Exploring physicochemical and cytogenomic diversity of African cowpea and common bean

Abstract

In sub-Saharan Africa, grain legumes (pulses) are essential food sources and play an important role in sustainable agriculture. Among the major pulse crops, the native cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and introduced common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) stand out. This paper has two main goals. First, we provide a comprehensive view of the available genetic resources of these genera in Africa, including data on germplasm collections and mapping biodiversity-rich areas. Second, we investigate patterns of physicochemical and cytogenomic variation across Africa to explore the geographical structuring of variation between native and introduced beans. Our results revealed that 73 Vigna and 5 Phaseolus species occur in tropical regions of Africa, with 8 countries accounting for more than 20 native species. Conversely, germplasm collections are poorly represented when compared to the worldwide collections. Regarding the nuclear DNA content, on average, V. unguiculata presents significantly higher values than P. vulgaris. Also, V. unguiculata is enriched in B, Mg, S, and Zn, while P. vulgaris has more Fe, Ca, and Cu. Overall, our study suggests that the physicochemical and cytogenomic diversity of native Vigna species is higher than previously thought, representing valuable food resources to reduce food insecurity and hunger, particularly of people living in African developing countries.

Food Security and Nutrition in Mozambique: Comparative Study with Bean Species Commercialised in Informal Markets

“…Our study shows that Phaseolus and Vigna species can be distinguished from each other, namely in terms of proximate composition (see Figures 3 and 4). In line with our findings, a recent study conducted by Catarino et al [58], using cluster analysis, showed a clear difference between Phaseolus and Vigna species in terms of mineral composition. Nevertheless, the protein content is quite uniform among the studied Phaseolus and Vigna species, but the samples from these two species collected in Maputo markets (i.e., MP5 Pv and MP6 Vr) revealed the highest protein content.…”

Nutritional and Functional Properties of Wild Leafy Vegetables for Improving Food Security in Southern Angola

“…Over the last decades, a large amount of work was done on the importance of nutritional and medicinal uses of African plants (Addis et al, 2013;Catarino et al, 2016Catarino et al, , 2021a. These plants already contribute to food security of local populations, are often harvested and traded in town markets, and some are also used in traditional medicine (Shackleton et al, 2007(Shackleton et al, , 2009Cernansky, 2015;Charrua et al, 2021).…”

Diversity of Legumes in the Cashew Agroforestry System in East Timor (Southeast Asia)

“…Concentrations of 11 minerals (boron—B, calcium—Ca, copper—Cu, iron—Fe, potassium—K, magnesium—Mg, manganese—Mn, sodium—Na, phosphorous—P, sulphur—S, zinc—Zn) in seeds of Cajanus cajan , Phaseolus lunatus , Phaseolus vulgaris , Vigna angularis , Vigna radiata , and Vigna unguiculata were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (Thermo Scientific iCAP 7000 Plus Series ICP-OES spectrometer, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) after digestion in aqua regia (a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid (1:3)) at 105 °C during 60 min [ 23 , 37 ]. Calibration was made using the controls prepared with the same analytical procedure and reagents but without sample.…”

“…Vigna unguiculata and Phaseolus vulgaris , the main pulse crops on the African continent, are essential sources of minerals and vitamins [ 21 , 22 ]. According to Catarino et al [ 23 ], Vigna unguiculata has a higher content of boron, magnesium, sulphur, and zinc, while P. vulgaris has more iron, calcium, and copper. Zinc and iron deficiencies have the worst impact on public health, but other minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, are also vital to human health [ 24 ].…”