Utilizing digitized occurrence records of Midwestern feral Cannabis sativa to develop ecological niche models.

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) has historically played a vital role in agriculture across the globe. Feral and wild populations have served as genetic resources for breeding, conservation, and adaptation to changing environmental conditions. However, feral populations of Cannabis, specifically in the Midwestern United States, remain poorly understood. This study aims to characterize the abiotic tolerances of these populations, estimate suitable areas, identify regions at risk of abiotic suitability change, and highlight the utility of ecological niche models (ENMs) in germplasm conservation. The Maxent algorithm was used to construct a series of ENMs. Validation metrics and MOP (Mobility-oriented Parity) analysis were used to assess extrapolation risk and model performance. We also projected the final projected under current and future climate scenarios (2021-2040 and 2061-2080) to assess how abiotic suitability changes with time. Climate change scenarios indicated an expansion of suitable habitat, with priority areas for germplasm collection in Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. This study demonstrates the application of ENMs for characterizing feral Cannabis populations and highlights their value in germplasm conservation and breeding efforts. Populations of feral C. sativa in the Midwest are of high interest, and future research should focus on utilizing tools to aid the collection of materials for the characterization of genetic diversity and adaptation to a changing climate.

A review of biotechnological approaches towards crop improvement in African yam bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa Hochst. Ex A. Rich.).

Globally, climate change is a major factor that contributes significantly to food and nutrition insecurity, limiting crop yield and availability. Although efforts are being made to curb food insecurity, millions of people still suffer from malnutrition. For the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal of Food Security to be achieved, diverse cropping systems must be developed instead of relying mainly on a few staple crops. Many orphan legumes have untapped potential that can be of significance for developing improved cultivars with enhanced tolerance to changing climatic conditions. One typical example of such an orphan crop is Sphenostylis stenocarpa Hochst. Ex A. Rich. Harms, popularly known as African yam bean (AYB). The crop is an underutilised tropical legume that is climate-resilient and has excellent potential for smallholder agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Studies on AYB have featured morphological characterisation, assessment of genetic diversity using various molecular markers, and the development of tissue culture protocols for rapidly multiplying propagules. However, these have not translated into varietal development, and low yields remain a challenge. The application of suitable biotechnologies to improve AYB is imperative for increased yield, sustainable utilisation and conservation. This review discusses biotechnological strategies with prospective applications for AYB improvement. The potential risks of these strategies are also highlighted.

Predictive genotype-phenotype relations using genetic diversity in African yam bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa (Hochst. ex. A. Rich) Harms).

BACKGROUND: African Yam Bean (AYB) is an understudied and underutilized tuberous legume of tropical West and Central African origin. In these geographical regions, both seeds and tubers of AYB are important components of people's diets and a potential target as a nutritional security crop. The understanding of the genetic diversity among AYB accessions is thus an important component for both conservation and potential breeding programs. RESULTS: In this study, 93 AYB accessions were obtained from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) genebank and genotyped using 3722 SNP markers based on Restriction site-Associated DNA sequencing (RAD-Seq). Genetic data was analysed using multiple clustering methods for better understanding the distribution of genetic diversity across the population. Substantial genetic variability was observed in the present set of AYB accessions and different methodologies demonstrated that these accessions are divided into three to four main groups. The accessions were also analysed for important agronomic traits and successfully associated with their genetic clusters where great majority of accessions shared a similar phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first study on predicting genotypic-phenotypic diversity relationship analysis in AYB. From a breeding perspective, we were able to identify specific diverse groups with precise phenotype such as seed or both seed and tuber yield purpose accessions. These results provide novel and important insights to support the utilization of this germplasm in AYB breeding programs.