REVIEW OF CASSAVA (MANIHOT ESCULENTA CRANTZ) DIVERSITY AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA

Cassava is an important agricultural product that contributes to the food and nutritional security of African populations. The aim of this article is to provide a critical analysis of recent work carried out, in order to formulate research perspectives for the valorization of cassava. A literature search focused on relevant articles on cassava published in international databases. The results reveal that cassava is of great socio-economic importance, with diversified interests depending on the crops grown in the production zones. Despite the constraints that rank its yields among the lowest in the world, Africa remains the leading producer, accounting for over 64% of global output. Cassava Mosaic Disease and Cassava Brown Streak Virus are the main viral diseases causing huge production losses. Work on varietal improvement has accelerated with initiatives to promote high-yielding cultivars and industrial processing, improving food and nutritional security, income generation and employment opportunities. While these studies highlight the genetic diversity within cassava populations, they also underline the challenges of managing this diversity effectively. This work, made possible by the development of numerous genetic linkage maps and the use of statistical approaches, has made it possible to assess phenotypic variability in order to identify genes and/or Quantitative Trait Locus associated with traits of interest to the breeder.