Performance of 13 Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) Landraces under 12 H and 14 H Photoperiod

Bambara groundnut: an exemplar underutilised legume for resilience under climate change

“…The study also revealed that the time of sowing affected the yield of bambara groundnut. Yields were higher in the dry minor rainfall season compared with the major rainy season (Berchie et al 2013). Berchie et al (2013) also found that yields were higher in the Transition agro-ecology, where temperatures are higher, and rainfall is lower compared with the forest agro-ecologies.…”

“…Yields were higher in the dry minor rainfall season compared with the major rainy season (Berchie et al 2013). Berchie et al (2013) also found that yields were higher in the Transition agro-ecology, where temperatures are higher, and rainfall is lower compared with the forest agro-ecologies. Pod yields of up to 4 t ha −1 were obtained in some landraces in the transition agro-ecological zone in Ghana.…”

“…This study reported three landraces, namely, Mtwara (TZA-1498), Lindi (TZA-1505), and Shinyanga (TZA-2114) that had reasonable levels of photoperiod-insensitivity, compared to the already widespread landraces such as Tiga Necuru and DipC (from Botswana) (Jorgensen et al 2009(Jorgensen et al , 2010. Berchie et al (2013) evaluating performance of 13 bambara groundnut landraces in Ghana under 12 and 14 h photoperiods observed that canopy sizes and leaf area within landraces were greater under a 14 h photoperiod than under a 12 h photoperiod. Under a 14 h photoperiod, five landraces that produced some pods and showed less sensitivity to photoperiod were also early maturing.…”

“…The diversity in use and preference can be illustrated with country specific examples. For example, phenological studies conducted in southern Ghana, where a bimodal rainfall pattern exists revealed that bambara groundnut can be grown twice in a year (Berchie et al 2013). The study also revealed that the time of sowing affected the yield of bambara groundnut.…”

Crops For the Future (CFF): an overview of research efforts in the adoption of underutilised species

“…BAMLINK-EU FP6 INCO-DEV 2006-2011. Two traits were identified as limiting the more widespread adoption of the crop, namely the short-day photoperiod requirement for pod-filling (a very rare effect of day length in crops; Linnemann et al 1995;Jørgensen et al 2009;Berchie et al 2013;Kendabie et al 2015) and the hard-to-cook phenomenon (Shehata 1992;Mubaiwa et al 2017), which is common in pulse legumes. The first restricts the range of latitudes/timing of planting of the crop, while the latter is a problem because of the fuel demands it places on poor households.…”