scholarly journals Genetic Gains from Selection for Drought Tolerance during Three Breeding Periods in Extra-Early Maturing Maize Hybrids under Drought and Rainfed Environments

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 831
Author(s):  
Baffour Badu-Apraku ◽  
Oluwafemi Obisesan ◽  
Adeoti Abiodun ◽  
Ebenezer Obeng-Bio

Genetic gain studies in a breeding program are very important for measuring the efficiency of the program over a specific period. It also provides breeders with an understanding of the outcomes of the huge investments committed to the breeding programs. This study sought to (i) estimate the gains in grain yield under drought and rainfed conditions and (ii) identify high-yielding and stable hybrids developed in the last two decades under drought and rainfed conditions. Sixty extra-early maturing hybrids developed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, during three breeding periods: (2008–2010, 2011–2013, and 2014–2016) were assessed under managed drought and rainfed conditions across 14 environments in Nigeria to estimate the genetic gains in grain yield using linear regression analysis. Considerably high genetic gains (4.1%) per year for grain yield was obtained for the extra-early maturing hybrids under drought environments. Six of the top ten hybrids identified were from period 3, an indication of the high genetic gains from selection in period 3. Additionally, two of the top six period 3 hybrids (TZEEI 29 × TZEEI 13) × TZEEI 64 and TZdEEI 64 × TZEEI 54 were found to be the best yielding and most stable across the 14 test environments and were highly recommended for extensive evaluations to warrant their commercialization in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1069
Author(s):  
Isaac K. Amegbor ◽  
Baffour Badu-Apraku ◽  
Gloria B. Adu ◽  
Joseph Adjebeng-Danquah ◽  
Johnson Toyinbo

Knowledge of the genetic mechanisms conditioning drought tolerance in maize is crucial to the success of hybrid breeding programs aimed at developing high-yielding cultivars under drought. The objectives of this study were to determine the combining ability of extra-early inbreds, compute the heritability of measured traits, assess the performance of inbreds in hybrid combinations and investigate the associations among traits under drought and optimal conditions. A total of 252 hybrids generated by crossing 63 inbreds to four testers, along with four commercial hybrid checks, were evaluated for 2 years under drought and rainfed conditions. General combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) for the traits were significant. A total of 57.1% and 53.4% of the genotypic sum of squares were attributable to GCA effects for grain yield under managed drought and rainfed conditions, respectively. Hybrids TZdEEI 91 × TZEEI 21 and TZdEEI 55 × TZEEI 13 out-yielded the best checks under drought and optimal conditions by 49.13% and 39.05%, respectively. The most promising hybrids with consistently high grain yield under drought and rainfed conditions, were TZdEEI 54 × TZEEI 13, TZdEEI 91 × TZEEI 21 and TZdEEI 55 × TZEEI 21 and should be further evaluated for possible commercial production in sub-Saharan Africa.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Baffour Badu-Apraku ◽  
Ana Luísa Garcia-Oliveira ◽  
César Daniel Petroli ◽  
Sarah Hearne ◽  
Samuel Adeyemi Adewale ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Assessment and effective utilization of genetic diversity in breeding programs is crucial for sustainable genetic improvement and rapid adaptation to changing breeding objectives. During the past two decades, the commercialization of the early and extra-early maturing cultivars has contributed to rapid expansion of maize into different agro-ecologies of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where maize has become an important component of the agricultural economy and played a vital role in food and nutritional security. The present study aimed at understanding the population structure and genetic variability among 439 early and extra-early maize inbred lines developed from three narrow-based and twenty-seven broad-based populations by the International Iinstitute of Tropical Agriculture Maize Improvement Program (IITA-MIP). These inbreds were genotyped using 9642 DArTseq-based single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers distributed uniformly throughout the maize genome. Results About 40.8% SNP markers were found highly informative and exhibited polymorphic information content (PIC) greater than 0.25. The minor allele frequency and PIC ranged from 0.015 to 0.500 and 0.029 to 0.375, respectively. The STRUCTURE, neighbour-joining phylogenetic tree and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) grouped the inbred lines into four major classes generally consistent with the selection history, ancestry and kernel colour of the inbreds but indicated a complex pattern of the genetic structure. The pattern of grouping of the lines based on the STRUCTURE analysis was in concordance with the results of the PCoA and suggested greater number of sub-populations (K = 10). Generally, the classification of the inbred lines into heterotic groups based on SNP markers was reasonably reliable and in agreement with defined heterotic groups of previously identified testers based on combining ability studies. Conclusions Complete understanding of potential heterotic groups would be difficult to portray by depending solely on molecular markers. Therefore, planned crosses involving representative testers from opposing heterotic groups would be required to refine the existing heterotic groups. It is anticipated that the present set of inbreds could contribute new beneficial alleles for population improvement, development of hybrids and lines with potential to strengthen future breeding programs. Results of this study would help breeders in formulating breeding strategies for genetic enhancement and sustainable maize production in SSA.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiferaw Feleke ◽  
Steven Michael Cole ◽  
Haruna Sekabira ◽  
Rousseau Djouaka ◽  
Victor Manyong

