TY - JOUR
T1 - The biocassava plus program
T2 - Biofortification of cassava for sub-Saharan Africa
AU - Sayre, Richard
AU - Beeching, John R.
AU - Cahoon, Edgar B.
AU - Egesi, Chiedozie
AU - Fauquet, Claude
AU - Fellman, John
AU - Fregene, Martin
AU - Gruissem, Wilhelm
AU - Mallowa, Sally
AU - Manary, Mark
AU - Maziya-Dixon, Bussie
AU - Mbanaso, Ada
AU - Schachtman, Daniel P.
AU - Siritunga, Dimuth
AU - Taylor, Nigel
AU - Vanderschuren, Herve
AU - Zhang, Peng
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2011 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2011/6/2
Y1 - 2011/6/2
N2 - More than 250 million Africans rely on the starchy root crop cassava (Manihot esculenta) as their staple source of calories. A typical cassava-based diet, however, provides less than 30% of the minimum daily requirement for protein and only 10%â€"20% of that for iron, zinc, and vitamin A. The BioCassava Plus (BC+) program has employed modern biotechnologies intended to improve the health of Africans through the development and delivery of genetically engineered cassava with increased nutrient (zinc, iron, protein, and vitamin A) levels. Additional traits addressed by BioCassava Plus include increased shelf life, reductions in toxic cyanogenic glycosides to safe levels, and resistance to viral disease. The program also provides incentives for the adoption of biofortified cassava. Proof of concept was achieved for each of the target traits. Results from field trials in Puerto Rico, the first confined field trials in Nigeria to use genetically engineered organisms, and ex ante impact analyses support the efficacy of using transgenic strategies for the biofortification of cassava.
AB - More than 250 million Africans rely on the starchy root crop cassava (Manihot esculenta) as their staple source of calories. A typical cassava-based diet, however, provides less than 30% of the minimum daily requirement for protein and only 10%â€"20% of that for iron, zinc, and vitamin A. The BioCassava Plus (BC+) program has employed modern biotechnologies intended to improve the health of Africans through the development and delivery of genetically engineered cassava with increased nutrient (zinc, iron, protein, and vitamin A) levels. Additional traits addressed by BioCassava Plus include increased shelf life, reductions in toxic cyanogenic glycosides to safe levels, and resistance to viral disease. The program also provides incentives for the adoption of biofortified cassava. Proof of concept was achieved for each of the target traits. Results from field trials in Puerto Rico, the first confined field trials in Nigeria to use genetically engineered organisms, and ex ante impact analyses support the efficacy of using transgenic strategies for the biofortification of cassava.
KW - Africa
KW - malnutrition
KW - plant biotechnology
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U2 - 10.1146/annurev-arplant-042110-103751
DO - 10.1146/annurev-arplant-042110-103751
M3 - Article
C2 - 21526968
AN - SCOPUS:79955594277
SN - 1543-5008
VL - 62
SP - 251
EP - 272
JO - Annual Review of Plant Biology
JF - Annual Review of Plant Biology
ER -