Cassava Genetic Resources: Extinct Everywhere in Brazil

Abstract

Wild cassava, Manihot spp. are sources of many useful characters. Their occurrence in natural habitats is diminishing day after day and a number of them almost have come to extinction. It is suggested that in situ conservation should be followed. It is appealed to concerned authorities to make an effort for their salvation.Cassava is an important food crop for more than 900 million people in the tropics and subtropics. Its wild relatives are sources of many useful characters such as high protein content (Nassar and

Compatibility of interspecific Manihot crosses presaged by protein electrophoresis

“…The seeds were treated thermally by alternating temperatures of 16º and 28ºC for periods of 8/16 h (Nassar, 1983;Nassar, 2006b;Nassar and Hashimoto, 2006) for one week to break dormancy. Mode of planting was in circles where one plant of the wild species was in the center of a circle of 8 cassava plants.…”

Weeds as hosts for new crop pests: the case of Protortonia navesi (Hemiptera: Monophlebidae) on cassava in Brazil

“…Cassava ( Manihot esculenta Crantz) is currently cultivated in the tropical areas of most continents (Renvoize, 1973; Bellotti et al. , 1999) and, due to its rusticity and high productivity potential even in reduced‐tillage systems, it has become the main food and energy source for more than 900 million people worldwide (Nassar, 2006). This crop is considered to be relatively tolerant of pest attack; however, studies have demonstrated that yield losses may be significant when pest populations are large and the environmental conditions are unfavourable (Bellotti et al.…”