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has applied the concept of ‘circular bioeconomy’ to design solutions to address the degradation of natural resources, nutrient-depleted farming systems, hunger, and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Over the past decade, IITA has implemented ten circular bioeconomy focused research for development (R4D) interventions in several countries in the region. This article aims to assess the contributions of IITA’s circular bioeconomy focused innovations towards economic, social, and environmental outcomes using the outcome tracking approach, and identify areas for strengthening existing circular bioeconomy R4D interventions using the gap analysis method. Data used for the study came from secondary sources available in the public domain. Results indicate that IITA’s circular bioeconomy interventions led to ten technological innovations (bio-products) that translated into five economic, social, and environmental outcomes, including crop productivity, food security, resource use efficiency, job creation, and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Our gap analysis identified eight gaps leading to a portfolio of five actions needed to enhance the role of circular bioeconomy in SSA. The results showcase the utility of integrating a circular bioeconomy approach in R4D work, especially how using such an approach can lead to significant economic, social, and environmental outcomes. The evidence presented can help inform the development of a framework to guide circular bioeconomy R4D at IITA and other research institutes working in SSA. Generating a body of evidence on what works, including the institutional factors that create enabling environments for circular bioeconomy approaches to thrive, is necessary for governments and donors to support circular bioeconomy research that will help solve some of the most pressing challenges in SSA as populations grow and generate more waste, thus exacerbating a changing climate using the linear economy model.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Om Parkash Yadav ◽  
S. K. Gupta ◽  
Mahalingam Govindaraj ◽  
Rajan Sharma ◽  
Rajeev K. Varshney ◽  
...  

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum R. Br.) is an important staple and nutritious food crop in the semiarid and arid ecologies of South Asia (SA) and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In view of climate change, depleting water resources, and widespread malnutrition, there is a need to accelerate the rate of genetic gains in pearl millet productivity. This review discusses past strategies and future approaches to accelerate genetic gains to meet future demand. Pearl millet breeding in India has historically evolved very comprehensively from open-pollinated varieties development to hybrid breeding. Availability of stable cytoplasmic male sterility system with adequate restorers and strategic use of genetic resources from India and SSA laid the strong foundation of hybrid breeding. Genetic and cytoplasmic diversification of hybrid parental lines, periodic replacement of hybrids, and breeding disease-resistant and stress-tolerant cultivars have been areas of very high priority. As a result, an annual yield increase of 4% has been realized in the last three decades. There is considerable scope to further accelerate the efforts on hybrid breeding for drought-prone areas in SA and SSA. Heterotic grouping of hybrid parental lines is essential to sustain long-term genetic gains. Time is now ripe for mainstreaming of the nutritional traits improvement in pearl millet breeding programs. New opportunities are emerging to improve the efficiency and precision of breeding. Development and application of high-throughput genomic tools, speed breeding, and precision phenotyping protocols need to be intensified to exploit a huge wealth of native genetic variation available in pearl millet to accelerate the genetic gains.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Taofeek T. Adegboyega ◽  
Michael T. Abberton ◽  
AbdelAziz H. AbdelGadir ◽  
Mahamadi Dianda ◽  
Busie Maziya-Dixon ◽  
...  

