By Denise Attaway
Banana may not be a popular crop in South Carolina, but a new $1.2 million grant from the Gates Foundation is positioning Clemson University scientists to transform banana farming in Africa while creating ripple effects for crops closer to home.
The initiative, Post-tissue culture multiplication of banana for efficient scaling, is led by Clemson horticulture professor Jeffrey Adelberg. The scientists aim to develop a cutting-edge hydroponic propagation system to produce clean, reliable banana starter plants at a large scale and low cost.
Vegetative propagation involves producing a new plant from an existing one. Hydroponic propagation is the process of growing plants in a nutrient-rich solution rather than in soil.
Once perfected for Africa, the system will be adapted for crops such as strawberries and sweet potatoes in South Carolina, creating new opportunities for local farmers.
“Banana is the world’s largest crop not grown from seed; it is vegetatively propagated,” Adelberg said. “In the U.S., the largest crop grown using this method is potato. In South Carolina, sweet potatoes and strawberries are the two most important vegetatively propagated plants. This technology has the potential to help farmers in both South Carolina and Africa.”
Clemson scientists are working with scientists from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria. The institute is a leading non-profit research organization dedicated to improving food security, reducing poverty, and enhancing nutrition in Africa. Additional African universities are expected to join under IITA’s umbrella.
Delphine Amah, a scientist leading IITA’s $15 million Program for Seed System Innovation for Vegetatively-Propagated Crops in Africa (PROSSIVA), will help transfer Clemson’s hydroponic technology to local businesses in Tanzania and Uganda.
Source : clemson.edu