• Energy Research

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible tuberous roots and minimally for its leaves. It provides food and revenue to over eight hundred million people particularly in Africa. Generally, cassava is drought-tolerant, and sheds leaves in drought conditions resulting in significantly lower yields. Cassava drought management strategies need to focus on maximizing the utilization of molecular tools for crop establishment and yield. Developing strategies to produce cassava cultivars with drought tolerance is vital to extending crop yield under limited rainfall. In this review, recent progress applying molecular genetics, genomics, genetic engineering, and genome editing are reviewed.

AbstractBanana is a major staple food crop feeding more than 500 million people in tropical and subtropical countries. Its production is largely constrained by diseases and pests in addition to other factors such as declining soil fertility, narrow genetic diversity in germplasm, and inadequate availability of clean planting material. The impact of climate change, particularly a rise in temperature and drought, is predicted to affect production adversely due to direct effect on plant agronomy and also influence on pathogens, pests, and their interactions with host plants. There is need to develop climate‐smart varieties of banana with multiple and durable resistance to combat abiotic stresses such as extreme temperature and drought, and biotic stresses such as pathogens and pests. Modern breeding tools, including genetic modification and genome editing, can be applied for the improvement of banana bypassing the natural bottlenecks of traditional breeding. Intensive efforts using genetic modification have been made to develop improved banana varieties with resistance to biotic stresses; however, these need to be coupled with tolerance to abiotic stresses. Genome editing, an emerging powerful tool, can be applied for developing sustainable solutions to adapt to climate change by resisting biotic and abiotic stresses. CRISPR/Cas9‐based genome editing has been lately established for banana, paving the way for functional genomics allowing identification of genes associated with stress‐tolerant traits, which could be used for the improvement of banana for adaptation to a changing climate. This article presents an overview of recent advancements and prospective on the application of genetic modification and genome editing for developing climate‐smart banana.

AbstractCassava (Manihot esculenta. Crantz) is a starch‐rich, woody tuberous, root crop important for food, with little being done to investigate its potential as a bioenergy crop despite its enormous potential. The major bottleneck in the crop being able to serve this dual role is the competition of its storage roots for both purposes. The major cassava production regions primarily use the tuberous roots for food, and this has resulted in its neglect as a bioenergy crop. The use of non‐food cassava parts as a feedstock in cellulosic biofuel production is a promising strategy that can overcome this challenge. However, in non‐tuber parts, most of the sugars are highly sequestered in lignin complexes making them inaccessible to bacterial bioconversion. Additionally, cassava production in these major growing areas is not optimal owing to several production constraints. The challenges affecting cassava production as a food and bioenergy crop are interconnected and therefore need to be addressed together. Cassava improvement against biotic and abiotic stresses can enhance productivity and cater for the high demand of the roots for food and bioenergy production. Furthermore, increased production will enhance the usability of non‐food parts for bioenergy as the bigger goal. This review addresses efforts in cassava improvement against stresses that reduce its productivity as well as strategies that enhance biomass production, both important for food and bioenergy. Additionally, prospective strategies that could ease bioconversion of cassava for enhanced bioenergy production are explored.

As global populations continue to increase, agricultural productivity will be challenged to keep pace without overtaxing important environmental resources. A dynamic and integrated approach will be required to solve global food insecurity and position agriculture on a trajectory toward sustainability. Genetically modified (GM) crops enhanced through modern biotechnology represent an important set of tools that can promote sustainable agriculture and improve food security. Several emerging biotechnology approaches were discussed in a recent symposium organized at the 13th IUPAC International Congress of Pesticide Chemistry meeting in San Francisco, CA, USA. This paper summarizes the innovative research and several of the new and emerging technologies within the field of agricultural biotechnology that were presented during the symposium. This discussion highlights how agricultural biotechnology fits within the context of sustainable agriculture and improved food security and can be used in support of further development and adoption of beneficial GM crops.

The Global Plant Health Assessment (GPHA) is a collective, volunteer-based effort to assemble expert opinions on plant health and disease impacts on ecosystem services based on published scientific evidence. The GPHA considers a range of forest, agricultural, and urban systems worldwide. These are referred to as (Ecoregion × Plant System), i.e., selected case examples involving keystone plants in given parts of the world. The GPHA focuses on infectious plant diseases and plant pathogens, but encompasses the abiotic (e.g., temperature, drought, and floods) and other biotic (e.g., animal pests and humans) factors associated with plant health. Among the 33 (Ecoregion × Plant System) considered, 18 are assessed as in fair or poor health, and 20 as in declining health. Much of the observed state of plant health and its trends are driven by a combination of forces, including climate change, species invasions, and human management. Healthy plants ensure (i) provisioning (food, fiber, and material), (ii) regulation (climate, atmosphere, water, and soils), and (iii) cultural (recreation, inspiration, and spiritual) ecosystem services. All these roles that plants play are threatened by plant diseases. Nearly none of these three ecosystem services are assessed as improving. Results indicate that the poor state of plant health in sub-Saharan Africa gravely contributes to food insecurity and environmental degradation. Results further call for the need to improve crop health to ensure food security in the most populated parts of the world, such as in South Asia, where the poorest of the poor, the landless farmers, are at the greatest risk. The overview of results generated from this work identifies directions for future research to be championed by a new generation of scientists and revived public extension services. Breakthroughs from science are needed to (i) gather more data on plant health and its consequences, (ii) identify collective actions to manage plant systems, (iii) exploit the phytobiome diversity in breeding programs, (iv) breed for plant genotypes with resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses, and (v) design and implement plant systems involving the diversity required to ensure their adaptation to current and growing challenges, including climate change and pathogen invasions.

Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) est l'une des cultures indigènes durables de l'Éthiopie qui soutient les moyens de subsistance d'environ 20 millions de personnes, principalement dans les régions densément peuplées du Sud et du Sud-Ouest du pays. Enset sert de culture de sécurité alimentaire pour les humains, d'alimentation animale et de source de fibres pour les producteurs. La production d'enset a été limitée par les ravageurs des plantes, les maladies et les facteurs abiotiques. Parmi ces contraintes, la flétrissure bactérienne a été le facteur limitant le plus important pour la production d'ensets depuis son apparition il y a cinq décennies. Il n'y a pas de matériel génétique bactérien résistant à la maladie du flétrissement dans le pool génétique enset pour transférer ce trait à des variétés enset sensibles par sélection conventionnelle. De plus, l'absence de produits chimiques efficaces contre la maladie a laissé les agriculteurs sans moyens de lutter contre le flétrissement bactérien pendant des décennies. Le génie génétique a été l'approche alternative pour développer des matériaux végétaux résistants aux maladies dans d'autres cultures où d'autres outils de sélection sont inefficaces. Cette revue traite de la culture d'ensets et des développements récents concernant le contrôle de la maladie bactérienne du flétrissement dans les cultures d'ensets et apparentées comme la banane pour aider à concevoir des stratégies efficaces. Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) es uno de los cultivos indígenas sostenibles de Etiopía que sustenta los medios de vida de unos 20 millones de personas, principalmente en las zonas densamente pobladas del sur y suroeste del país. Enset sirve como cultivo de seguridad alimentaria para humanos, alimentación animal y fuente de fibra para los productores. La producción de enset se ha visto limitada por plagas de plantas, enfermedades y factores abióticos. Entre estas limitaciones, la enfermedad del marchitamiento bacteriano ha sido el factor limitante más importante para la producción de enset desde su brote hace cinco décadas. No se conoce material genético resistente a la enfermedad de marchitez bacteriana en el conjunto genético de enset para transferir este rasgo a variedades de enset susceptibles a través del mejoramiento convencional. Además, la ausencia de productos químicos eficaces contra la enfermedad ha dejado a los agricultores sin medios para combatir el marchitamiento bacteriano durante décadas. La ingeniería genética ha sido el enfoque alternativo para desarrollar materiales vegetales resistentes a enfermedades en otros cultivos donde otras herramientas de mejoramiento son ineficaces. Esta revisión analiza el cultivo de enset y los desarrollos recientes que abordan el control de la enfermedad del marchitamiento bacteriano en cultivos de enset y relacionados, como el banano, para ayudar a diseñar estrategias efectivas. Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) is one of Ethiopia's indigenous sustainability crop supporting the livelihoods of about 20 million people, mainly in the densely populated South and Southwestern parts of the country. Enset serves as a food security crop for humans, animal feed and source of fiber for the producers. The production of enset has been constrained by plant pests, diseases and abiotic factors. Among these constraints, bacterial wilt disease has been the most important limiting factor for enset production since its outbreak five decades ago. There is no known bacterial wilt disease resistant genetic material in the enset genetic pool to transfer this trait to susceptible enset varieties through conventional breeding. Moreover, the absence of effective chemicals against the disease has left farmers without means to combat bacterial wilt for decades. Genetic engineering has been the alternative approach to develop disease resistant plant materials in other crops where other breeding tools are ineffective. This review discusses enset cultivation and recent developments addressing the control of bacterial wilt disease in enset and related crops like banana to help design effective strategies. إنست (Ensete ventricosum) تشيزمان) هو أحد محاصيل الاستدامة المحلية في إثيوبيا التي تدعم سبل عيش حوالي 20 مليون شخص، وخاصة في الأجزاء الجنوبية والجنوبية الغربية المكتظة بالسكان من البلاد. تعمل ENSET كمحصول للأمن الغذائي للبشر والأعلاف الحيوانية ومصدر للألياف للمنتجين. تم تقييد إنتاج INSET بسبب الآفات النباتية والأمراض والعوامل اللاأحيائية. من بين هذه القيود، كان مرض الذبول الجرثومي أهم عامل مقيد لإنتاج الأجنة منذ تفشيه قبل خمسة عقود. لا توجد مادة وراثية مقاومة للذبول الجرثومي معروفة في المجموعة الوراثية إنسيت لنقل هذه السمة إلى أصناف إنسيت الحساسة من خلال التكاثر التقليدي. علاوة على ذلك، فإن عدم وجود مواد كيميائية فعالة ضد المرض ترك المزارعين دون وسائل لمكافحة الذبول البكتيري لعقود. كانت الهندسة الوراثية هي النهج البديل لتطوير مواد نباتية مقاومة للأمراض في محاصيل أخرى حيث تكون أدوات التكاثر الأخرى غير فعالة. يناقش هذا الاستعراض زراعة SENSET والتطورات الأخيرة التي تتناول مكافحة مرض الذبول البكتيري في SENSET والمحاصيل ذات الصلة مثل الموز للمساعدة في تصميم استراتيجيات فعالة.