CIAT April 2018

(CIAT Project 2016-2021)

Cassava features prominently in the crop portfolios of Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. The crop plays a key role in the local economies of all three countries, with Thailand and Vietnam being the two largest global exporters of cassava products, and Cambodia relying on cassava as its second most cultivated agricultural crop. Over the past 20 years cassava production in these regions has risen dramatically, however there have been serious reductions in recent years due to the introduction and increasing occurrences of insect pests and diseases. These pose a serious threat to the sustainability of local livelihoods and emerging agro-industries. Impacts already being felt by the prevalence of these threats illustrate how crucial it to protect crop health. The cassava mealybug, for example has caused cassava yield losses as high as 30-40% in all three countries.

This region-wide plant health emergency is inherently tied to inadequate crop management schemes and an overall lack of familiarity with cassava phytosanitarty constraints. Plant cuttings do not receive proper screening for seed borne diseases and distribution of unhealthy stakes are the main factors in propelling increasing incidences of invasive pests and diseases. Additionally, the absence of serious cassava pests and diseases in the region until recently meant that there was no need for the development of local capacity in pest identification, monitoring or management. Systematic germplasm screening for disease susceptibility, the design and implementation of clean seed systems, and the development of standardized monitoring systems for novel pests and diseases are essential components for a much-needed pest management strategy to counteract this gap.

This project is being is being led by SATREPS, a Japanese government program that promotes international joint research. CIAT will be collaborating under the SATREPS umbrella, alongside several other organizations with the project purpose of establishing cassava pest management and healthy seedling management systems, with the overall goal of introducing the these models to the main cassava production areas of Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Five provinces throughout the three countries have been selected as model/project sites:

• Dong Nai and Yen Bai provinces – Vietnam
• Battambang and Pailin provinces – Cambodia
• Rayong Province – Thailand

The expected outputs of the project are:

• Major disease pathogens are identified and a disease monitoring system is introduced
• Insect pest management system is developed
• Cassava seed system is established and new breeding technology that can shorten the breeding cycle is developed
• Healthy seedlings and sustainable production methods are disseminated to producers.
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As the project will be implemented in close collaboration with several countries (Cambodia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam) and will involve the participation of many different research organizations, it is envisaged that the project will strengthen regional research networks and the experiences and outcomes of the project will be shared to help build the capacity of both researchers and cassava farmers.

See more: http://ciat.cgiar.org/ciat--cassava-in-vietnam-cambodia-and-thailand-satreps/