Beyond landraces : framework for the genetic improvement of Bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.] for global food security

The world over the past decades has gone through some steady bio-physical and socio-demographical changes. Specifically, climate change (leading to increased temperature, salinization, drought etc.), population explosion, urbanization and migration (especially, rural to urban migration), among others have resulted in a new set of global challenges. In this regard, the threat to global food security has been recognised as one of the key challenges facing humanity in this 21st century. The Green Revolution of the 1960s was a major success in safeguarding global food security and still remains relevant. Nonetheless, it left behind some negative footprints. Worthy of note, is the ‘erosion’ in species diversity due to the mono-culture cultivation systems it was primarily design for. For this reason, there are serious concerns that the yield gains possible with the small number of ‘major’ staple crop species [mainly cereals; wheat (Triticum spp.), rice (Oryza sativa) and maize (Zea mays) that have supported our food through the Green Revolution for the past four decades may not be enough to sustain a growing global population in the face of climate change. Recently, the accession that there is the need for policy shift on addressing global food security, away from the classical concept of the ‘Green Revolution’ is gaining some level of acceptance. Against this backdrop, exploiting underutilised crop plants with an abundance of genetic resources and potentially beneficial traits is seen as one of the solutions that could provide a more diversified agricultural system and additional food sources. For this reason, Bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.] has provided a focus for exemplar studies particularly in the developing world (Africa), through its ability to produce yields with minimal inputs in drought prone environments. However, typical of most underutilised species which have suffered neglect within the research community, landraces which have been selected by farmers remain the main source of planting materials. These landrace collections, in most cases may not possess the ‘optimum combinations’ of phenotypic traits desired by potential stakeholders interested in the crop (particularly; consumers, processors and farmers). The ability to develop improved germplasm resources of Bambara groundnut (through controlled breeding) is an important step towards harnessing the potentials of the crop to address food and nutritional security concerns. In this light, the need to establish a ‘coordinated breeding programmes’ for Bambara groundnut has gain some level of attention. As part of this initiative, this project reports herein; 1.Identification and critical analysis of core breeding objectives for Bambara groundnut that could be of particular importance to various stakeholders across the value chain of the crop. Additionally, a conceptual breeding framework that could serve as de facto guide for current and future breeding programmes has been reported. 2.Diversity (genetic and phenotypic) and population structure analysis of Bambara groundnut ‘global germplasm’ with emphasis on its implications for breeding programmes. Potential implications for ‘domestication theory’ have also been highlighted. Additionally, a conceptual framework of population structure of Bambara groundnut indicating its utility and linkages for crop improvement programme has been reported. 3.Heritability and response to selection (genetic advance) estimates of phenotypic traits in F2 genotypes of Bambara groundnut. 4.Development of improved germplasm resources for traits analysis in Bambara groundnut (with potential for drought studies). 5.Mapping and QTL analysis of phenotypic traits in F2 and F3 derived genotypes of Bambara groundnut

Applying molecular genetics to underutilised species – problems and opportunities

Molecular markers represent an important tool for marker-assisted breeding in major crop plant breeding programmes. Applying molecular genetics to underutilised and minor crop species is more challenging as the funds available to research and develop such crops are often severely limited. Bambara groundnut is an underutilised African legume crop with good drought tolerance. It is also grown at low levels in Southeast Asia. In this review we examine some of the applications of DNA markers and illustrate their value in bambara groundnut

Variation of phenotypic traits in twelve bambara groundnut (vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) genotypes and Two F2 Bi-Parental Segregating Populations

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Underutilised species such as bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) have the potential to contribute significantly to meeting food and nutritional needs worldwide. We evaluated phenotypic traits in twelve bambara groundnut genotypes from East, West and Southern Africa and Southeast Asia and two F2 bi-parental segregating populations derived from IITA-686 ×Tiga Nicuru and S19-3 ×DodR to determine phenotypic trait variation and their potential contribution to the development of improved crop varieties. All phenotypic traits in twelve genotypes were significantly influenced (p < 0.01) by genotypes. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that PC1 accounted for 97.33% variation and was associated with four genotypes collected from East and Southern Africa. PC2 accounted for 2.48% of the variation and was associated with five genotypes collected from East, West and Southern Africa. Transgressive segregation for a number of traits was observed in the two F2 bi-parental populations, as some individual lines in the segregating populations showed trait values greater or less than their parents. The variability between twelve genotypes and the two F2 bi-parental segregating populations and the negative relationship between plant architectural traits and yield related traits provide resources for development of structured populations and breeding lines for bambara groundnut breeding programme

