Introduced to Africa in the 1970s, cassava bacterial blight caused by
Xanthomonas campestries pv.
manihotis
(XCM) is present in almost all cropping areas. In the past fifteen years, advances have been made in knowledge of the biology and molecular genetics of XCM, host-parasite relationships and epidemiology of the disease. This paper highlights these recent advances and focuses on the potential of the results obtained to facilitate the design of control strategies suitable for small-scale farmers in Africa.
