Crossability Studies in Cassava in the Coastal Savanna Zone of Ghana

Nine cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) accessions were artificially crossed in a pair-wise fashion, in the coastal savanna agro-ecological zone in Ghana, to determine level of crossability and seed set as a guide to future breeding programmer. Crossability among the accessions ranged from 0% (in AN x HO-008, LA x HO-008 and AF x ME crosses) to 88% (in AS x AF crosses). For any pair of parents used, reciprocal crosses exhibited significant (p≤0.05) differences in percent crossability. Seed set and embryo formation among crosses varied from 0 to 100% and 40 to 100% respectively. High crossability did not necessarily translate into high seed set or embryo formation as no direct relationship could be established between these variables. Variations in crossability among the accessions are attributed to inherent genetic differences among the accessions and the effect of reciprocal crosses.