Prospects in cultivation and utilization of spiderplant (Cleome gynandra L.) in Sub-Saharan Africa: A review

Spiderplant (Cleome gynandra L.,) exists as a semi-cultivated, indigenous leafy vegetable in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It has a natural habitat in the tropics and subtropics. The crop has the potential to contribute to sustainable food and nutritional security. This is due its richness in both macro-  and micro-nutrients (minerals, vitamins and essential oils respectively). With its nutritional and ethnopharmacological uses, it is underutilized due to  lack of awareness, promotion of production and utilization approaches globally. Globally, poor resource farmers are depending on such crops for  income generation from economically fresh or dried spiderplant. Additionally, the  potential contribution of spiderplant to pests and disease  management can justify the need for its promotion in SSA. Spiderplant remains a primitive vegetable due to lack of the valorization units in Africa,  which miss scientific information and indicators to understand how the cultivation and chemical compositions varies. Development of spiderplant in  SSA requires all sectors to engage especially the breeders and consumers so that good agronomic traits can be achieved. All the biotic (response  to field and storage pests and diseases) and abiotic stressors (nutrient use, salinity, drought) need to be addressed during spiderplant breeding  program. Nonetheless, understanding the functional potential of spiderplant rhizosphere microbiome may promote sustainable bio-fertilizer-and-  processing products in agriculture and related industries. Through value chain development, and technology transfer programs, the transformation  of research efforts on spiderplant on the creation of sustainable collaboration frameworks for stakeholders in industry, innovations  can be rapidly disseminated and popularized. Analysis of constraints and opportunities for orphan crops like spiderplant require the action and  engagement of sectors such as farmer organizations, researchers, seed companies, traders, policy makers and consumers. This, therefore, justifies  the need for promotional efforts through breeding, value chain development as well as development of national frameworks, which support orphan  crops in SSA, aligning with the United Nations (UN) sustainable developmental goals (SDGs) in nutrition, health and food security. Little is  known in most developing countries of SSA, on the cultivation, production, utilization and marketing of the vegetable across regions. This article  examined the opportunities for the production, utilization, constraints as well as the promotional efforts of spiderplant in SSA.&nbsp

POTENTIAL FOR QUALITY PROTEIN MAIZE FOR REDUCING PROTEIN-ENERGY UNDERNUTRITION IN MAIZE DEPENDENT SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN COUNTRIES: A REVIEW

