Pre- and Classical Breeding,Germplasm for Breeding,

1. Update on West Africa
Banana and Plantain Program
1. Classical breeding 2. Pre-breeding 3. Agronomy
-Old and new germplasm -Chromosome doubling -Production map
-Program restructuring -Hormone treatment -Yield prediction
-Variety registration -Density testing
-Seedling production
Molecular genetics
in vitro culture
Cytogenetics

2. Pre- and Classical Breeding
1. Classical breeding
1. Main targets: resistance to diseases (e.g. BS)
-Improved plantain (PITA) series
-Improved bananas (BITA) series
-Promotion of PITA and BITA series ongoing
-Registration in process for Nigeria (IITA-NIHORT)
2. Utilization of small number of local varieties to initiate classical breeding (1)
-Mainly driven by overcoming fertility barriers
3. PITA and BITA have good potentials
-High yield
-Tolerance to BS
-Nutrient contents
4. Local landraces continue to be preferred
-Susceptible to pests and diseases
-Poor root system
-Very low yield

3. Germplasm for Breeding
-Landraces, hybrids and wild species
-PITA and BITA series put back in breeding scheme
-New materials being acquired from other breeding programs
-Creation of new breeding blocks

4. Pre-breeding: a step before breeding
Direct breeding using the preferred landraces (intractable to breeding so far)
-Creation of double haploids (3n segregates as 2n + n)
-Ovule culture + chromosome doubling
-Direct chromosome doubling of triploid followed by crosses
-Chromosome doubling of key diploid hybrids
-Direct utilization of preferred triploids by improving fertility before crosses
-Treatment with growth hormones
Chromosome doubling Ovule culture

5. Country specific aspects
1. Nigeria
-Moved away from Onne Station (South East Nigeria)
-Activities concentrated in Ibadan
-National partners and networks maintained
-Variety registration with NIHORT. Variety description catalog available
-Two projects ongoing
-One national project developed (IITA, NIHORT, NAGRAB, NABDA)
2. Ivory Coast
-Collaboration with national partners [CNRA and Universities]
-One breeding block created. A Field Technician hired.
-6 project ideas in development (including one on banana-plantain)
-Ivory Coast chosen by ECOWAS and the World Bank as the center of specialization for
plantain with spill over in other ECOWAS countries
[Second phase of the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP) ]
3. Ghana
-The Crop Research Institute (CRI) has designated A responsible for Plantain (Michael
Kwabena Osei).
-In the course of developing a national project.
4. Liberia:
In touch with Liberian Colleagues. Problem is baseline data

6. Tanzania Ivory Coast
-Breeding for ESA -Breeding for WCA
-East African Highland bananas -Plantain
-Plantain -Other cooking bananas
-Agronomy -Molecular laboratory aspects
-Agronomy
Pre-breeding support,
seed and seedling transfer
Transfer of breeding
Materials for conservation and distribution
Nigeria
-Pre-breeding operations
-Introduction, in vitro regeneration
and sanitation of new germplasm
-Molecular laboratory aspects
-Agronomy
Transfer of breeding
Materials for testing
Cameroon Ghana
-Germplasm testing -Germplasm testing
-Post-harvest operations -Agronomy
IITA banana and Plantain -Agronomy
Program and WCA overview
COUNTRY SPECIFIC DELIVERY HUBS