmse.g.phenotyping-as-a-service,breeding-as-a-service,GS-as-a-service,etc.

5.6. VarietyreleaseprocessinNigeria

Dr.SundayAladele-registrar,NationalCropVarietiesandLivestockBreedsRegistrationandReleaseCommitteeexplainedtheprocessofregistrationofvarietiesforrelease.Acopyoftheircataloguecanbedownloadedfromtheirwebsite:www.nacgrab.gov.ng

TheNationalCropVarietiesandLivestockBreedsRegistrationandReleaseCommitteewasestablished through Decree No 33 of 1987 (now Act of Parliament 2016 as amended).Functionsofthecommitteeinclude:

§ Officially release list of superior crop varieties, livestock breeds and fish strainsrecommendedbytheTechnicalSub-Committee(TSC),

§ Ensure imported crop varieties or livestock breeds into Nigeria meant forcommercialization and use pass through the same process as seeds of new cropvarietiesandlivestockbreedsdevelopedbybreedersinNigeria,

§ Formulate policies onmatters concerning the validation, registration, naming andrelease of new crop varieties and livestock breedswhich are either introduced ordevelopedinNigeria

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ActivitiesofthisNationalCommitteeandTechnical-SubCommitteesarecoordinatedbytheNationalCentreforGeneticResourcesandBiotechnology(NACGRAB),anagencyundertheFederalMinistryofScienceandTechnology.

Membershipofnationalcommittee MembershipofTSC(crops)TheDirector/CEOofNACGRABalsodoublesas the Registrar of the Registration andReleaseCommittee

• TheChairman

• Registrar

• TSC Chairmen for Crops, Livestock &Fisheries

• RiverBasinAuthority

• RTEP

• PrivateFarmer

• SeedAssociationofNigeria

• FDA/ARCN

• Observers

• All National Coordinators of differentcrops

• PresidentGeneticSocietyofNigeria

• HeadofGRU,IITA

• PrivateBreederselectedonmerit

• TheChairman

• TheRegistrar (whomustbe theHeadofNACGRAB)

• NASC

• Chairman, Committee of Deans ofFaculties/CollegesofAgriculture.

Achievements:

Sinceinaugurationin1989,theNationalCommitteehas:

§ Registered and released 595 varieties from 38 different crop species (actively andretroactively)asattoday(CASSAVA-46)

§ Launched166varietiesof10Cropspecies(namelymaize,sorghum,rice,pearlmillet,cowpea, groundnut, cassava, yam, potato and tomato) into the ECOWAS cropcatalogue(CASSAVA-24)

Step-by-Stepproceduretoregisternewcropvarieties

Step1:Identificationofacultivarordevelopmentofanewvarietywithnoveltraitsbetterthantheexistingones.

Step2:On-stationtrialtotestforDUS,yieldandreactionstoinsect-pestsattacksamongotherthings.

Step3:Multi-locationaltrialinrelevantagro-ecologiesfortwoyearsORgrowingseasons(minimumof5-10testingsites)

Step4:On-farmtrialforayear/season(>20testingsites).

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Note:Theon-farmtrialcantakeplacesimultaneouslyduringthesecondyearmulti-locationaltrial.ItmustalsobemonitoredbytherepresentativesoftheTSC(crops).

Step5:Submityourapplication(includingresults,requireddescriptorsandrelevantpictures)40 copies to: The Registrar, National Crop Varieties and Livestock Breed Registration andReleaseCommittee

Step6:DefendthenominationattheTSC(crops)meeting

Step7:TheTSC(crop)rejectorrecommendthenominationtotheNationalCommittee

Step 8: The National Committee approves or rejects the registration and release of thenomination

Step9:5kgbreeders’seedtobegiventoNACGRABwhile50kgfoundationseedtobegiventoNASC.Sizeableplantingstemsforcassavagenotypes

WhocanregisternewcropvarietiesinNigeria?

Thefollowingcategoriescandevelopandregisternewcropvarieties:

§ NationalAgriculturalResearchInstitutes(NARIs)

§ Universities

§ RegisteredPrivateSeedCompanies

§ Non-GovernmentalOrganizations(NGOs)

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Incaseanewvarietyisdevelopedbyotherorganizationapartfromthebreedinginstitute,suchorganizationmustworkharmoniouslywiththebreedinginstitutetoevaluatetheirtrialsandregistertheirvarieties

Plenarydiscussions.

• Science(breeding)workisnotcompleteuntilitgetstothefarmer.Successismeasuredbyadaptabilityofscienceproducts.

• Rigid certification process is notmeant to discourage breeders, but to ensure qualityproducts are released. The scientists have to convince the committee adequately byelaboratingexplicitlythenewtraits,benefitsetc.

• Biotechnologypolicyvs releaseprocess– the lawcapturesbothand there is anMoUbetween biosafety andNational CropVarieties and Livestock Breeds Registration andReleaseCommittee.

• AImemory/ability:WhatarethesuccessratesofAIinmultiplediseasesurveyinaplantandinanetplot?–AIworkswellsolongastheproblemisdescribedclearly/wellandtheAIsystemistrainedadequately.

• IntegrityandtrustissuesofdatacollectedbyAI–itispossibletogetapproximately80%accuracy.

• IncentivizingfarmerstouseAI–whataretheincentivestoencouragefarmerstouseAI?Dataairtime;recognition,smallmicro-funds.Howeverthereisstillabigproblemwiththeincentivesystems.

5.7. Analysisoffuturetrends,highpotentialtechnologiesandproducts

The facilitator took participants through the task to analyse potential technologies andproducts for the futureor forPhase II thatwouldaddress the identifiedchallenges,gaps,demandandtrendsintheprevioussessions.Fourgroupswereformedanddiscussionsheldforapproximately1.5hoursfollowingtheguidelinesinBox6below.

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Box3:Identificationofhighpotentialtechnologiesandproducts

GrouppresentationsoftechnologiesandproductsthatcanbedevelopedfurtherinphaseII.

