TL III Genetic Gains program improvement plan IITA Cowpea WCA

1. www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium
IITA COWPEA BREEDING
PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT PLANS
IITA Cowpea Breeding Unit

2. www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium
Introduction
• Cowpea breeding program has been in existence at IITA since the
establishment of the institute
• The efforts have received support of several donor agencies :
USAID, EU, BMGF…
• A number of improved breeding lines have resulted and these
have been shared with national partners who evaluate and
release those with desired attributes
• The BPAT has been tested on the program at IITA
• We find the tool useful in identifying strengths and weaknesses of
the program.

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• The Monsanto/IITA cowpea improvement project initiated by
BMGF is an opportunity for strengthening our breeding program
• The result of the cowpea program’s needs analysis by Monsanto
and IITA personnel became available recently
• We have discussed activities of the joint project and sub-
agreements signed with NARS partners
• INERA
• SARI
• IER
• IAR

4. www.iita.orgA member of CGIAR consortium
Breeding Organization
• Recruitment of additional cowpea breeder
• Recruitment of several postdocs (molecular breeder,
HPR entomologist, physiologist)
• Recruitment of support staff (technicians)
• Recruitment of senior biometrician

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Infrastructure
• Upgrades of facilities for screening for aphid resistance
and seedling drought tolerance
• Upgrade of irrigation facility
• Screenhouses and irrigation systems need upgrading
• Mechanization (harvesting and seed processing)
• Specific capital equipment replacement plans

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Breeding Methodology
• Trait prioritization
• Needs analysis – Monsanto/IITA
• Optimize breeding workflows and reduce cycle time
• Increase the size of the program
• Implementation of BMS
• Increase the use of molecular tools in our breeding –
UCR

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Breeding Methodology
• Understand germplasm diversity better in the
breeding pipelines (haplotype diversity)
• Insure genetic purity and integrity at all stages of
breeding pipeline
• Conduct environmental analysis
• Improve seed handling and threshing

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Cultivar devpt, release & pro.
• Intensify collaboration with NARS in developing and
releasing varieties
• Intensify distribution of our CIT

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Program impact
• Different ongoing projects/initiatives will increase
adoption of improved varieties.
• Assessment of impact on a regular basis (if fund is
available)

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Strategic planning & Mgt
• Cowpea breeding objectives aligned with IITA Crop
improvement strategy
• Continue supporting NARES through sharing best
practices, training, collaborating on projects…
• Enhance database management of the breeding
program

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Budget and finance
• Ongoing activities have supports from different
projects
• Continue search for additional funding opportunities

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THANK YOU