Bioscience Evidence 2024, Vol.14, No.1, 32-38 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 32 Research Report Open Access Harnessing Genomic Tools for Cassava Improvement: Advances and Prospects Jian Fu, Zhongmei Hong, Wenzhong Huang CRO Service Station, Sanya Tihitar SciTech Breeding Service Inc., Sanya, 572025, China Corresponding author email: hitar@hitar.org Bioscience Evidence, 2024, Vol.14, No.1 doi: 10.5376/be.2024.14.0005 Received: 06 Jan., 2024 Accepted: 12 Feb., 2024 Published: 22 Feb., 2024 Copyright © 2024 Fu et al., This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Fu J., Hong Z.M., and Huang W.Z., 2024, Harnessing genomic tools for Cassava improvement: advances and prospects, Bioscience Evidence, 14(1): 32-38 (doi: 10.5376/be.2024.14.0005) Abstract As an important staple crop in tropical and subtropical regions, cassava (Manihot esculenta) faces an urgent need to improve yield, nutritional value, and environmental adaptability. In recent years, the rapid development of genomic tools has brought unprecedented opportunities for cassava improvement, greatly improving the efficiency and accuracy of breeding. This research explores the integrated application of genomic tools such as high-throughput sequencing, gene editing techniques, and omics methods in cassava breeding, and their profound impact on accelerating specific trait improvement. This research discusses the implementation of high-throughput sequencing and gene editing techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9 and TALENs, which have led to precise gene modifications for disease resistance and yield improvement. In addition, it also highlights how transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics can help deepen understanding of the physiological response and metabolic pathways of cassava. However, the application of these technologies faces multiple challenges, including high costs, complexity of genomic data, ethical issues of genetic modification, and unpredictability of global environmental change. Despite these obstacles, genomic tools still have promising prospects in transforming cassava breeding, providing possible solutions for food safety in developing regions. This research emphasizes the necessity of collaborative efforts to effectively utilize genomic tools and ensure that the benefits of these technologies can be widely and beneficially applied in different agricultural environments. Keywords Cassava (Manihot esculenta); Cassava improvement; Genomic tools; High-throughput sequencing; Gene editing; Omics technologies Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a root crop that has become a staple food for millions of people across the tropics, particularly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It is the third-most important source of calories in the tropics after rice and maize. Due to its resilience and adaptability to various environmental conditions, cassava plays a pivotal role in global agriculture and food security. Its importance is further underscored in regions where it serves as a primary food source and contributes significantly to the livelihoods of smallholder farmers (Mbanjo et al., 2021). Despite its significance, cassava faces several challenges that impede its production and quality. These include a long growth cycle, genetic heterozygosity, and susceptibility to diseases and pests. Traditional breeding methods have been somewhat limited in addressing these challenges due to the crop's complex genetic makeup and the lack of a large set of DNA markers and genetic maps. The advent of genomic tools has revolutionized the field of crop improvement. Genomic tools such as molecular markers, genome sequencing, and genetic transformation are now being harnessed to overcome the breeding obstacles in cassava. These tools have enabled the development of a more saturated genetic linkage map of cassava, combining simple sequence repeat (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, which is crucial for the genetic analysis of economically important traits (Hu et al., 2021). Furthermore, the sequencing of wild and cultivated cassava and related species has revealed extensive interspecific hybridization and genetic diversity, providing a rich resource for breeding programs (Adu e al., 2021). Recent biotechnological advances, including functional genomics and genome editing approaches such as CRISPR-Cas9 and TILLING, offer unprecedented opportunities to accelerate the improvement of cassava. These technologies are being directed toward addressing major production constraints, such as virus resistance, protein content, tolerance to drought, and reduction of cyanogenic glucosides.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzMg==