UI Holds Stakeholders’ Workshop On Seed Yam Production

Stakeholders in the production of seed yam will on July 14, converge on University of Ibadan for a workshop on seed yam using low-cost bioreactors.

Notice of the workshop is contained in a statement issued by the Principal Investigator, Dr Morufat Balogun, in Ibadan on Sunday.

The statement quoted Balogun as saying that the stakeholders’ workshop would consider year-round production and availability of seed yam using plant tissue culture technology.

She stated that “this forms part of the objectives of the project `Improving Yam (Dioscorea spp)’ seed systems through production of dormancy-controlled seed tubers in Temporary Immersion Bioreactors.’’

She explained that the project was funded through the National Science Foundation-Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) science programme under Prime Agreement.

The Agreement, she said, was between the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) which has http://www.nas.edu/peerscience as its website.

The principal investigator said that the project was a collaboration between University of Ibadan and the Pennsylvania State University.

Balogun, a Geneticist and Tissue Culture Specialist in the Department of Crop Protection and Environmental Biology, UI, said the project had been researching into growing yams in Temporary Immersion Bioreactors.

She explained that bioreactors was a system whereby yam plants were fed with liquid nutrients intermittently in sterile containers to produce small tubers and investigate control of their dormancy.

“Simply put, bioreactors is about bringing advanced technology to farmers at reduced costs,’’ she said.

According to her, the workshop will be attended by farmers and extension agents from Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states working with the Agricultural Development Programmes (ADP), who will undergo training and review the technology.

She said other national and international partner institutions and agencies expected at the workshop include National Root Crops Research Institute, National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and the National Biotechnology Development Agency.

“We are looking at creating a yam seed production network of scientists, seed producers and farmers for seed sector development. These activities can easily spread to other states of Nigeria through ADP offices.

“The underground tuber of the yam plant is a major source of carbohydrate and income in West Africa. Nigeria alone produces 70 per cent of global yam production, equivalent to 50 million tonnes per year — FAO, 2013.

“Thus, there are quite a large number of farmers that make their livelihood from yam.

“In spite of its importance, yam seed is seasonal, causing surplus of yam at a time but limited and high cost of consumer-preferred varieties at other times of the year,’’ Balogun said.

She said that the seed problem was due in part to tuber dormancy, the inability of tubers to sprout for two to three months in spite of favourable environmental conditions, which prevented year-round production.

Also, uncontrolled sprouting after dormancy break causes storage losses and reduces profits.

“This contrasts with maize, whose seeds can be grown anytime of the year with irrigation. With the changing climate of extreme floods and drought, manipulating production cycles is a coping strategy for yam production,’’ the investigator said.

She added that using the new technology could make yam production more profitable, with Nigeria becoming the major exporter of yam to other parts of the world.

She said “it is obvious that yam is a crop that should enjoy attention in the effort to alleviate poverty among farming communities, especially if constraints of seed systems are addressed.

“ The immediate application of this technology is in production of disease-free seedlings and conservation of yam genetic resources without losses associated with field collections, in addition to out-of-season production and manipulation of storage cycle,’’ she added.