Toolbox for Working with Root, Tuber, and Banana Seed Systems

Abstract

Root, tuber, and banana (RT&B) crops are critical for global food security. They are vegetatively propagated crops (VPCs) sharing common features: low reproductive rates, bulky planting materials, and vulnerability to accumulating and spreading pathogens and pests through seed. These crops are difficult to breed, so new varieties may be released slowly relative to new emerging threats. VPC seed systems are complex and face several challenges: poor-quality seed of existing varieties, low adoption rates of improved varieties, and slow varietal turnover, limiting yield increases and farmers’ ability to adapt to new threats and opportunities. Addressing these challenges requires first identifying key knowledge gaps on seed systems to guide research for development in a holistic and coherent way. Working together across 10 crops and 26 countries in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America, the CGIAR seed systems research community has developed a “Toolbox for Working with Root, Tuber, and Banana Seed Systems,” which introduces 11 tools and a glossary to address four major gaps: (1) capturing the demand characteristics of different types of farmers; (2) identifying effective seed delivery pathways; (3) ensuring seed health and stopping the spread of disease; and (4) designing effective policies and regulations. We describe the toolbox and its creation and validation across 76 crop-and-country use cases, and illustrate how the tools, applied individually or in combination, are addressing the key knowledge gaps in RT&B seed systems. The tool developers are actively working to scale the toolbox, including identifying new partners and models for collaboration, developing new tools, and supporting new applications in VPCs, as well as for fruit, vegetable, grain, and pulse seed systems.

Genetic innovation gender strategy

“…Although developed for root, tuber and banana crops, many toolbox elements are of broader relevance to other crops. The toolbox combines 11 proven strategies and tools that integrate social aspects, including gender, to diagnose, plan, and develop new seed systems (Andrade-Piedra et al, 2020). See also Maize: Training manual for breeders in gender-responsive approaches for enhancing the adoption of improved maize seed in Africa (Adam et al, 2019).…”

Translating virome analyses to support biosecurity, on-farm management, and crop breeding

“…For crops that are propagated via true seeds, exchanging germplasm among breeding programs is similarly complicated by seed transmissible viruses ( Dombrovsky and Smith, 2017 ). Screening germplasm to identify viruses is often especially important for breeding of vegetatively propagated crops where the viral load accumulates in the host over time, reducing the productivity or seed quality of crops ( Gibson and Kreuze, 2015 ; Thomas-Sharma et al., 2016 ; Jacobsen et al., 2019 ; Andrade-Piedra et al., 2022 ). Indexing germplasm using HTS can also be used to generate gene expression profiles for testing how genotypes express resistance or tolerance, which can benefit breeding programs by providing recommendations for further breeding and propagation of clean seed.…”

Potato and sweetpotato breeding at the International Potato Center: approaches, outcomes and the way forward

“…For example, the USAID-supported three‐generation seed production model (3G) project led by CIP seed and crop management specialists strengthened capacities and leveraged the comparative advantages of myriad public sector agencies, private firms and non-profit companies in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda to raise awareness and implement best practices for improved access to quality seed of popular and new potato varieties. The CRP RTB developed a seed systems toolbox (Andrade-Piedra et al 2022 ), and the current CGIAR portfolio includes the Seed Equal Initiative that focuses on seed delivery with the goal of increasing the genetic gain in farmers’ fields.…”