Most cereal crops, including maize ( Zea mays L.), are deficient in essential amino acids, such as lysine and tryptophan; hence they are poor in protein quality. A mutant maize with elevated levels of lysine and tryptophan was developed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and was called quality protein maize (QPM). Nonetheless, people in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) continue to use normal endosperm maize (non-QPM) instead of QPM. The objective of this article was to examine the existing information on institutional arrangements, infrastructure and social systems hampering adoption of QPM and to identify opportunities for promoting the campaign for its utilisation in SSA, through innovative research for development initiatives. It is clear that QPM has superior nutritional value, both to humans and to monogastric animals compared to non-QPM. Lack of sound policies and awareness among farmers about the existence and advantages of QPM are some of major drawbacks to QPM adoption and realisation of its benefits. Most farmers hardly believe information regarding nutritional composition of varieties, without convincing visual evidence such as grain yield from demonstration plots. Many African governments have mounted campaigns geared to promote adoption of QPM varieties. Varying levels of QPM adoption have been recorded in South Africa, Burkina Faso, Uganda and Ghana with high QPM production under areas ranging from 12 500 to 71 250 ha. In order to reduce protein-energy undernutrition (PEU), SSA countries should implement policies that promote QPM adoption such as providing farmers with a premium price for the QPM grain. Results from meta-analysis community based studies revealed that QPM based diets resulted in a 12% improvement on weight and 9% increase in height in infant and young children compared to non-QPM based diets. Therefore, quality protein maize bears great potential for reducing PEU and its adoption could be high given that most SSA countries depend on maize as the major source of calories and protein.La plupart des cultures c\ue9r\ue9ali\ue8res, y compris le ma\uefs ( Zea mays L.), sont d\ue9ficients en acides amin\ue9s essentiels, tels que la lysine et le tryptophane, donc elles sont pauvres en prot\ue9ines de qualit\ue9. Un ma\uefs mutant avec des niveaux \ue9lev\ue9s de lysine et tryptophane \ue9tait d\ue9velopp\ue9 par le Centre International d\u2019Am\ue9lioration du\ua0Ma\uefs et du Bl\ue9 (CIMMYT) appel\ue9 ma\uefs \ue0 prot\ue9ine de qualit\ue9 (QPM). N\ue9anmoins, les peuples de l\u2019Afrique Sub-Saharienne (SSA) continuent d\u2019utiliser le ma\uefs \ue0 endosperme normal (non-QPM) \ue0 la place du QPM. L\u2019objectif de cet article \ue9tait d\u2019examiner l\u2019information existant sur les dispositions institutionnelles, les infrastructures et les syst\ue8mes sociaux emp\ueachant l\u2019adoption du QPM et pour identifier les opportunit\ue9s pour une campagne de promotion pour son utilisation dans les SSA, \ue0 travers la recherche innovante pour les initiatives de d\ue9veloppement. C\u2019est clair que QPM a une valeur nutritionnelle sup\ue9rieure au non-QPM, \ue0 la fois pour les hommes et les animaux monogastriques. L\u2019absence d\u2019une politique solide et de sensibilisation entre les producteurs concernant l\u2019existence et les avantages du QPM sont les quelques facteurs limitant l\u2019adoption de l\u2019QPM et la r\ue9alisation de ses b\ue9n\ue9fices. La plupart des producteurs croient difficilement les informations relatives \ue0 la composition nutritionnelle des vari\ue9t\ue9s, sans l\u2019existence d\u2019une \ue9vidence visuelle comme le rendement en grain des parcelles de d\ue9monstration. Plusieurs gouvernements africains ont mont\ue9 des campagnes pour promouvoir l\u2019adoption des vari\ue9t\ue9s QPM. Des niveaux d\u2019adoption de l\u2019QPM ont \ue9t\ue9 enregistr\ue9s en Afrique du Sud, au Burkina Faso, en Ouganda et au Ghana avec une forte production de QPM sur des superficies variant de 12500 \ue0 71250 ha. Dans le but de r\ue9duire le d\ue9nutrition prot\ue9ino-\ue9nerg\ue9tique (PEU), les pays du SSA devraient mettre en application les politiques qui favorisent l\u2019adoption des QPM telles que fournir aux producteurs des prix r\ue9duits sur les graines de QPM. Les r\ue9sultats des m\ue9ta-analyses sur la base des \ue9tudies communautaires ont montr\ue9 que les r\ue9gimes alimentaires bas\ue9s sur le QPM r\ue9sultent en une augmentation de 12% du poids et 9% en taille des enfants et des petits enfants compar\ue9s aux r\ue9gimes alimentaires bas\ue9s sur les non-QPM. Donc, les ma\uefs \ue0 prot\ue9ine de qualit\ue9 ont un grand potentiel de r\ue9duire le PEU et son adoption pourrait \ueatre forte \ue9tant donn\ue9 que beaucoup de pays du SSA d\ue9pendent du ma\uefs comme source principale d\u2019\ue9nergie et de prot\ue9ine

Genetic basis and the current breeding efforts for quality protein maize in Southern Africa

Maize ( Zea mays L.) is deficient in essential amino acids, lysine and tryptophan. Opaque-2 maize mutant discovery that is high in lysine and tryptophan, offers an avenue for maize protein quality improvement. Quality protein maize (QPM), a product of the extensive development of the Opaque-2 mutant, is an affordable and viable option for overcoming the scourge of protein malnutrition in humans and monogastric livestock especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this review was to scrutinise the genetic basis of quality protein maize (QPM), and current breeding efforts, and propose potential uptake pathways for QPM products in southern Africa. The conventional QPM breeding methods are based on phenotypic selection to identify genotypes carrying the recessive Opaque-2 alleles. However, phenotypic selection is negatively influenced by the environment and has huge drain on resources such as time, money and labour, with low genetic gains. From this, marker assisted breeding methods are clearly the most efficient way of QPM breeding. Institutions such as the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) are currently employing molecular breeding in QPM breeding programmes so as to quicken and ease the process of QPM breeding. To date, a number of QPM varieties have been released and are being promoted using various pathways and policies.Le Ma\uefs ( Zea mays L.) est d\ue9ficient en acides amin\ue9s essentiels, lysine et tryptophane. La d\ue9couverte du ma\uefs mutant Opaque-2 qui a un taux \ue9lev\ue9 en lysine et tryptophane, offre une voie pour une am\ue9lioration de la qualit\ue9 de prot\ue9ine dans le ma\uefs. Le ma\uefs \ue0 haute teneur prot\ue9ique (QPM), un produit du d\ue9veloppement extensif du mutant Opaque-2, est une option \ue9conomique et viable pour r\ue9duire le taux de malnutrition prot\ue9ique chez les humains et les animaux monogastriques sp\ue9cialement en Afrique sub-saharienne. L\u2019objectif de cette revue \ue9tait d\u2019examiner la base g\ue9n\ue9tique du ma\uefs \ue0 haute teneur prot\ue9ique (QPM), et les efforts r\ue9cents d\u2019am\ue9lioration g\ue9n\ue9tique, et de proposer un moyen d\u2019adoption des produits QPM en Afrique du Sud. Les m\ue9thodes conventionnelles d\u2019am\ue9lioration pour QPM sont bas\ue9es sur la s\ue9lection ph\ue9notypique pour identifier les g\ue9notypes portant les all\ue8les r\ue9cessifs d\u2019Opaque-2. Cependant, la s\ue9lection ph\ue9notypique est n\ue9gativement influenc\ue9e par l\u2019environnement et n\ue9cessite assez de ressources telles que le temps, argent et la main d\u2019\u153uvre, avec moins de gain g\ue9n\ue9tique. De l\ue0, les m\ue9thodes de s\ue9lection assist\ue9e par les marqueurs sont clairement les moyens les plus efficients pour la s\ue9lection pour QPM. Les institutions telles que le Centre International l\u2019Am\ue9lioration du Ma\uefs et du Bl\ue9 (CIMMYT) sont actuellement entrain d\u2019employer la s\ue9lection mol\ue9culaire dans les programmes d\u2019am\ue9lioration pour QPM de fa\ue7on \ue0 acc\ue9l\ue9rer et faciliter le processus d\u2019am\ue9lioration pour QPM. Au jour d\u2019aujourd\u2019hui, un certain nombre de vari\ue9t\ue9s QPM ont \ue9t\ue9 livr\ue9es et sont en cours d\u2019\ueatre promues en utilisant diff\ue9rents chemins et politiques

Performance, Variance Components, and Acceptability of Pro-vitamin A-Biofortified Sweetpotato in Southern Africa and Implications in Future Breeding

In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a major cause of blindness in children under 5 years. Sweetpotato (Ipomea batatas L.) is widely grown in this region, and pro-vitamin A varieties could help to combat such problems. Fourteen newly introduced orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) varieties from the International Potato Centre (CIP) and two local checks were evaluated at four environments using a 4 × 4 triple-lattice design for total tuber yield, marketable yield, unmarketable yield, total tuber numbers, marketable tuber numbers, unmarketable tuber numbers, dry matter content, and sensory characteristics on boiled sweetpotato. Since varieties were previously tested intensively by CIP under diverse conditions, the focus of the current study was to determine their acceptability by farmers. Across-environment ANOVA showed highly significant differences (P 25%) and taste of all the introduced OFSP varieties. Since there was a high acceptability by farmers, introductions from CIP could help improve human nutrition. Despite the appropriate design, the error variance component was the highest for all traits, and proper field plot techniques were proposed in future breeding and testing activities