Enhancing sweetpotato resistance to African weevils (Cylas puncticollis and Cylas brunneus) through transgenic breeding
Abstract
132 words
Sweetpotato production is greatly constrained by two weevil
species; Cylas puncticollis and C. brunneus that cause yield
losses of up to 80%. The use of resistant sweetpotato cultivars
is the most sustainable strategy to control the weevils. However,
little success has been realized in developing resistant cultivars.
Genetic engineering is a more viable option that offers a means
to introduce resistant genes into sweetpotato. In this study the
transgenic variety Jewel events with cry7Aa1, cry3Ca1, ET33-
34, cry7Aa1+cry3Ca1 and cry7Aa1+ ET33-34 will be used
as source of resistance in transgenic breeding. The progenies
will be selected for the presence of the Bt protein product and
evaluated for weevil resistance and agronomic performance.
The best performing progenies will be further used in the
sweetpotato breeding programme to enhance resistance to the
African weevils.
Subjects
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