Breeding tropical legume crops for resilient cropping systems in Sub-Saharan Africa

Legume crops are important components of sustainable agricultural production, household income and dietary systems. However, legume production in the tropics is challenged by a number of biotic (diseases and pests) and abiotic (heat, and drought) stresses. With support from bilateral projects such as Tropical Legumes (TL1, TL2 and TL3), CGIAR centers together with national research partners devoted resources and time to address these challenges. Genetic resources such as reference sets, pre-breeding, magic and intraspecific mapping populations, as well as genomic resources such as comprehensive genetic maps, whole genome sequences, QTLs and trait-specific markers have been developed for tropical legume crops such as chickpea, groundnut, common bean, pigeonpea, soybean and cowpea. Besides, integrated breeding approaches including high throughput genotyping and phenotyping platforms, marker-assisted selection (MAS) in pedigree breeding schemes, marker-assisted backcrossing (MABC) and marker-assisted recurrent selection (MARS) have contributed to accelerated development of breeding lines and varieties. Improved varieties have been released and disseminated together with integrated crop management practices. Innovative seed and associated technology dissemination systems including public-private sector partnerships, community seed production initiatives, quality declared seed, mini seed packs, contractual seed production, and revolving seed fund, among others, were used to popularize these varieties. This has resulted in enhanced adoption and subsequent improvement in productivity. More efforts are needed to enhance genetic gain by reducing time required for cultivar development through application of genomic and phenomic tools, enhancing selection intensity through automation, mechanization and digitization, and increasing the crossing scale and number of cycles per year

Genomics, genetics and breeding of tropical legumes for better livelihoods of smallholder farmers

Legumes are important components of sustainable agricultural production, food, nutrition and income systems of developing countries. In spite of their importance, legume crop production is challenged by a number of biotic (diseases and pests) and abiotic stresses (heat, frost, drought and salinity), edaphic factors (associated with soil nutrient deficits) and policy issues (where less emphasis is put on legumes compared to priority starchy staples). Significant research and development work have been done in the past decade on important grain legumes through collaborative bilateral and multilateral projects as well as the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes (CRP‐GL). Through these initiatives, genomic resources and genomic tools such as draft genome sequence, resequencing data, large‐scale genomewide markers, dense genetic maps, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and diagnostic markers have been developed for further use in multiple genetic and breeding applications. Also, these mega‐initiatives facilitated release of a number of new varieties and also dissemination of on‐the‐shelf varieties to the farmers. More efforts are needed to enhance genetic gains by reducing the time required in cultivar development through integration of genomics‐assisted breeding approaches and rapid generation advancement

Common Bean variety releases in Africa

The Pan Africa Bean Research Alliance is a network of national agricultural research centers (NARS), and private and public sector institutions that work to deliver better beans with consumer and market preferred traits to farmers. The datasets presented here draw from 17 Sub Saharan countries that are members of PABRA. The dataset on released bean varieties is a collection of 513 bean varieties released by NARS and there characteristics. The dataset on bean varieties and the relationship to constraints provides the 513 bean varieties on the basis of resistance to constraints such as fungal, bacterial, viral, diseases and tolerance to abiotic stresses. There is also a dataset of bean varieties that have been released in more than one country, useful for moving seed from one country to another and facilitating regional trade. The dataset on Niche market traits provides the market defined classifications for bean trade in Sub Saharan Africa as well as varieties that fall into these classifications. The datasets are an update to the 2011 discussion on PABRAs achievement in breeding and delivery of bean varieties in Buruchara et. 2011 in pages 236 and 237 here: http://www.ajol.info/index.php/acsj/article/view/74168 . It is also an update to a follow up to this discussion in Muthoni, R. A., Andrade, R. 2015 on the performance of bean improvement programmes in sub-Saharan Africa from the perspectives of varietal output and adoption in chapter 8. here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1079/9781780644011.0148. The data is extracted from the PABRA M&E database available here (http://database.pabra-africa.org/?location=breeding)

Genomics, genetics and breeding of tropical legumes for better livelihoods of smallholder farmers

Legumes are important components of sustainable agricultural production, food, nutrition and income systems of developing countries. In spite of their importance, legume crop production is challenged by a number of biotic (diseases and pests) and abiotic stresses (heat, frost, drought and salinity), edaphic factors (associated with soil nutrient deficits) and policy issues (where less emphasis is put on legumes compared to priority starchy staples). Significant research and development work have been done in the past decade on important grain legumes through collaborative bilateral and multilateral projects as well as the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes (CRP‐GL). Through these initiatives, genomic resources and genomic tools such as draft genome sequence, resequencing data, large‐scale genomewide markers, dense genetic maps, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and diagnostic markers have been developed for further use in multiple genetic and breeding applications. Also, these mega‐initiatives facilitated release of a number of new varieties and also dissemination of on‐the‐shelf varieties to the farmers. More efforts are needed to enhance genetic gains by reducing the time required in cultivar development through integration of genomics‐assisted breeding approaches and rapid generation advancement