University of California researchers lead cassava gene work

In California, a team led by researchers from University of California, Berkeley and including researchers from the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI), a DOE Office of Science User Facility, have described cassava’s genetic diversity in an April 18, 2016 advanced online publication of the journal Nature Biotechnology. As cassava roots contain 20-40% starch that costs 15-30% less to produce per hectare than starch from corn, in many parts of the world, particularly Africa and Southeast Asia, it represents a strategic source of renewable energy—biomass from which ethanol is being produced for transportation fuels. With the help of genomics, researchers hope to apply advanced breeding strategies that can improve cassava’s resistance to diseases and improve crop yields.