NIGERIA RELEASES MORE CASSAVA WITH HIGHER PRO-VITAMIN A TO FIGHT MICRONUTRIENT DEFICIENCY
Hernan Ceballos(left)CIAT plant breeder with IITA cassava breeders Peta Kulakow(middle)&Elizabeth Parkes(Right),harvesting some cassava varieties in Ibadan Three newly improved vitamin A cassava varieties with yellow roots have been released by the Nigerian government, stepping up efforts to tackle the problem of vitamin A deficiency especially among women and children in the country. These new varieties were developed jointly by IITA and the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike. The three varieties—UMUCASS 44, UMUCASS 45, and UMUCASS 46—are the second in the series of pro-vitamin A varieties released in the country, and are commonly known as NR07/0220, IITA-TMS-IBA070593, and IITA-TMS-IBA070539. The new varieties have a pro-vitamin A content that averages 10 parts per million (ppm) based on fresh roots as compared to the first series (UMUCASS 36, UMUCASS 37, and UMUCASS 38 commonly known as IITA-TMS-IBA011368, IITA-TMS-IBA1371 and IITA-TMS-IBA...