Technologies

Phenotyping

• Cassavabase

• PhenoApp

• Fieldbook–socialdatausingfieldbook

• NIRS(rootandproductquality)

• E-tablets

• Rootbulkingandyield

• Qualitytraits(freshroot,product)

Sensors:

• FlowercountingYield

• Pestanddiseasequalityscoring(canopyandroots)

• Weedmanagement

Groundpenetratingradar:

• Yield

• Adaptation-drought

• Maturitytime

• Rootdisease

Mechanizesharvestersforyield

Varietyreleaseanddissemination

• Candidatevarieties

• SAH

• Incorporateend-userpreferences

• Integratesocialstudies(gender)

Genomicresources • DevelopmentoflowcostSNPchip

• rAmpSeq

• genomicselectionmodels–newgenomeassembly

Floweringinduction • Grafting

• Hormones(STS+BA)

Group task – Identification of high potential technologies and products

a)WhatarethetechnologiesandproductswiththehighestpotentialforsuccesssofarandwhichneedtobedevelopedfurtherinphaseII?

b)Whattechnologiesandproductsareinhighestdemandbydifferentstakeholdersandthushaveahighpotentialforsuccessfuladoptioninthenextphaseoftheproject?

c)Whatarepossiblepathwaysofgettingtheproductstotheusers?

d)Whatactivitiescouldbecarriedoutinyear5ofphaseItobeabletounderstandmoretheproductsandresultsdemandedbydifferentstakeholders?

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Potentialproducts Possiblepathways(how)Intermediateproducts

• Protocol

• Technology

• Trainingpackages

• Research

• Collaboration

• Knowledgeexchange

• Equipmentsharing

• Databasesforexchange

• Storage

Finalproducts

• Varieties

• Trainedpersonnel

• Explorealternativesforbetterdeliveryofvarieties

Activitiesforyear5ofPhaseI

• NIRS–collaborationandcalibrateformoretraits

• CASSproject–interactionwithNextGenproject

• Writebrochureoftechnologydescription

• OptimiseGSmodelsfordownstreamuse-GSimplementationandtrackingGSmaterials

• Floweringinductionrecords

• Humanresources–trackinggraduatestudentstoensuretheyremainactiveoncassavaresearch(seedgrants?)

• Stakeholdermappingtoidentifypotentialproductusers

• Trainingonstandardphenotypingprotocols

• Fast-trackingeliteclonesforrelease–PVS

6. NextGenPhaseIfinalyearandtransitiontoPhaseIITheaimofthisstageistoaddresstheimplicationsofthetrendsandthefuturedemandsinviewofPhaseIIandthelastyearofphaseIofNextGen.AnoverviewpresentationofPhaseIIconceptandgroupdiscussionsenabledparticipantstocriticallyexaminetheimplicationsofprevious analysis of high potential technologies and products, and possible demands andpathways.ParticipantsthenidentifiedwhatneedstobepursuedinPhaseII,andwhatneedstobefocusedonintheremainingtimeofPhaseI.

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6.1. IntroductiontoPhase2ofNextGen

Jean-LucJanninkgaveanoverviewofPhaseIIconceptnotewiththefollowinghighlights:

WhatNextGenDoes

• Improve cassava through breeding cycles that involve generating and identifyingimprovedprogenythatwetakethroughtorelease.

• Improveourunderstandingofthegender-responsiveproductprofilesdesiredbyendusersthroughcommunicationwithstakeholders.

• Improve our ability to deliver higher-valued varieties rapidly and efficiently bytechnologicaladvancesdrivenbyresearch.

Therearethreemanagementdivisions:research,breeding,andcommunication(seediagrambelow).

Breeding Communication Research• Varietyreleasepipeline

– FromCETtoUYTandNationalreleasetrials

– Optimizednumbersandlocations

• Populationimprovementpipeline

– 40,000seedsfrom250to500families

– 20,000tissuestoMAS– 10,000DNAstogenomic

prediction– Selectioninthecrossing

nurserypriortocrossing• Participatoryevaluation

• Participatoryevaluation

• Newtraitdiscovery

• EquityofopportunityandSustainablechains

• Externalimpactmetrics

• Projectadvocacyandcommunication

• Technologyoutreach

• ICTinfrastructure

• CommunityofPracticePartnerships(Ghana,Rwanda,MozambiqueandD.R.Congo)

• Uniformmethodsacrossprograms

• Rootqualitytraits,CBSVtitre,Stakequality

• Cassavabasedigitalecosystem

• PhenoAppintegration

• Processmap:identifyandminimizeerrors

• Decisionsupport

– Crossingandpopulationmanagement,trainingpopulationdesign,Breedingvs.persevalue

• Wholegenomesequenceinformationinprediction

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– Whilethereisstilldiversity(~100clonesfromAYT)

– 10farmersineachof20groups(Mother/Baby)

• Breedingschemeoptimization

• GxEandselectionindexinproductprofiles

• Germplasmacquisition

• Flowering

MoreinAfrica,lessintheUSThePhaseIIconceptnotewillbedevelopedinafullproposal.Atthemomentitisdeficientinspecificitiesandresearchobjectives.Therewillbeaneedtoprioritizeonresearch(itisnotpossible to carry out everything from the onset). Key activity is to understand points ofinteraction between research, breeding and communication. Additionally how to enforcecomplianceinuseofthesystems.

6.2. SWOTanalysisofNextGenPhaseII

Six groups were formed based on participants areas of expertise to discovery inter-sectionality between breeding, research, and communication (see diagram below).Thereafterachallengeandofferexerciseforspecificquestionswasundertaken.

Questionsforchallengeandoffermodel

1. Howdoweassembleproductprofiles?

2. Howdowecreatebreedingprocessmaps?

3. Howdoweelicitfarmerpreferencesandneeds?

4. Howcanresearchhelpproductdevelopment?

Questionone–howdoweassembleproductprofiles?

1. Howdoweidentifykeytraitsweightedbypreferencesandneedsandthefeasibilityofbreeders?

2. Howdowebalancethedifferentprofilesintheassemblingofthefinalproducts?

3. Arethetraitsheritable(geneticorprocessing–dependent)

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4. Whatisaproductprofile?

5. Whatarethedifferentlevelsofend-user(farmer,processor,etc.)

6. whataretheenduses

7. Howdowemeasurethosetraits?

Questiontwo–howdowecreatebreedingprocessmaps?

