The Drumbeat: Africa Bioscience Trends

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30TH AUG 2019

ISSUE NO.19

Welcome to issue 19 of the DrumBeat!

A special report on the latest global status of biotech crop commercialization is the major highlight of this issue. The report – Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops in 2018 – released by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) reveals that a total of 70 countries adopted biotech crops through cultivation and importation in 2018, the 23rd year of continuous biotech crop adoption. It shows Africa continues to make steady progress in the adoption of biotech crops with Nigeria becoming the first country in the world to approve biotech cowpea, thus, adding a new biotech crop to the global biotech basket.

In the Video of the Month, meet Fanteya Ayela, an Ethiopian scientist working on a project that aims at curbing aflatoxins in food and feed in Ethiopia and improving food safety and security. Aflatoxins, highly toxic and carcinogenic compounds, are major contaminants in groundnut, one of the most important cash crops in the country's eastern region, but whose export hangs in the balance due to the contaminants. Ayela hopes that her project will provide a solution to this problem.

The Opinion Piece takes an exploration of Senegal's robust biosafety system and examines what it holds for the future of crop biotechnology in the country. The country's National Biosafety Authority (ANB) Director Ousseynou Kassé is optimistic that a new biosafety law that awaits approval will create a pathway for commercialization of genetically modified (GM) products that pose no significant risk to humans, animals, or the environment.

These and other stories on biotech and biosafety development could not have been told better without this publication. Relax and explore the beauty of Africa's science development through your favourite issue of the DrumBeat.

Happy reading!

REGULATOR'S CORNER

Country	Crop	Modified trait	Date of approval
United States	Apple	Antibiotic resistance and non-browning	April 25^th 2019

VIDEO OF THE MONTH

Aflatoxin in Ethiopia: Why I Want to
Find a Solution - Fantaye Ayele, Scientist

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UPCOMING EVENTS IN BIOSCIENCES, AFRICA

STORY OF THE MONTH

Special Report: Biotech Crops Continue to Help Meet the Challenges of Increased Population and Climate Change

A special report released by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) shows that a total of 70 countries adopted biotech crops through cultivation and importation in 2018, the 23rd year of continuous biotech crop adoption. The report, Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops in 2018 (ISAAA Brief 54), shows Africa continues to make steady progress in the adoption of biotech crops with Nigeria becoming the first country in the world to approve biotech cowpea, thus, adding a new biotech crop to the global biotech basket.

Fruit set and plant regeneration in cassava following interspecific pollination with castor bean

The increasing demand for cassava for food and non-food uses in the tropics necessitates that its breeding for increased root productivity be made faster. Its characteristic long breeding cycle and heterozygous nature pose a major obstacle to its rapid genetic improvement. This study aimed at inter-pollinating cassava with castor bean with a purpose of inducing and regenerating cassava doubled haploids (DHs). The findings lay a foundation for future research aimed at induction of haploids in cassava.

Bioengineered potato: Resistance to late blight disease and higher crop yields

Average potato yields in sub-Saharan Africa are four times lower than those in industrialized nations, mostly due to the effects of diseases, particularly late blight. This research demonstrates that the transfer from wild potato relatives of three resistance-conferring genes into a cultivated potato variety provides complete resistance to late blight for several seasons. Cultivation of this late blight resistant potato would increase family farm incomes by 40% and ensure the supply of fungicide-free potatoes to consumers.

Genetic variability, heritability and genetic gain for quantitative traits in South African sorghum genotypes

Sorghum is one of the most important cereal crops grown in the world. This study estimated the genetic variability, heritability and genetic gain of some agro-physiological traits of 98 sorghum accessions in South Africa. Greater magnitude of broad sense heritability coupled with higher genetic advance in traits studied provided the evidence that these were under the control of additive genetic effects indicating that selection in the germplasm should lead to a fast improvement of the traits.