African yam bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa (Hochst ex. A. Rich.) Harms) is an annual legume with the capacity to produce bean seeds in a pod and produce tubers with varying seed patterns and colors. It is suggested to have the potential to significantly boost food security in sub-Saharan Africa due to its considerable nutritional qualities but still yet underutilized. Many farmers show limited interest in its production owing to limited knowledge of its nutritional profile, income generation capacity for small-holder farmers’, processing, and other related utilization concerns. This study evaluated the proximate and antinutrient composition of processed and unprocessed seeds of African yam bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa (Hochst ex. A. Rich.) Harms.). Seeds were harvested from the experimental research field consisting of 50 accessions at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria. They were divided into two portions; the first was processed by oven drying at 60°C for 24 hours and the second was left raw. There were significant differences (P<0.05) in the levels of proximate and antinutrient in the forms in which the samples were analyzed. TSs104 had the highest protein content of 25.08%, while the lowest was TSs68 (20.50%). However, in the unprocessed seed, protein content ranged between 24.93% (TSs38) and 19.13% (TSs11). Both processed and unprocessed seeds had high carbohydrate contents. In processed seeds, TSs9 (62.93%) had the highest percentage and TSs1 (29.64%) recorded the lowest. In unprocessed seed, the percentage ranged between 67.36% (TSs4) and 54.23% (TSs38). The observed variation may suggest possible suitability of seed for various end-use products and targeted breeding programs for crop improvements. In sub-Saharan Africa, this lesser-known legume could be adapted as a promising food crop in combating protein-energy malnutrition.


2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 171-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian A. Fatokun ◽  
Ousmane Boukar ◽  
Satoru Muranaka

Cowpea is an important grain legume crop in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where, on a worldwide basis, the bulk is produced and consumed. The dry savanna area of SSA is where cowpea is mostly grown under rain-fed conditions. The crop is therefore prone to drought which may occur early, mid and/or late in the cropping season. Compared with many other crops, cowpea is drought tolerant, even though drought is still a major constraint limiting its productivity in SSA. Increasing the level of drought tolerance in existing cowpea varieties grown by farmers would enable them to obtain more and stable yield from their cowpea fields. As a first step towards enhancing drought tolerance in existing cowpea varieties, 1288 lines were selected randomly from cowpea germplasm collections maintained at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, and evaluated for their drought tolerance at Ibadan. Drought was imposed by withdrawal of irrigation from 5 weeks after sowing. On average, drought reduced the number of days to flower by 12 d, and the mean grain yield per plant was also reduced by 67.28%. A few of the cowpea lines stayed green for up to 6 weeks after irrigation was stopped, even though some of these produced no pods when the study was terminated. Further evaluation in the screenhouse of 142 selected drought-tolerant lines helped to identify six lines that could be potential parents for developing breeding lines with enhanced drought tolerance.


Nativa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 390-396
Author(s):  
Paulo Henrique Cerutti ◽  
Marcio Dos Santos ◽  
Anne Tietjen Muniz ◽  
Arthur Ribeiro Rodrigues ◽  
Luan Tiago dos Santos Carbonari ◽  
...  