1. Howtoidentifycommontraitsandproperphenotypinginthebreedingprocess?

2. Whenandhowtoinitiatetheparticipatorybreedingprogram?

3. Whatisabreedingprocessmap?

4. Whatshouldbetheextentofstakeholderengagement?E.g.participatorybreeding

5. Whatselectionstrategiesshouldweadopt?

Questionthree–howdoweelicitfarmerpreferencesandneeds?

1. Howdowedevelopsurveystogatherunbiasedfarmerspreferencesandneedsacrossgender,geographicandsocial-economicgroups?

2. Whowillbefarmer–researcher/breederliaison?(Socialscientist?productmanager?breeder?extensionofficer?)

3. Canweinvolvefarmersintheselectionprocess?(participatorybreeding)

Questionfour–howcanresearchhelpproductdevelopment?

1. Howcancommunicationimproveresearch?

2. Howdoweassessourownprogress?

3. Whowilldotheresearch?

4. Whatkindofexpertise/researchisrelevant?

5. Canwepredict/forecastepidemicsandanticipateneeds?

6. Canwedeveloppredictiveabilitytodeterminethe“lifespan”ofaproduct?

7. Whatproblemsdon’thavesolutionsyet?

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6.2.1. Usecasesandneedsoffers

Questionone-howdoweassembleproductprofiles

Masterchallenge Offer who

HowtobalancethedifferentprofilesintheassemblyoftheFINALPRODUCT

Usesurveysofenduserpreferencesandbalancewithbreederknowledgeofwhatisrealistic

PeterHyde

Datasharingandminingwillallowestablishinggeneticcorrelationsamongtraits.Thiswillbehelpfulindefining“wise”selectionindexes

HCeballos

Developvarietydevelopmentpipelinesforspecificmarkets PeterKulakowHowtoidentifyKEYTRAITSbypreference,needandfeasibility

• Haveseriesofmeetingswithfarmersandsurvey• Identifyendusersandaskfortheirpreferredtraits• triangulationofavailabledataanduseof

understandableandcurrentdataanalysistools

Whoarewebreedingfor?(breeder)

Ensureunbiasedsamplingoffarmer/end-userpreferencessothatallpreferredtraitsareidentified

PeterHyde

Wearebreedingforend-usersandstakeholderpreferencesandneeds

OSA

Surveystoidentifytheneedsandgapsinbreedingprograms

Paula

Cassavabasecanhelpclusteringthedifferentfarmer/consumers

Runmarketsurveys Edema,researcher

Whoarewebreedingfor?weshouldtargettheindustriesandfarmers(end-users)

NwaoguAhamefule

End-userspreferencesandneeds Whatisthecassavamarket(percountry)(socialscience)

Identifymarketdriversinrelationwithcassavatraits DDThecassavamarketmustbe:

# Profitable(rootsandproducts)# Availableandaccessibletomarketersandbuyer# Socialgroups

• Culinarytraitsarekeyformostend-users• Clusteringnichemarketsandkeyproductsinthese

niches

BREEDING RESEARCH

CASSAVA

FOOD INDUSTRY

FRESH PROCESSED ETHANOL SYRUP ETHANOL

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Whatarethedifferentlevelsofend-user?

Consumptionpatternsandusesidentifiedbyregion DD

Whattraitsarecriticalforeachuse?

• Baselinesurveys• Assessenduserneeds

Hale

Howdovalidate(factcheck)anewproductprofiletoensureitcontainstherightelements?

• participatorybreedingandfarmerinvolvementinmulti-locationtrials

PeterHyde

• PVStovalidateprofiles Hale

Howwouldfarmersandend-usersprioritizetraitsforagivenproductprofile(eggaricassava)

• goodprocessingevaluationwithfarmersusingtheircurrentvarietiesalongwithnewones

• choiceexperimentation

Hale

• assessprocessingabilitywithfarmersandprocessors DD

6.2.2. NewvarietiesandefficientbreedingQuestion2-Howdowecreatebreedingprocessmaps

Masterchallenge offer whoWhenandHowtoinitiateparticipatorybreedingprogrammes

• interactionoffarmersandscientistsinthefarms,markets,fielddaysetc.tocreateawarenessandalsoidentifychallengesthatmighthinderadoptionofimprovedproduct

• participatorybreedingprogramcanbeinitiatedatthesecondstageofbreedinordertobringendusersonboardaswellastowardstheendstage

• participatorybreedingapproachintheearlyprocessofidentification

• farmersshouldbeinvolvedinidentificationoftraits

• farmersshouldbeinvolvedintheselectionprocesses

• standardizethephenotypingprocessbyuseoftools(Cassavabase)

• capacitybuildingondataqualitymanagementforresearch

• Participatorybreedingcouldinvolveendusersatmultiplestepsinthebreedingprocess:# IDkeytraitsearlyin

theprocess# Multilocationyields–

lateintheprocess• StructuralPVStrials

PeterHydeFemiA

Howtoidentifycommontraitsandproperphenotyping

• Correlatesocialperceptionswithtraitsanddevelopmethodtomeasurethem

DD

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inthebreedingprocess

Usenewphenotypingtools–NIRS,PhenoApp

Phenotyping–usemorereliableandlesssuffiticateddata

Tessi

• Efficientphenotypingmayrequirelessbutmorereliabledata

• Reliablephenotypingachievedbystartingwith3clonalevaluationtrails(in3ǂlocks)fromthesamegenotypes

HCeballos

• Createlistofidentifiedtraits• Identifythesourcesoftraits

genes• Breedingprocedurestobe

used

Howdoyougetdifferentactorstocommunicate(worktogether)(communications)

Properintegrationofparticipatingdisciplines• lettherebeexchange

programmese.g.socialscientistsfromNigeriacanparticipateinUganda

AdoptandactivelyuseSlackorBasecampapplication

Marnin

Howdoweincreasetheefficiencyofthebreedingprogramme(breeder)

