TNAU to develop new Cassava crop !
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) and Rasi seeds Ltd have entered into an agreement to develop disease resistant cassava crops, aiming to help farmers improve their yield. Cassava is an important crop in regions of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu and the major constraint in production was the cassava mosaic disease caused by a virus, TANU sources said. Instead of using insecticides, the viable options would be to genetically engineer the crops for virus resistance through transgenic technology, the sources added. The programme would be supported by the Department of Biotechnology (Delhi), under the Small Business Innovation Research Initiative scheme. Indigenous technology developed by the Madurai Kamaraj University would be used for this, the sources said. Incorporation of virus resistance was expected to protect this crop and such resistant variety would be useful to small farmers to obtain sustainable yield with good quality tubes that would be useful for the consumers and the industry.
