An in-depth story into Genetically Modified (GM) cassava research in Uganda gives a blow-by-blow account of the progress researchers have made in developing GM cassava that is resistant to Cassava Brown Streak Disease and Cassava Mosaic Disease – the two diseases ravaging the crop across the country and threatening food security. The research, happening in Ugandan Bioscience Molecular Laboratory, uses a new technology that involves the extraction of a gene from whiteflies – the causative vector of Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) and Cassava Mosaic Disease – and introducing it into local cassava varieties.
Taddewo William Senyonyi is an author at Business Focus, a national daily newspaper that reports on business and financial matters