• participatoryapproach• Exchangeofgermplasmto

increasevariation• communityofpractice• townhallmeetings• surveys• feedbackdisseminationvia

severalplatforms• settingupstandard

procedures• ensuringbreedersfollow

procedures• howdoweusebreeding

processmapstocreateaninstitutionalcultureofcontinuousprocessimprovement

•

Effectivefieldteamtoexecutehighqualitytrails

PeterKulakow

Advocateforandimplementhighqualityfarmmanagement

PeterKulakow

Describebreedingstagesindetailforeachprogramme

PeterKulakow

Developdetailedbreedingschedulesforeachprogramme

PeterKulakow

Makesureyouclearlyunderstandyour:BreedingtargettraitsBreedingtargetenvironment

DMeyer

TrackallbreedingprocessesinCassavabase

Lukas

Chainofcustodyforphenotypesandgenotypes–allmetadataandallpeopleassociatedwithdataatalltimes

Marnin

Track/estimatetheaccuracyineverycycle

Ramu

TrackQTLinbreedingprocess

Morag

Developeasytestsforevaluatingcomplextraits(phenotyping)

DD

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Developplanforworkshops/seminarstoaddressinstitutionalcultureofcontinuousimprovement

PaulGibson

Efficientbreedingwillbenefitifgeneticvariancesaresplit(somehow)intotheircomponents

HCeballos

Howdowemaximizeusefulgeneticgain

• Standardizephenotypingprotocols

• Howmuchgeneticsourceofdiseaseresistancearethereinbreedingprogramme

• developprotocolsforselfinganddevelopheteroticgroupsviagenomicselection

• howmuchgenomic

Writedownthegenericgainequationandfindstrategiestooptimizeallthepartsoftheequationinyourbreedingprogramme,butremembergeneticgaindoesnotmatterifitisnotREALISEDinthefarmersfield

Damian

Whatvariationispresentamongcurrentselectioncandidates?(pre-breeding)

• lackofenoughgeneticdiversityforthetargettrait

• developaninterfaceforuserstosearchandretrievethebestpotentialparents,givenaspecificproductprofile(basedonpastperformance,geneticrelatednessandcombiningability)

Genotypingandidentifyingthevariationamongselectedcandidates

Ramu

Efficientscreeningofalreadyexistinggermplasm

Smith

Whatisthetargetpopulation

Baselinesurveys-conductbaselinesurveysforthetraitsofinterest

Hale

Evaluationofgeneticresources,traitandmarkeridentificationandtrackinginpopulations

Morag

TPE-onceidentifiedandgenotypetested,canbeevaluated

researcher

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6.2.3. Productprofilespreferencesandneeds

Question3-Howdoweelicitfarmerpreferencesandneeds

Masterchallenge offer whoHowdoweinvolvefarmersandextensioninNextGenphaseII(communications)

• Interactionwithfarmersandextensionserviceprovidersthroughsocialsurveys

• identifyingkeyextensionagentbyregionandinvolvingthematanearlierstageofphaseII

• Participatoryvarietyselectionandcreatediscussionplatforms

KJM

• Surveyandtraining Tessy

Howwillthefarmer/breederinteractionbestructured?

• usevarietyasproductprocessingandevaluationprotocols

• feedbackmechanismsbetweenfarmers,socialscientistsandbreeders

DDTessy

Howdoyouprioritizepreferencesandneeds(breeder)

• talktoendusers(farmers,consumers,industry,women)–thenmakeprioritylist

• usepreferencebasedindexforselection

Howtodevelopunbiasedsurveystobestcapturefarmerpreferences(acrossgender,geographicandsocioeconomicgroups)

• Canwedoabaselinesurveytocapturefarmerpreferencesandneeds

• Howbest,costefficientwaycanwecapturefarmerpreferencesindustrymodel?

• considerusingmetadatae.g.consumptionandmarketinformation(datascienceapproach)

ErnestM

PREFERENCES/NEEDS

PRODUCTPROFILES

PVSVALIDATION(linktobreeding)

TRAITPACKAGE+MARKET

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• Baselinesurveycanstartwithreadingpreviousreportsandpaperstounderstandneedsandpreferences

• designbaselinesurvey• identifynichemarketsourcesandtracktheirinputs

• regionalsurveytocapturetraitpreferencesandproductdevelopmentthroughvaluechain

TessyDD

Howdowedefinethegroupofadopters?

• socioeconomiccharacteristics–groupshavingsimilarcharacteristicsandneeds;groupsaffectedbygenderissues

• conductregionspecificandgenderspecificsurveys

researcher

Question4-Howcanresearchhelpproductdevelopment

Masterchallenge offer whoHowcanyouacceleratebreedingforcomplextraits(simplephenotypicmethodsandunderstandgenetics)(breeders)

• transcriptomics Andreas

Howcanweaccess/usegeneticresourcesinpre-breedingtoconcentrateallelesinpopulationimprovement(breeders)

• includepromisingfarmervarietieswithdesiredqualitytraitsinpre-breedingprocess

• genotypeanddatabaserelevantaccessionsorsequencecaasavabase

• conductpre-breedingfordifferentproductprofilesi.e.disease,goodcooking,highqualityDMCandstarch

• Identifypriorityparentsandproduceseedofcriticalgermplasmcombination

PeterKulakow

• evaluationandcharacterizationofgeneticresources,traitmarkerassociations,trackingmarkers/QTLinpopulation

MoragKiddo

• Cassava,Increquiresageneticresourcesteam–worksacrosscountries,runstrials,studies,diversityandgeneticarchitectureconsiderswildgermplasm

Marnin

Howdoweprioritizetheresearchandallocateresources

• needsassessment

• identifythemostimportantandhighlydemandedresearchoutputandallocateresourcesthatarepreferredbyfarmers

OSA

• Shouldbeagroup/committeeincludingpeer

Marnin

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representativesfromeachdivisionwhowill(democratically)determinethis

• canwegetmoreexposureonhowindustrydealswiththesechallenges?exchanges,morefrequentsurveybyexternalcommittee

Guillaume

Howdoweensurethevarietiesreleasedwillbeasuccessinthemarket(communication)

• createareadilyaccessibleandprofitablemarketforthevarietyreleased(expertpotential)

