Diversity Studies of Cassava Germplasm: Screening for Differences in Starch Production and Resistance to Cassava Mosaic Virus Disease

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a staple in sub-Saharan Africa. It is an important source of starch.This book covers detailed review on relevant aspect of cassava, with respect to the origin and distribution of cassava, botany of cassava plant, cassava production in Ghana, factors affecting cassava production, cassava utilization in Ghana, and variability of characters in cassava. Other aspect were the association among characters in cassava, the use of genetic markers in cassava improvement, the effect of mosaic virus disease on chlorophyll content of cassava, and cassava starch. It focuses on the basic tools for genetic diversity analysis, significance of genetic variation and the use of PCR based technique for screening for cassava mosaic virus disease resistance. Researchers interested in tropical root crops, and starch industries will benefit immensely from this work.