Browsing by Author "Abincha, Wilfred"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Flowering problems and their possible solution in cassava breeding(Journal of Scientific Agriculture, 2020) Ibrahim, Yasmin; Baguma, Yona; Abincha, Wilfred; Gibson, Paul; Edema, Richard; Bisikwa, JenipherSix elite cassava clones were chosen from cassava breeding program at the National Crops Resource Research Institute (NaCRRI) based on their flowering characteristics and seed set. The clones were planted in randomized complete block experimental design with 3 replications. The floral biology of these cassava clones were studied, focusing on morphological traits and developmental timing. Since cassava develops branches in levels, data was sourced from the 1st level of branching through the 4th level of branching. The result indicated that days to branching generally varied among all the genotypes studied, indicating the need to use different planting dates for different genotypes to ensure synchronization of flowering. The time difference among genotypes from branching to visible inflorescence was not larger than one and a half days and this difference did not seem be a factor for synchronization. The general number of female flowers was low in all genotypes across branching levels. This suggests there is a need to apply techniques that could enhance flowering in cassava. Conversely, the number of male flowers outnumbered the female flowers, suggesting that male flower production may not be a limiting factor to hybrid seed production. Male flower opened 20 to 30 days later after the opening of the female flowers. This calls for delayed planting of the early flowering genotypes when used as female parent. It was recommended that in order to synchronize flowering, the late flowering genotypes have to be planted ahead of the early flowering genotypes. In addition, applying techniques such as growth regulators, red light and finding the most optimal locations for flowering is recommended for further study as a way of enhancing flowering among cassava genotypes.Item Portable Spectroscopy Calibration with Inexpensive and Simple Sampling Reference Alternatives for Dry Matter and Total Carotenoid Contents in Cassava Roots(Applied Sciences, 2021) Abincha, Wilfred; Ikeogu, Ugochukwu N.; Kawuki, Robert; Egesi, Chiedozie; Rabbi, Ismail; Parkes, Elizabeth; Kulakow, Peter; Edema, Richard; Gibson, Paul; Owor, Betty-ElizabethThe use of standard laboratory methods for trait evaluation is expensive and challenging, especially for low-resource breeding programs. For carotenoid assessment, rather than the standard HPLC method, these programs mostly rely on proxy approaches for quantitative total carotenoid content (TCC) assessment. To ensure data transferability and consistency, calibration models were developed using TCC iCheck and Chroma Meter proxy methods for the adoption of the alternative near-infrared phenotyping method in cassava. Calibration was developed for dry matter content (DMC) using a simple and inexpensive sampling procedure associated with the proxy TCC protocols. The partial least square (PLS) and random forest (RF) models were compared for the two traits, and the correlation (r) between the actual and predicted values in the training and validation (in bracket) sets of r = 0.85 (0.76) and r = 0.98 (0.82) with PLS and RF, respectively, for iCheck, and r = 0.99 (0.96) and r = 0.99 (0.96) with PLS and RF, respectively, for Chroma Meter, was obtained. The calibration result of r = 0.93 (0.83) and r = 0.99 (0.81) using PLS and RF, respectively, was obtained for DMC. This effort is valuable in carotenoids improvement and supports the ongoing effort in adopting portable spectrometers for rapid and cheap phenotyping in cassava.