A genomic assisted breeding program for cassava to improve nutritional quality and industrial traits of storage root

Abstract

Cassava is cultivated for two ends proposals: "sweet cassava" as fresh consumes and "industry cassava" as source of starch and farina. Landraces were used to discover "spontaneous mutations" and to develop evolutionary and breeding perspective of gene function. Genomic and Proteomic resources were obtained. Gene expression by RNA blot and Microarray analysis were performed to identify differentially expressed genes. A new sugary cassava was identified to be related to missing expression of BEI and a nonsense mutation in GBSSI gene leading to amylose free starch. A pink phenotype showed no expression of CasLYB gene, and a yellow phenotype a down regulation of CasHYb. Proteomic analysis of carotenoid-protein complex together with gene expression analysis of CAP4 revealed a heteroduplex double strand cDNA associated with high carotenoid content. GBSSI gene sequencing identified 22 haplotypes and large nucleotide diversity. Segregating populations by crossing differential biochemical phenotypes and parents adapted to Cerrado's Region were obtained.