• knowtheneedsandpreferencesofyourfarmers/targetpopulationandaddresstheirconcerns

• capturefarmers/enduserspreferencesduringbreedingprocess(participatorybreeding)

• regularupdateandconsultingthefarmers/consumers

• farmersparticipatorytrials

DD

• earlyinvolvementoffarmersvarietydevelopmentpipeline–advanceyieldtrials(AYT)

Alfred

Marketdriventraits • earlycommunicationwithkeyactorsinthevaluechain

Howdoourproductsremainrelevantintheseedsystem

• howdoextensionagentstrainfarmerstoincreaseproductivityandqualityofcassava

• providingfarmerswithinformationonhowtoconnectdirectlytoaconstantdemandwithoutmiddlementhatlowertheprices

• constantsurveyofpreferred/changingpreferencesofendusers

OSA

Howdoweensurethatresearchisdrivenbybreederneeds

• askwhattheirneedsareandtryouttheproducts(feeltheirpain)

• breedingandresearchcommunicationmusthaveregularprojectmeetings

• seekandadoptcurrentbreedingtools–GSetc

• needajointworkshop/strategysessionwithkeybreedersandpartnerstoincreasesharedknowledgeonthechallenges/needsofthebreedingprogramandthepotentialsolutionsthatnewtechnicaltoolscanprovide

DavidMeyer

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Canwedeveloptoolstomakethebreedingprocessmoreefficient?(Allowingmoretimeforbreedertoensuretrajectoryofprogramiscorrect)

• increaseduseofstandarddatabases(Cassavabase)forphenotypingandgenotypingprocesses

• highthroughputmethodsforphenotyping

DD

• Developtech-tools(PhenoApp)forstandardizedmeasurement

ErnestM

• PhenoApp–communicationbetweendevelopersandbreederstomakesureappsareusefulandhelpfulinincreasingefficiency,standardizationofphenotyping

Jenna

Howcancommunicationimproveresearch

• communicationcanimproveresearchbothinternally(project)andexternally

• Interactmoreininformalsettings(notjustannualgeneralmeetingdancepartners).MaybemoreNextGensocialeventsoncampuses/researchstationsorintramuralsports

• researchbreederexchangevisitsandworkshops

• real-timecommunication researcher• utilizeextensionagentstoimprovecommunicationbetweenfarmersandresearchers

PeterHyde

• StrengthenICTinfrastructureacrossparticipatingprograms

Fadil

• enforceopenandhonestdialoguebetweendifferentactorsinvolvedinthebreedingpipeline

HCeballos

• engagethefarmersinsmallgroupdiscussions

FemiAlaba

• Betterflexiblecommunicationplatform(wehaveslackbilateralmeetings)anoteforCassavabase?

Guillaume

Quickcommentsonchallengesandexpertiseoffered

• Itisimperativetostopworkinginsilos–theprocessshouldbemoreintegrated

• Communicationwillbecentralforthequalitytraitstobeusedbyconsumers

• Commonunderstanding-allhavetobeonthesamepageandunderstandoneanotherbetter

6.3. Planningforyear5

Followingtheextensiveanalysisofprogressmade,highpotentialtechnologiesandproducts,futuredemandsandpathwaysandimplicationsforPhaseIIandyear5,participantsdiscussedtheprioritiesandmodifiedactivitiesforyear5wherenecessary.Eightgroupsbasedonthe

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objectiveswereformedtoplanindetailfortheremainingyearintheobjectivegroupsandcomeupwithupdatedworkplansusingguidelinesinBox7below.

Box4:Planningforyear5

Objectiveleadersguidedthegroupsinupdatingtheirworkplansforyear5.

Objective1:Flowering-TimSetter

Objective2:GenomicSelection-Jean-LucJannink

Objective3:Cassavabase-LukasMueller

Objective4:GermplasmExchange-PeterKulakow

Objective5:CapacityBuilding-RichardEdemaandPaulGibson

Objective6:Biotech/biosafetyCommunication-BarbaraMugwanya

Toconsolidatesuccess:

Planning for year 5

• Clarifyagainwhatyouwanttoachieveunderyourobjectivearea.

• Lookingatwhatyoureallywanttoachieve,whatactivitieswillyoucarryouttoconsolidatethesuccessmadeandaddresschallengesdiscussedinthisworkshop?

• Whatactivitieswillyoucarryoutinpreparationofphase2?

• Whichpartnerswillyoubeworkingwithandhowdoyouengagewiththemtobetterlearnandcollaboratetogether?

Informeddecisionmaking

Publicunderstanding+awareness

Buildconfidence

Betterinternalcommunicationandinfrastructure

EffectivestrategiesChallengesOpportunities

ReflectonPhaseI

UBIC’sexperience

Otherobjectives

•Whatcommunicationneedswerenotmet

•whatpolicyhurdleswereencountered

Templateforothercountriestofollow

Opportunitiesforbettercollaboration&supportfromcommsteam&betweenobjectives

ASSESS •Policyenvironmentinothercountries•Potentialchampionsandadvocatesnowthatwehaveresults

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NextSteps(subjecttotimeline)

1. Protocol for crisis communication (country/project) and internal communications (keypeople/howtostayintheloop)

2. Identifycurrentcommunicationscapabilities/needofeachpartnerincludingICTneeds

3. RevivetheNextGenmailing listandestablishquarterlynewsletterwithregularprojectupdates

4. Useexistingmaterialstocreate/packagecommunicationskits

5. Takestockofpublicsentimentsandpolicy/politicaldevelopmentsineachcountry

Objective 7: Enhancing of GS through Cassava Genomics - Ramu Punna and RobertoLonzano

CrosscuttingObjective:Genderresponsivebreeding-HaleTufan

7. Nextsteps,workshopevaluationandclosing7.1. NextSteps

Thefollowingnextstepswerediscussedandagreeduponinplenary.

What Who Bywhen

Workshopreporttoorganizers PICOTEAM 10thApril2017

Year5workplansandnotestoincludeinreportandproposal

Projectmanagement 7thApril2017

PhaseIIProposal Projectmanagement Tobediscussed

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Box5:workshopevaluation

7.2. Workshopevaluation

At the end of the workshop quickfeedback was sought from theparticipants on what they liked most,whatcouldhavebeendonebetter,thetake home message andrecommendations for next phase ofNextGen(seebox8).

