Nigeria: IITA and NRCRI release new yam varieties resistant to mosaic virus and anthracnose

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in collaboration with the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), has released three new yam varieties for farmers, which are all resistant to the yam mosaic virus and anthracnose . The new varieties are ; UMUDa35-Delight, UMUDr33-Blessing, and UMUDr34-Sunshine. The announcement was made at the 31st Meeting of the National Committee on Naming, Registration, and Release of Crop Varieties, Livestock Breed/Fisheries held in Ibadan. UMUDa35-Delight is D. alata (water yam), while UMUDr33-Blessing and UMUDr34-Sunshine are both D. rotundata (white yam). The new varieties originated from IITA and were released to farmers through NRCRI, Umudike. They were released because of their remarkable attributes, such as high yield, high dry matter, and flour production, as well as good boiling and pounding capabilities. The water yam variety, UMUDa35-Delight, possesses some morphological characteristics such as a green sagittate ...