Weevil-resistant sweet potato ready

By Standard Reporter

Researchers have come up with a sweet potato variety that is resilient to weevils.

The crop has been under constant threat from weevils, which have reduced production in the whole of Africa.

Dr Marc Ghislain, a biotechnologist at the International Potato Centre, said the African sweet potato weevils can cause 60 to 100 per cent yield losses, especially during drought.

He said in the last seven years, a team of scientists has been developing a Bt sweet potato capable of resisting the weevils without affecting other organisms.

Addressing a continental forum on biotechnology in Nairobi, he said the product has been tested in animal models and found to be safe for consumption.

"Working in Kenya and Uganda, we have found the modified sweet potato neither contains toxins nor triggers allergies," Dr Ghislain told the forum organised by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications (ISAAA).

According to the researcher, more studies are being done in mice on digestibility of the root to determine whether the altered sweet potato could affect other unintended organisms.

Although 80 per cent of the work has been done in Uganda the rest was carried out at Kenyatta University where weevil resistant roots have been developed.

"Since in Uganda we are working on similar ecological zones to Kenya, the crop can be introduced in the latter without the need to replicate the research work."

The programme has trained some local scientists in preparation for the field introduction of the technology. "Local scientists have completed the e-distance learning postgraduate course "Biosafety in Plant Biotechnology" at the Ghent University," Dr Ghislain said.

According to an earlier study by ISAAA, sweet potato in Kenya is mainly produced by poor households under harsh climatic conditions and with little inputs but still yield more than most other crops in similar circumstances.

The study estimated that about 75,000 hectares are under sweet potato cultivation in Kenya with 40 per cent of the harvest retained for household consumption.

The technology is being developed under the Sweetpotato Action for Security and Health in Africa programme and will be free for use by farmers in the region.