Belowisasummaryoftheevaluationresults.

Whatparticipantslikedmost Whatparticipantsfeelcouldhavebeenimproved• Timemanagementandmaximization–good

timeforgroupdiscussions

• Valueofseeingallthatwasaccomplishedinthethreedays

• Varietyandrepresentationofthecollaborators/partnerinstitutions.Invitationofexternalpartnersprovidedopportunitytolearnandacquiremoreinsights

• Havingthewholeteaminoneplace

• Dynamism,interactionsandmeetingnewpeople-therotationsanddiscussionsaroundthetablesenabledparticipantstotalkwithmostpeople.MembersoftheNextGenteamnowknowoneanother

• Facilitation–thatenableddynamicinteraction,participatorycontributions,organizedprocesses,nohierarchies/bigbosses,livelysessions

• Energizersandappreciation/motivation

• Informationsharing–content,qualityandusefulness.Learntalotaboutourproject

• Nationalvarietalreleaseprocess

• Valueanddisplayofpostersthroughoutthemeeting

• Logistics–efficientmovementofpeopleacrosstheregions

• Timeallocatedforpresentations–10minuteswastooshort;moretimeshouldalsobeallocatedforformalandinformaldiscussionsaswellasquestionsandanswers

• Theremaybeneedforanextradayinviewoftheamountofworkandpresentationsforin-depthdiscussions

• Haveallthesub-projectsworkingtogetherbeyondthemeetingwillbeexcellent

• Someinstructionswerenotclear–needtoexplaincomplexquestions/instructionsbetter

• Hardtoknowinsomeoftheinstanceshowthepiecesfittogetherintermsoftheactivitiesandhowtheyrelatetotheoverallworkshop

• PhaseIIpresentationwasrushedandunclear;moretimewasalsoneededforplanningandprioritizationofPhaseII–didnothaveenoughtimetodeliberateontheobjectives

• Feedbackonthechallenges-needmorechallenging/constructivecriticism

• Feedbackofthereviewwasnotpresented

• Neededtohearmorefromthestudents

• Resultsfrompostersessiondidnotcomeout

• Invitefarmers(didnottalkaboutthemindepth)

• NeededmoretimetoprioritizeforPhaseII+finalyear?

Tabletask:workshopevaluation

Reflectonpastthreedaysanddiscussaroundyourtable:

a) Whatdidyoulikemost?

b) Whatcouldhavebeendonebetter?

c) Whatisthetakehomemessageforyou?

d) ForNextGennextphasewerecommend....

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Participantstakehomemessage RecommendationsfornextphaseofNextGen• Greatsuccesshasbeenmadeinthegenetic

gainsoverthe4years

• Workinprogress

• Weareintherighttrackandmakingprogress,andweshouldcontinueworkinghardbuildingonwhatwehavelearned

• Newvarietiesandmapwillbereleased

• HighthroughputphenotypesfocusofPhaseII

• Lotsofworkhasbeendone,butthereisstillevenmoreworktobedoneinPhaseII

• Stayfocusedonthegoalofreleasingawardwinningvarieties

• GSisworking–itisnotatheory

• Advancetechnologies–NIRS,PhenoApp,moretoolsinCassavabaseandgood/qualitygenotyping

• Openmindsandopenphase

• Broadencommunications

• NeedM&Eunit

• Morefarmerrepresentation

• Workharder

• ByendofnextphasethereshouldbeaNextGencassavavarietyreleased

• Clearmechanismsforbringingallsub-projectstogether

• Feedbacktoeveryone

7.3. Closingremarks

• Thefacilitatorthankedtheparticipantsforbeingwonderfulandengaging,thusenablingsuccessof theworkshop.He thankedNextGen,Chiedozieand theorganizing team forexcellent coordination and inviting PICOteam to facilitate the meeting. Edward alsothankedtheprocesssteeringgroupwhoreviewedtheprogresseveryeveningandworkedwithhiminmakingthenecessaryadjustmentsforsuccessoftheworkshop.

In concluding Edwardwished the participants all the best in implementing their plansnoting thatbasedonone’sperspectiveof“Opportunity is nowhere”.Theprojectteamcanmournortakeadvantageofopportunitiesavailabletoupscalecassavaforgreatimpact.

• JimLorenzeninaspecialwaythankedallparticipantsforenergyandhardworkputinthethreedaysofthemeetingaswellasthepastfouryears.Hewasgratefulthatparticipantshad found time to participate in the workshop. He applauded the objective leaders,researchers and all the teams back in the various countries and stations. He notedNextGenisanexcitingprojectwithgreatpotential–thereisroomforgrowthandtogetevenbetter.Heassuredtheteamofcontinuedfunding.

• BenonbehalfofEPAClaudedtheteamforgreatachievementsandreiteratedtheteamwasontherighttrackofchangingcassavaproductioninNigeria,UgandaandbeforelonginTanzania.Hecongratulatedthepeople in the field trials,genomics,breedersandall

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workingintheNextGenproject.Heappreciatedthechangeinthegroupoverthelastfouryears – has increased in number and dynamics and asked the team to stay andworktogetherasagroup. Itwaswonderful tohavestudentsgoing through theprojectandgetting respectable results. He urged them to continue working on the manyareas/objectives,andtalkacrossthefieldstobewellinformedaboutthewholeproject.

• Davewasgladtohavebeeninvolvedwithalltheprojectstaffandnotedtherearemanyresearch areas and issues in cassava. He advocated for vision, passion and scientificexcellence – when these three are put together, there is somuch power to improvecassava.HeremindedthatphaseIIisaboutbringingimpactfromworkdoneinphaseI.The most important next step is bring the products to the farmers. He asked theparticipantsnotshyfromaskingthequestion“Iamsorry,canyouhelpmeunderstand.”

