AgricultureID

Cultivar · Cassava cultivar (improved variety)

TME 419

Also known as: IITA TME 419

TME 419 is an IITA-disseminated improved cassava variety associated with cassava mosaic disease resistance and among the most widely grown varieties by farmers in Nigeria.

Dated referenceLast reviewed: 2026-07-12Updated: 2026-07-12
Illustrative diagram · AgricultureID (original)

Record

Cultivar / variety
Variety of
Cassava
Botanical taxon
Manihot esculenta
Type
Improved variety (landrace-derived, clonally propagated)
Breeding method
Landrace-derived clonal selection
Origin
West Africa (landrace-derived; disseminated by IITA), Nigeria
Breeder / institution
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) — disseminated
Registry status
Registered · Nigeria · as of 2026-07-12
Registries
  • IITA improved cassava varieties (CGIAR) · Nigeria · Registered · as of 2026-07-12IITA-disseminated improved variety from the TME (Tropical Manihot Esculenta) germplasm, officially released and widely grown in Nigeria. Formal national release is administered by Nigerian authorities; the specific release record is not linked here.
Adaptation
Warm, humid-to-subhumid tropics of West Africa; frost-intolerant, like cassava generally. Grown across the range of soils used for cassava, including lower-fertility soils; needs good drainage.
Intended use
Processing into products such as gari, fufu, and flour, Fresh consumption and industrial use, Widely grown improved planting material
Disease resistance
  • Associated with resistance to cassava mosaic disease (CMD); disseminated by IITA as an improved variety.

Source-attributed claims for specific conditions; resistance can break down and is not a guarantee under all pathogen populations or environments.

Registry listing or variety protection is jurisdiction- and date-specific and does not by itself indicate current commercial availability, universal cultivation approval, patent status, or a recommendation.

TME 419 is an improved cassava variety disseminated by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). It derives from the "TME" (Tropical Manihot Esculenta) germplasm — landrace-based materials characterized and promoted by IITA — and became one of the most widely grown cassava varieties among farmers in Nigeria.

TME 419 is associated with resistance to cassava mosaic disease (CMD), and it is propagated clonally from stem cuttings like other cassava. Its popularity reflects both its disease resistance and its suitability for common processed products.

Origin and dissemination

TME 419 comes from IITA’s TME germplasm, which is based on local (landrace) cassava selected and characterized for useful traits rather than produced from a deliberate cross. IITA disseminated TME 419 widely, and it became one of the most popular improved varieties grown by farmers in Nigeria.

Like other cassava, TME 419 is multiplied clonally through stem cuttings, with clean planting material important to keeping the crop free of disease from one cycle to the next.

Disease-resistance context

Cassava mosaic disease (CMD) is the most damaging viral disease of cassava in Africa. TME 419 is associated with CMD resistance and was disseminated by IITA partly on that basis, contributing to its wide adoption in Nigeria.

Use and processing

TME 419 is valued for roots suited to common processed products such as gari, as well as for fresh use, and its stems are retained as planting material. As with cassava generally, end use depends on the variety’s cyanogenic potential and local processing practice, which are not detailed at the variety level here.

Relationships

Evidence-backed connections in the knowledge graph.

Adapted to climate

Adapted to soil

Scope & limitations

Geographic scope: Disseminated by IITA and widely grown in Nigeria and West Africa. Performance is specific to tropical African production conditions.

Climate context: Improved cassava variety for warm, humid-to-subhumid tropical West Africa; frost-intolerant.

  • CMD resistance is a provenanced, source-backed claim, not a guarantee of immunity; it can be affected by virus strains, disease pressure, and location.
  • TME 419 is landrace-derived and disseminated by IITA; it is not presented as a deliberate cross, and no breeder cross is asserted.
  • The specific national variety-release record in Nigeria is administered by national authorities and is not linked here.
  • No release year or yield figures are asserted, as they are not independently verified in this record; cyanogenic potential and processing steps are practice-specific.

Sources

This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.

  1. [1]IITA — CGIAR research center (tropical crop breeding) (opens in a new tab)

    International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

    High

    Cited for: IITA dissemination of TME cassava germplasm and CMD-resistance characterization

    Type:
    Research institute
    Jurisdiction:
    Sub-Saharan Africa / Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12
  2. [2]CGIAR — Global agricultural research partnership (opens in a new tab)

    CGIAR

    High

    Cited for: Documentation of improved cassava varieties and adoption in West Africa

    Type:
    Research institute
    Jurisdiction:
    Global
    Accessed:
    2026-07-12

Related topics

Crops

Climate