West African crop breeding programme launched

A five-year programme to improve the basic food crops of Africa will start later this year. It aims to encourage the development of new strains of sorghum, millet, African rice cowpea, winged bean, mung bean, cassava, sweet potatoes and yams. The programme will teach plant breeders how to apply the technique of induced mutation- using minute doses of gamma-radiation to alter the genetic material of plants and so produce new varieties of crops that are more resistant to disease and easier to grow. The first regional training course under this programme will be run by the Food and Agriculture Organization/ International Atomic Energy Agency Joint Division next year (1990) for plant breeders from across West Africa. Funding for the five-year proiect has been received from the Italian Government Dr Alex Micke - FAO/MEA Joint Division International Atomic Energy Agency Wagramerstrasse 5 - A 1400 Vienna Austria