Viruses Infecting Yam in Ghana, Togo and Benin in West Africa

Yam is a food security crop in West Africa and other tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. However, yam production and productivity is threatened by viral diseases which reduce the yield of the desired yam tuber and also hinder the exchange of yam germplasm for breeding and improvement purposes. The documentation of virus prevalence and variability among strains of a particular virus, provide a foundation for deploying strategies to contain virus spread, facilitate the development of improved diagnostic methods and mitigate crop loses. This book reports the occurrence, distribution and molecular variability among viruses infecting yam in major yam producing areas in Ghana, Togo and Benin, three of the five world topmost producers of yam. The procedure for the production and optimization of polyclonal antibodies for the detection of some yam viruses is also described. This book would be useful to breeders, research scientists, quarantine and extension officers within the National and International Agricultural Research institutes in Africa and around the world. It would also serve as a valuable guide for graduate students