• Chiedozie thanked PICOteam for the facilitation and support noting that though thefacilitatorwasnotascientisthesuccessfullymanagedtocoordinatetheteamtobringoutthe necessary information. He also thanked Jürgen who co-facilitated the meeting.ChiedoziecommendedtheEPACgroupandmemberswhomakeNextGenachievetheirobjectives(dowhattheyaresupposedtodo).TheEPACteamenablestheNextGenstaffprioritisequalityof theirworkandensuretheyareontheright track.TheEPACgroupprovidesuniquesupport,andtheyhavepassionforcassavaintheir“blood”.

Chiedozie notified of an event to mark the science achievements of Phase I, andencouragedtheparticipantstocontinueworkingwithpassion.Herequestedthespiritoftogethernessandunity tobeendured–agreeandwalk/run together.He thanked thelogistics team for their remarkable work, IITA management, director or roots andtubercrops, executive director of variety release committee, BMGF and DFID andthereafterclosedthe5thNextGencassavameeting.

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Appendixone–NextGenattendancelist

FullName Institution E-mailAdress

AfolabiAgbona IITA,Nigeria A.Afolabi@cgiar.org

AlexOgbonna BTI,USA aco46@cornell.edu

AlfredOzimati CornellUniversity,USA aao62@cornell.edu

AlfredDixon IITA,Nigeria a.dixon@cgiar.org

AlfredoAugustoCunhaAlves EmbrapaCassavaandFruits,Brazil

alfredo.alves@embrapa.br

AndrewIkpan IITA,Nigeria

AniElias CornellUniversity,USA aae37@cornell.edu

BarbaraZawedde MakerereUniversity,Uganda bmugwanya@gmail.com

BelaTeeken IITA,Nigeria b.teeken@cgiar.org

BenHayes GovernmentofVictoria,Australia

b.hayes@uq.edu.au

BryanEllerbrock BTI,USA bje24@cornell.edu

CanaanBoyer CornellUniversity,USA ceb363@cornell.edu

ChiedozieEgesi NRCRI-IITA,Nigeria cne22@cornell.edu

ChinedoziAmaefule NRCRI,Nigeria chichiama@yahoo.com

DamianNdubuisiNjoku NRCRI,Nigeria njokudn2012@gmail.com

DavidMeyer DowAgrosciences,USA dhmeyer@dow.com

DeborahAde CornellUniversity,USA dna37@cornell.edu

DominiqueDufour CIRAD/CIAT,Columbia d.dufour@cgiar.org

DuniaPinodelCarpio CornellUniversity,USA dpd64@cornell.edu

EderJorgeDeOliveira EmbrapaCassava&Fruits,Brazil

eder.oliveira@embrapa.br

EdwardKanju IITA,Tanzania e.kanju@cgiar.org

EmmanuelOkah NRCRI,Nigeria emmanchoko83@gmail.com

EmmanuelFrankMrema MakerereUniversity,Uganda emmanuel.oroya@yahoo.com

ErnestMwebaze MakerereUniversity,Uganda emwebaze@cit.ac.ug

GuillaumeBauchet BTI,USA gjb99@cornell.edu

HaleTufan CornellUniversity,USA hat36@cornell.edu

HenerikoKulembeka AgriculturalResearchInstitute(ARI),Tanzania

kulembeka@yahoo.com

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HernanCeballos CIAT,Columbia H.CEBALLOS@CGIAR.ORG

IkechukwuNnaji NRCRI,Nigeria ikechukwu_nnaji@yahoo.com

IsaakTecle BTI,USA iyt2@cornell.edu

IsmailSirajKayondo NaCRRI,Uganda kayondosicontact@gmail.com

IsmailRabbi IITA,Nigeria I.Rabbi@cgiar.org

JaronPorciello CornellUniversity,USA jat264@cornell.edu

Jean-LucJannink CornellUniversity,USA jeanluc.work@gmail.com

JennaHershberger CornellUniversity,USA jmh579@cornell.edu

JimLorenzen BMGF,USA Jim.Lorenzen@gatesfoundation.org

JosephOnyeka NRCRI,Nigeria jonyeka@yahoo.com

KaseleSalumFeruzi AgriculturalResearchInstitute,Tanzania

kaselesalum@gmail.com

KatherineLopez IITA,Nigeria k.lopez@cgiar.org

KennethEluwa NRCRI,Nigeria keneluwa@yahoo.com

KiddoMtunda AgriculturalResearchInstitute(ARI),Tanzania

kjmtunda09@yahoo.co.uk

LukasMueller BTI,USA lam87@cornell.edu

LydiaEzenwaka NRCRI,Nigeria lydiaezenwaka@yahoo.com

MarninWolfe CornellUniversity,USA mw489@cornell.edu

MercyElohorDiebiru IITA-WACCI,Nigeria M.Elohor@cgiar.org

MichaelGore CornellUniversity,USA mag87@cornell.edu

MohamedSomoIbrahim CornellUniversity,USA jeanluc.work@gmail.com

MoragFerguson IITA–Nairobi,Kenya m.ferguson@cgiar.org

OliveWonehka UgandanEmbassy,USA owonekha@yahoo.com

OlumideAlabi IITA,Nigeria olumerit2003@gmail.com

OnnoMuller InstituteofBio-andGeosciences,Germany

o.muller@fz-juelich.de

OnyeyirichiPrincessOnyegbule NRCRI,Nigeria princessonyin@yahoo.com

PaulGibson MakerereUniversity,Uganda pgibson@siu.edu

PaulaIragaba CornellUniversity,USA pi48@cornell.edu

PeterHyde CornellUniversity,USA pth7@cornell.edu

PeterKulakow IITA,Nigeria P.Kulakow@cgiar.org

PrasadPeteti IITA,Nigeria p.prasad@gmail.com

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RachelMukisa MakerereUniversity,Uganda rachealmukisa@gmail.com

