Plant Breeding Division

PLANT BREEDING

Our Philosophy

The overall aim of the breeding program is to produce multi-disease resistant varieties that will meet grower and merchant requirements in a manner that ensures limited use of chemicals, is environmentally friendly and reduces production costs in the various growing regions of the country and beyond.

Strategies

Tobacco strains bred

The Plant Breeding Division seeks to promote profitable and sustainable tobacco farming through:

Continuous examination of existing varieties for any disease resistance gaps and changes in market-demand for specific cured leaf styles which may necessitate new breeding programmes.
Developing and releasing varieties which are widely adaptable to meet specific grower requirements.
Coordination and Promotion of stakeholder participation in the development and release of tobacco cultivars
Maintaining a wide germplasm pool that can be exploited for variety improvement.
Maintaining breeder seed stocks of high quality in quantities that ensure the unhindered production of commercial seed.
Incorporation of cell and molecular biology tools (Marker Assisted Selection (MAS), Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) Analysis, Genotyping by sequencing (GBS) to facilitate novel traits discovery and also expedite the breeding process.
Developing and improving Katambora grass varieties and promoting their use in tobacco farming systems
Collaboration with fellow international tobacco and grass breeding institutions in the development and evaluation of varieties
Continuous compilation and distribution of information on tobacco and grass varieties to growers and other stakeholders
Advancing knowledge through scientific publications and scientific research through local, regional and international collaborations
Conducting research into alternative uses of tobacco and alternative crops to tobacco that growers may need to adopt should a tobacco ban be effected in future.

Flue-cured

Burley (air-cured)

Dark tobaccos (air-cured and fire-cured)

Dark tobaccos (air-cured and fire-cured)

Oriental (sun-cured)

Cigar wrapper (air-cured)

Grasses bred (Strains of Katambora Rhodes Grass) )

National Variety Testing Sites and schemes

(a) Initial Plant Breeding Agronomic trials (PABT) are tested at TRB facilities

Please install and activate TablePress plugin to work this widget.

(b) Intermediate variety trial and Cooperative Cultivar trials
All promising experimental test hybrids are tested at various sites over seasons in the three main agroecological regions of the country before they can be released. Testing sites are on selected farms and also serve as demonstration centers for farmers. Some details of sites that have been in prominent use are given in table below

Please install and activate TablePress plugin to work this widget.

Farmer field variety discussion at Tapiwanashe farm in Guruve district

Regional partners for variety testing

A number of countries prefer some variety bred from Zimbabwe and also rely on the expertise of TRB. There are active programs to breed varieties for these countries and agronomic testing is both integral and mandatory for release in these countries.

Please install and activate TablePress plugin to work this widget.

Dr Cleopas Chinheya (TRB Plant pathologist; in hat), Dr. Frank Magama (TRB Plant Breeder) with Mrs Magdalena Raphael, Plant Breeder for the Tobacco Research Institute of Tanzania inspecting variety trials in Tabora district of Tanzania

International collaborations and variety testing

The Division undertakes bespoke and collaborative research for and with international partners involved in the global tobacco value chain. Agronomic trials are also conducted to adapt Kutsaga varieties in varied agroecological niches for the benefit of host countries. For more information on collaborations and testing Kutsaga-bred varieties please contact: fmagama@kutsaga.co.zw.

Please install and activate TablePress plugin to work this widget.

Mr. Enoch Mudzengere (TRB plant breeder) inspecting variety trials in Yuxi district of China

Scientists from Japan Tobacco visiting the collaborative Potato Virus Y (PVY) trial at Kutsaga Research Station, Harare, Zimbabwe. From left: Drs.- Paolo Donini,Christelle Bonnert, Hisashi Udagawa and Koga Kazuharu.

Dr Anna Malpica (Plant Breeder, Bergerac Seed and Breeding Co, France) inspecting the local trial version of the global low nicotine trials with Dr Frank Magama and Mr Ralph Ruzane at Banket Research Station in Zimbabwe.

International collaborations and variety testing

Tobacco Research Board has bred over 80 varieties of different strains of tobacco since its inception. It also has a world class collection of tobacco germplasm (old varieties, primitive tobacco, wild species, breeding lines, landraces etc.) with over 1000 accessions collected all over the world. See table below for the recent cultivars in production.
Note: Click on the variety for variety agronomic attributes (CAN WE IMBED THROUGH HYPERTEXT THE DEAR GROWERS FOR EACH VARIETY??). The table is not exhaustive, please email fmagama@kutsaga.co.zw to request older varieties, wild species and further variety information.

Please install and activate TablePress plugin to work this widget.