In a joint effort, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)–CGIAR and the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) have unveiled a new yam variety, UMUDr36 (IITA breeding ID: TDr1302100), commercially known as ‘SharpSharp’, for Nigerian farmers. This announcement was made during the 33rd National Committee on Naming, Registration, and Release of Crop Varieties, Livestock Breed/Fisheries meeting on January 11, 2024.
The UMUDr36-SharpSharp, a White Guinea yam (D. rotundata) variety, was developed by IITA and distributed to farmers through NRCRI. The variety, notable for its early maturity, high yield, and superior flour production, is expected to boost farmers' income by reducing the impact of late-season drought stress on yield. Despite its early maturity period of 180-210 days, it boasts a potential yield of 33 t/ha.
The development of this variety, rich in nutrients like protein, fat, crude fiber, amylose, sugar, phytate, and carbohydrates, was supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF-Japan). The variety was developed and selected with the assistance of the AfricaYam and RTB breeding projects, backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in addition to the MAFF-Japan project.
Source: www.iita.org