Biofortified cassava (Manihot esculenta) plays a crucial role in enhancing the nutritional value of this essential staple, particularly in regions with limited dietary diversity and prevalent nutritional deficiencies. The cassava program at the International Center of Tropical Agriculture has dedicated over a decade to increase β-carotene content in biofortified cassava, simultaneously focusing on improving yield, dry matter, and plant architecture. This paper presents realized genetic gains in biofortified cassava by analyzing the data from replicated multilocation breeding yield trials at the target population of environments spanning a 10-year period (2013–2022). Following data curation, we observed significant positive genetic gains per year for β-carotene content (7.03%), fresh yield (4.15%), dry matter content (0.55%), and height at the first branch (1.29%). A negative correlation between β-carotene content and dry matter content was observed within 78% of trials. Moreover, our study uncovered a significant negative correlation between β-carotene content and fresh root yield (r = −0.22, p < 0.01) and an unfavorable positive correlation between β-carotene content and the number of branches (r = 0.23, p < 0.01). Such negative correlations between β-carotene content and farm-preferred traits presented substantial challenges for the development of biofortified cassava varieties. This research showed significant genetic gains and navigated the complexities of biofortified cassava development, providing breeding insights to enhance nutritional value while optimizing agronomic performance.

中文翻译：

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评估十多年来生物强化木薯育种中实现的遗传收益：提高营养价值和农艺性能


生物强化木薯 （Manihot esculenta） 在提高这种基本主食的营养价值方面起着至关重要的作用，尤其是在饮食多样性有限和普遍营养缺乏的地区。十多年来，国际热带农业中心的木薯计划致力于增加生物强化木薯中的 β-胡萝卜素含量，同时专注于提高产量、干物质和植物结构。本文通过分析跨 10 年（2013-2022 年）在目标环境种群中复制的多地点育种产量试验的数据，介绍了生物强化木薯中实现的遗传收益。经过数据管理，我们观察到 β-胡萝卜素含量 （7.03%） 、鲜产量 （4.15%） 、干物质含量 （0.55%） 和第一分支高度 （1.29%） 每年显着的正遗传增益。在 78% 的试验中观察到 β-胡萝卜素含量与干物质含量呈负相关。此外，我们的研究发现β-胡萝卜素含量与鲜根产量之间存在显著的负相关 （r = -0.22， p < 0.01） 和 β-胡萝卜素含量与分枝数之间存在不利的正相关 （r = 0.23， p < 0.01）。β-胡萝卜素含量与农场偏好性状之间的这种负相关对生物强化木薯品种的开发提出了重大挑战。这项研究显示了显著的遗传增益，并驾驭了生物强化木薯开发的复杂性，为提高营养价值同时优化农艺性能提供了育种见解。