Evaluation of Biofortified Cassava Varieties for Beta-Carotene Content and Yield in Imo State

This study evaluates biofortified cassava varieties developed for high beta-carotene content alongside assessment of root yield performance under Imo State agro-ecological conditions. Vitamin A deficiency affects millions of Nigerian children, and biofortified orange-fleshed cassava provides a food-based intervention pathway that can address this micronutrient gap in cassava-dependent communities. Imo State, as a major cassava-producing and consuming area, offers an important site for testing biofortified variety adaptation. This study establishes a randomised complete block design experiment at the National Root Crops Research Institute Umudike, evaluating five orange-fleshed biofortified varieties: IITA-TMS-IBA980581, IITA-TMS-IBA070593, IITA-TMS-IBA011664, Pro-vitamin A TMS and white TMS 30572 as control. Beta-carotene concentration, root yield, dry matter content, harvest index, and consumer acceptability assessment are conducted at 12 months after planting. Findings reveal that IITA-TMS-IBA980581 achieves the highest beta-carotene content of 12.6 micrograms per gram fresh weight alongside competitive root yield of 24.2 tonnes per hectare, making it the most nutritionally superior variety tested. Consumer acceptability trials show positive acceptance of the orange flesh by 78 percent of participants when prepared as fufu and garri, with colour being the primary novelty concern. The study concludes that IITA-TMS-IBA980581 is the most suitable biofortified cassava variety for Imo State and recommends its inclusion in nutritional improvement programmes targeted at young children and pregnant women.

Keywords: biofortified cassava, beta-carotene, Vitamin A, root yield, Imo State.