Manihot Melanobasis Müll. Arg. - A Useful Parent for Cassava Breeding

Abstract

Crosses between Manihot melanobasis and cassava were very fertile and the fertility was maintained in the hybrids. The first and subsequent generations of these crosses were very high yielding. Undesirable features of the early hybrids included a straggling habit and thin stems which yielded poor planting material, a high hydrocyanic acid content in the roots, and low virus resistance: all these were rectified by further breeding. Although M. melanobasis has a high protein content in its roots it is uncertain whether this character can be transmitted to its progeny. It is concluded that M. melanobasis is a very valuable source of new genes for cassava improvement.