2 research outputs found
Identification of High-Yielding Iron-Biofortified Open-Pollinated Varieties of Pearl Millet in West Africa
Pearl millet is a predominant food and fodder crop in West Africa. This study was
carried out to test the newly developed open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) for field
performance and stability for grain yield, grain iron (Fe), and grain zinc (Zn) contents
across 10 locations in West Africa (i.e., Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, and
Ghana). The test material consisted of 30 OPVs, of which 8 are Fe/Zn biofortified. The
experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design in three replications.
ANOVA revealed highly significant variability for grain yield and micronutrient traits. The
presence of genotype x environment (G x E) indicated that the expressions of traits are
significantly influenced by both genetic and G x E factors, for grain Fe and Zn contents.
Days to 50% flowering and plant height showed less G x E, suggesting these traits are
largely under genetic control. The genotypes CHAKTI (46 days), ICTP 8203 (46 days),
ICMV 177002 (50 days), ICMV 177003 (48 days), and Moro (53 days) had exhibited
early flowering across locations leading to early physiological maturity. CHAKTI (1.42 t/ha
yield; 62.24 mg/kg of grain Fe, 47.29 mg/kg of grain Zn) and ICMP 177002 (1.19 t/ha
yield, 62.62 mg/kg of grain Fe, 46.62 mg/kg of grain Zn) have performed well for grain
yield and also for micronutrients, across locations, compared with the check. Additive
Main Effect and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) ANOVA revealed the highly significant
genotypic differences, the mean sum of squares of environment, and its interaction with
the genotypes. Based on the AMMI stability value (ASV), the most stable genotype is
SOSAT-C88 (ASV = 0.04) for grain yield and resistance to downy mildew; mean grain
yield and stability rankings (YSI) revealed that the genotypes CHAKTI, SOSAT-C88, and
ICMV IS 99001 were high yielding and expressed stability across regions. The strong
correlation (r = 0.98**) of grain Fe and Zn contents that merits Fe-based selection
is highly rewarding. CHAKTI outperformed over other genotypes for grain yield (71% higher), especially with early maturing varieties in West Africa, such as GB 8735, LCIC
9702, and Jirani, and for grain Fe (16.11% higher) and Zn (7% higher) contents across
locations, and made a candidate of high-iron variety to be promoted for combating the
micronutrient malnutrition in West and Central Africa (WCA)
Genome-Wide Scanning Enabled SNP Discovery, Linkage Disequilibrium Patterns and Population Structure in a Panel of Fonio (Digitaria exilis [Kippist] Stapf) Germplasm
International audienceWhite fonio ( Digitaria exilis) is a staple food for millions of people in arid and semi-arid areas of West Africa. Knowledge about nutritional and health benefits, insights into morphological diversity, and the recent development of genomic resources call for a better understanding of the genetic structure of the extant germplasm gathered throughout the region in order to set up a robust breeding program. We assessed the genetic diversity and population structure of 259 fonio individuals collected from six countries from West Africa (Nigeria, Benin, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger) in this study using 688 putative out of 21,324 DArTseq-derived SNP markers. Due to the inbreeding and small population size, the results revealed a substantial level of genetic variability. Furthermore, two clusters were found irrespective of the geographic origins of accessions. Moreover, the high level of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between loci observed resulted from the mating system of the crop, which is often associated with a low recombination rate. These findings fill the gaps about the molecular diversity and genetic structure of the white fonio germplasm in West Africa. This was required for the application of genomic tools that can potentially speed up the genetic gain in fonio millet breeding for complex traits such as yield, and other nutrient contents