RamuPunna CornellUniversity,USA rp444@cornell.edu

RichardEdema MakerereUniversity,Uganda redema12@yahoo.com

RichardOfei IITA,Nigeria r.ofei@cgiar.org

RobertKawuki NaCRRI,Uganda kawukisezi@yahoo.com

RobertoJesusLozanoGonzalezdelValle

CornellUniversity,USA kawukisezi@yahoo.com

RonnieCoffman CornellUniversity,USA wrc2@cornell.edu

SamanthaHautea CornellUniversity,USA sh2388@cornell.edu

SarahAdeyemo CornellUniversity,USA osa7@cornell.edu

SimonPeterAbah NRCRI,Nigeria abahsp@gmail.com

StefanEinarson CornellUniversity,USA se57@cornell.edu

StephenAhamefuleNwaogu NRCRI,Nigeria sanhereonly@yahoo.com

SteveRounsely DowAgrosciences,USA steve.rounsley@gmail.com

SundayAladele NationalCenterforGeneticResourcesandBiotechnology,Nigeria

sundayaladele@yahoo.com

TessyMadu NRCRI,Nigeria tessmadu@gmail.com

TimSetter CornellUniversity,USA tls1@cornell.edu

UcheOkeke CornellUniversity,USA ugo3@cornell.edu

UgoIkeogu CornellUniversity,USA uni3@cornell.edu

WilliamsEsuma NaCRRI,Uganda esumawilliams@yahoo.co.uk

ElizabethParkes IITA,Nigeria e.parkes@cgair.org

MoshoodBakare IITA,Nigeria

PeterIleubbey IITA,Nigeria p.iluebbey@cgiar.org

ChumaEdward PICOTEAM edward.chuma@picoteam.org

AnitaMsabeni PICOTEAM anita.msabeni@picoteam.org

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Appendixtwo-workshopprogramme

Day1:TuesdayMarch14,2017

Time Session

Session18:15–9:00

WelcomeandOpeningRemarksChiedozie/Richard

SettingtheScene:Interactiveintroductions,objectives,expectationsEdwardChuma,Facilitator

Session29:00–10:00

AnalysisofProgressI(Presentationsstrictly10minutes,10slides)1. Jean-LucJannink:GSupdate2. RobertKawuki:NaCRRIupdate3. JosephOnyeka:NRCRIupdate4. IsmailRabbi:IITAupdate

Tablegroupanalysisofpresentations

10:00–10:20 CoffeeBreak

Session310:20–12:30

OfficialOpeningCeremony• WelcomeDG–IITA• GoodwillfromBMGF-JimLorenzen,SeniorProgrammeOfficer,BMGF• GoodwillfromNRCRI–JuliusOkonkwo• GoodwillfromACAIProject-AbdulaiJalloh,IITA• BASICSProject–HemantNitturkar,RTB• SAHTechnology–LavaKumar,IITA• Cassavabreedingandvarietiesofchange–AlfredDixon,Director,Partnerships,IITA• Intro.ofHon.MinisterofAgriculture–NteranyaSanginga,DG,IITA• FormalOpening:Hon.MinisterofAgriculture

GroupPhotograph/Displays/Exhibitions–OutdoorsIITAConferenceCenter

12:30–14:00 Lunchandinteraction

Session414:00–15:30

AnalysisofProgressII:(Presentationsstrictly10minutes,10slides)5. TimSetter:Floweringupdate6. SimonProchnik:Cassavagenomicsconsensusmappingupdate7. LukasMueller:Cassavabaseupdate

Tablegroupanalysisofpresentations(toinclSession2)

15:30–16:00 CoffeeBreak&OpenSpaceSharingOpportunity

Session516:00–17:00

AnalysisofProgressIII:(Presentationsstrictly10minutes,10slides)8. PeterKulakow:Germplasmupdate/wayforward9. HaleTufan:Gender-responsivecassavabreedingupdate10. RamuPunna:GeneticloadincassavaandrAmpSeq

Tablegroupanalysisofpresentations

Session617:00–18:00

EPACMeeting

18:30–20:00 cocktailreception

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Day2:WednesdayMarch15

Time Session

Session18:00–10:30

AnalysisofProgressIII:(Presentationsstrictly10minutes,10slides)1. EderOliviera:EmbrapaNextGenupdate2. HernanCeballos:CIATupdate3. BarbaraMugwanya:UBICupdate

Tablegroupanalysisofpresentations

InteractivePOSTERSESSION9:30to11:00

10:30–11:00 CoffeeBreak&OpenSpaceSharingOpportunity

Session2a11:00–11:50

Analysisoffuturetrends,highpotentialtechnologiesandproducts(Presentationsstrictly10minutes,10slides)

1. BenHayes:OHVtechnologyanduseinbreeding2. MikeGore:Improvedphenotypingthroughimageanalysis3. DominiqueDufour:NIRSphenotypingandcalibration4. NgEnghwa:Highthroughputgenotypingandsampletracking5. SundayAladele:VarietyreleaseprocessinNigeria

Session2b11:50–13:00

Analysisoffuturetrends,highpotentialtechnologiesandproductsGroupdiscussions–analysisandreportback

13:00–14:00 LunchSession3

14:00–15:30AnalysisoffuturedemandsandpathwaysGroupdiscussions–analysisandreportback

15:30–16:00 CoffeeBreak&OpenSpaceSharingOpportunitySession4

16:00–18:00ImplicationsandthrustsforphaseIIandyear5Groupdiscussions–analysisandreportback

Day3:ThursdayMarch16

Time SessionSession1

8:00–10:30

WayforwardinfosteringthejointlearningandcollaborationnetworkGroupdiscussions,conclusionsinplenary

10:30–11:00 CoffeeBreak&OpenSpaceSharingOpportunity

Session211:00–13:00

Planningforyear5Groupdiscussionsinobjectivegroups–majoractivitiesforeachobjective,andcross-objectiveactivities

13:00–14:00 LunchSession3

14:00–15:30Planningforyear5Groupdiscussionsinobjectivegroups–majoractivitiesforeachobjective,andcross-objectiveactivities

15:30–16:00 CoffeeBreak&OpenSpaceSharingOpportunitySession4

16:00–18:00ReportbackonplansNextstepsEvaluationandClosing

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Appendixthree–photogallery

Participantsfollowingtheproceedingduringtheworkshop

PeterKulakowseekingclarificationsafterapresentation

Postersession

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Groupworksessions

Guidelinesonmakingofferstocontributetoachallenge

Energizer–makingfufu(therewasalsoacassavaclap,locomotiveclap;rainandthunderclapandparliamentariansclap)