Anualmente, inúmeros cultivares de soja são desenvolvidos por programas de melhoramento genético. Desse modo, é importante obter informações sobre o comportamento desses cultivares em distintos ambientes. Objetivou-se com a elaboração do trabalho avaliar o efeito da interação genótipo*ambiente no desempenho de cultivares de soja em diferentes ambientes de cultivo. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi de blocos ao acaso com três repetições. Durante a execução dos experimentos, foi avaliado o desempenho produtivo de seis cultivares de soja em seis ambientes. A variável considerada foi o rendimento de grãos (kg ha-1). As informações foram submetidas a análise de variância, análise de regressão linear simples e teste de comparação de médias. A média geral de produtividade de grãos foi de 2960 kg ha-1. Aanálise de regressão indicou dois cultivares com adaptabilidade ampla, três cultivares com adaptabilidade específica a ambientes desfavoráveis e um cultivar com adaptabilidade específica a ambientes favoráveis. Dentre os cultivares avaliados, quatro apresentaram comportamento esperado ao longo dos ambientes de cultivo. Os cultivares exibiram comportamento análogo quanto ao rendimento de grãos. Por meio da aplicação da metodologia da regressão linear, foi possível obter informações relevantes para cultivo de soja em ambientes subsequentes.Palavras-chave: Glicine max L.; interação genótipo*ambiente; adaptabilidade; estabilidade. PERFORMANCE OF SOYBEAN CULTIVARS IN DIFFERENT GROWING ENVIRONMENTS ABSTRACT:Annually, numerous soybean cultivars are developed by breeding programs. Thus, is important to obtain information about of these cultivars behavior in different environments. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the genotype * environment interaction on the performance of soybean cultivars in different growing environments. The experimental design used was randomized blocks with three replications. During the execution of the experiments, was evaluated the productive performance of six soybean cultivars in six environments. The trait considered was grain yield (kg ha-1). The information was submitted to analysis of variance, simple linear regression analysis and means comparison test. The overall mean grain yield was 2960 kg ha-1. Regression analysis indicated two cultivars with broad adaptability, three cultivars with specific adaptability to unfavorable environments and one cultivar with specific adaptability to favorable environments. Among the evaluated cultivars, four showed prospective behavior throughout the cultivation environments. The cultivars exhibited analogous behavior regarding grain yield. The application of the linear regression methodology provided relevant information for soybean cultivation in subsequent environments.Keywords: Glicine max L.; genotype*environment interaction; adaptability; stability.


Author(s):  
M. S. Alidu

Background: Cowpea plays a critical role in the lives of millions of people in Africa and other parts of the developing world, where it is a major source of dietary protein that nutritionally complements staple low-protein cereal and tuber crops. It is a valuable and dependable commodity that produces income for farmers and traders. Objective: To review related research work on the genetic variability for time to flowering, maturity and drought tolerance in cowpea. Data Source: Searches were made from the following databases and archives; International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library (TEAL), Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA) (FAO), AGRICOLA (National Agricultural Library), AGRIS - Agricultural Sciences and Technology (FAO), CAS - Chemical Abstracts (ACS), DOAJ - Directory of Open Access Journals, CABI, Euphytica, Elsevier, Research Alert, Scopus and CGIAR, Plant Genetics and Breeding Database, Crop Science Database, Plant Genetics and Breeding Database, data base repositories, using the terms “genetic variability”, “drought”, “tolerance”, “ time to flowering and maturity”, and “cowpea” individually or in combination to identify literature published in English language between January 1990 to January 2018. Methods: The review was carried out using the above search terms. Research papers were critically reviewed, relevant data extracted, and a narrative synthesis was conducted to determine the relevant papers. Results: In all 150 papers met the inclusion criteria. Collections were from varied background; Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin Americas. Conclusion: Despite research studies on cowpea and drought, there appears to be limited such research findings on the time to flowering, and maturity in relations to drought tolerance in cowpea in Ghana, suggesting more research in this part of the world.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiseha Baraki ◽  
Muez Berhe

Ethiopia is one of the famous and major producers of sesame in sub-Saharan Africa, and Ethiopian sesame is among the highest quality in the world. The experiment was conducted in Northern Ethiopia for three growing seasons (2013–2015) under a rain fed condition with the objective of identifying high-yielding genotypes and their agronomic traits. The experiment consisted of twelve genotypes laid down in randomized complete block design with three replications. The genotype, year, and genotype × year interaction components showed statistically highly significant variation (p<0.001) for most of the agronomic traits which clearly confirms the presence of genotype × year interaction in this study. The highest combined mean grain yield (906.3 kg/ha) was obtained from Hirhir followed by Serkamo white (756.5 kg/ha), and from the three growing seasons, the highest grain yield (1161.5 kg/ha) was recorded from Hirhir grown in the second growing season (2014). The growing seasons were different from one another in allowing the genotypes to have a different performance, and all of the agronomic traits, except thousand seed weight, were statistically different across the three growing seasons. In the ordination of the genotypes and agronomic traits, PCA1, which accounted for 38.3% of the variation, was positively associated with grain yield, branches per plant, length of the pod-bearing zone, plant height, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, and thousand seed weight. On the contrary, PCA2, which accounted for 19.7% of the variation, was positively associated with days to 50% flowering and days to 50% maturity.


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