The Tissue Culture (TC) Technology
Tissue culture is a means of in vitro micropropagation that allows rapid multiplication of plants in a relatively small space under environmentally controlled and aseptic conditions. Millions of plants can be produced at any given time using this technology that has no parallel in any of the traditional propagation methodologies. TC affords quick production of identical clones of the source plant in huge numbers that are often free from diseases.

Research at the Department
At Makerere University Department of Crop Science, we are optimizing techniques for in vitro micropropagation, regeneration from embrogenic cell suspensions, and virus elimination in 3 the important vegetatively propagated crops in Uganda, i.e. Bananas, Cassava and Sweetpotatoes. The techniques will also be extended to other crops and pathogens. We also train students at graduate levels (MSc & PhD) to carry out research topics towards “production, delivery and economic analysis of using virus free sweetpotato planting material in Uganda”. Requirements for production and utilization of disease free planting material include:

1. Selection of farmer preferred cultivars
2. Meristem (shoot tip) culture
3. Heat treatment (thermotherapy) or cryotherapy techniques
4. In vitro micropropagation (rapid clonal propagation)
5. Virus indexing techniques (infectivity assays, ELISA, molecular techniques)
6. Production and maintenance of a nucleus stock of disease free plants
7. Determining the rates of virus(es) re-infection
8. A seed delivery system to farmers.

Most crop plants get infected by systemic diseases caused by fungi, bacteria and viruses and often result in considerable reduction in yield and quality. For instance, Banana bacterial wilt (BBW), Cassava brown streak virus disease (CBSVD), Cassava mosaic virus disease (CMVD) and Sweet potato virus disease (SPVD) are nearly always transferred in plants through vegetative propagation from one season or cropping cycle to another. Elimination of pathogens can help unlock the yield potential of these crops. While plants infected with bacteria and fungi may respond to treatments with bactericidal and fungicidal compounds, there is no commercially available treatment to cure virus-infected plants. A combination of in vitro thermotherapy and meristem culture techniques can be successfully used to eliminate plant pathogens in crop plants.

Some of the Popular Cultivars

1. Cassava: Akena, Bukalasa, NASE 03, NASE 09, Njule, TME 14 and TME 204.
2. Sweetpotato: Buliribwamese, Dimbuka,  Ejumula (orange fleshed), Kassim, Nakayenje,  NASPOT 1, NASPOT 8, NASPOT 10 and Semanda.
3. Banana: Atwalira (Nassaba), Cavendish, FHIA-17, FHIA-25, Gonja (Nakatanse), Gros Michel (Bogoya), Kabula-Mbidde, Kibuzi, Kisansa, Kisubi, Kivuvu, Lumenyamagali, Lusumba (Kyewogola), Lwadungu (Ntika), Mbwazirume, Mpologoma, Musakala, Muvubo, Nabusa (Enyeru), Nakabululu, Nakinyika, Nakitembe, Namaliga, Namwezi (Serunjogi), Nandigobe, Nassuuna (Lwefusa), Ndyabalangira, Nfuuka and Sukalindiizi.

What MAK TC LAB has to offer
The Department of Crop Science runs a TC Lab at Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute, Kabanyolo (MUARIK). It promotes training, research and outreach on several crops and offers the following services: 1) collect and maintain farmer preferred cultivars, 2) research into the best in vitro micropropagation for different cultivars, 3) research into low cost alternatives for in vitro micropropagtion, 4) advisory services in crop production. Our current efforts are towards producing pathogen free plants, and to help meet the perpetual demand for quality banana planting material in Uganda.

Financial Support

1. Government of Uganda/World Bank-MSI Banana Project
2. Sida/SAREC BIOEARN -Cassava /Sweet potato Project
3. The Rockefeller Foundation

Contact:
Dr S. B. Mukasa
In-Charge MAK TC Lab,
Department of Crop Science,
Faculty of Agriculture,
Makerere University.
P.O. Box 7062 Kampala Uganda.
Email: sbmukasa@agric.mak.ac.ug;
Tel: +256 414 533580

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