IITA trains stakeholders on the power of molecular markers in banana breeding and seed systems

Genetic purity is one of the utmost requirements for quality seeds. In bananas, the penalty of growing the wrong varieties is high because of the long cycle of the crop. Mixing up of the planting material is noticed at least a year after planting. The economic loss is even greater, considering the cost and time of multiplying banana planting material in the laboratory using tissue culture techniques.

To address this issue, IITA, in collaboration with Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute, organized a two-day workshop on using molecular markers for quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) in bananas from 17 to 18 April in Arusha, Tanzania. The workshop was led by IITA Banana Molecular Breeder Brigitte Uwimana and head of banana research at TARI Dr Mpoki Shimwela, and attended by 21 participants comprising seed certification policy influencers and policymakers, technicians, and quality controllers in research and commercial tissue culture laboratories in Tanzania.

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