Beyond landraces : framework for the genetic improvement of Bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.] for global food security

The world over the past decades has gone through some steady bio-physical and socio-demographical changes. Specifically, climate change (leading to increased temperature, salinization, drought etc.), population explosion, urbanization and migration (especially, rural to urban migration), among others have resulted in a new set of global challenges. In this regard, the threat to global food security has been recognised as one of the key challenges facing humanity in this 21st century. The Green Revolution of the 1960s was a major success in safeguarding global food security and still remains relevant. Nonetheless, it left behind some negative footprints. Worthy of note, is the ‘erosion’ in species diversity due to the mono-culture cultivation systems it was primarily design for. For this reason, there are serious concerns that the yield gains possible with the small number of ‘major’ staple crop species [mainly cereals; wheat (Triticum spp.), rice (Oryza sativa) and maize (Zea mays) that have supported our food through the Green Revolution for the past four decades may not be enough to sustain a growing global population in the face of climate change. Recently, the accession that there is the need for policy shift on addressing global food security, away from the classical concept of the ‘Green Revolution’ is gaining some level of acceptance. Against this backdrop, exploiting underutilised crop plants with an abundance of genetic resources and potentially beneficial traits is seen as one of the solutions that could provide a more diversified agricultural system and additional food sources. For this reason, Bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.] has provided a focus for exemplar studies particularly in the developing world (Africa), through its ability to produce yields with minimal inputs in drought prone environments. However, typical of most underutilised species which have suffered neglect within the research community, landraces which have been selected by farmers remain the main source of planting materials. These landrace collections, in most cases may not possess the ‘optimum combinations’ of phenotypic traits desired by potential stakeholders interested in the crop (particularly; consumers, processors and farmers). The ability to develop improved germplasm resources of Bambara groundnut (through controlled breeding) is an important step towards harnessing the potentials of the crop to address food and nutritional security concerns. In this light, the need to establish a ‘coordinated breeding programmes’ for Bambara groundnut has gain some level of attention. As part of this initiative, this project reports herein; 1.Identification and critical analysis of core breeding objectives for Bambara groundnut that could be of particular importance to various stakeholders across the value chain of the crop. Additionally, a conceptual breeding framework that could serve as de facto guide for current and future breeding programmes has been reported. 2.Diversity (genetic and phenotypic) and population structure analysis of Bambara groundnut ‘global germplasm’ with emphasis on its implications for breeding programmes. Potential implications for ‘domestication theory’ have also been highlighted. Additionally, a conceptual framework of population structure of Bambara groundnut indicating its utility and linkages for crop improvement programme has been reported. 3.Heritability and response to selection (genetic advance) estimates of phenotypic traits in F2 genotypes of Bambara groundnut. 4.Development of improved germplasm resources for traits analysis in Bambara groundnut (with potential for drought studies). 5.Mapping and QTL analysis of phenotypic traits in F2 and F3 derived genotypes of Bambara groundnut

Construction of a genetic linkage map and QTL analysis in bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L) Verdc.)

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) is an indigenous underutilised legume which has the potential to improve food security in semi-arid Africa. So far, there are a lack of reports of controlled breeding populations that could be used for variety development and genetic studies. We reported here the construction of the first genetic linkage map of bambara groundnut using a F3 population derived from a ‘narrow’ cross between two domesticated landraces (Tiga Nicaru and DipC) with marked divergence in phenotypic traits. The map consists of 238 DArT array and SSR based markers in 21 Linkage Groups (LGs) with a total genetic distance of 608.3 cM. In addition, phenotypic traits were evaluated for a Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) analysis over two generations. A total of 36 significant QTLs were detected for 19 traits. The phenotypic effect explained by a single QTL ranged from 11.6% to 49.9%. Two stable QTLs were mapped for internode length and growth habit. The identified QTLs could be significant for marker-assisted selection (MAS) in bambara groundnut breeding programmes.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author