Seed Systems for Underutilized Crops

Ahmed, H. M. I.; Gregg, Bill; Louwaars, N.P.

doi:10.17660/actahortic.2009.806.57

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…The informal seed supply system consists of farmer-managed seed production activities and is based on indigenous knowledge and local diffusion mechanisms. Maintaining crop production in terms of yield and quality grains which give the farmer maximum return requires good seed which carries the genetic, physiological, and physical quality aspects (Muasya et al, 2008;Ahmed et al, 2009). Good seed requires constant care to prevent loss of quality and to ensure high yield for farmers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Seed Quality Attributes of Sorghum Germplasm Accessions from Eastern, Coastal and Nyanza Regions, Kenya

Muui¹,

Muasya²,

Nguluu³

et al. 2020

SAR

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Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is an important cereal crop in Kenya. Despite the crops importance, the yields attained by farmers in Eastern, Coastal and Nyanza regions of Kenya remain low. Access to good quality seeds of sorghum is one of the constraints facing the subsistence farmers. Good quality seed is important for increasing yield to attain food security. The aim of this study was to evaluate quality attributes of the seed used by farmers. A total of 108 germplasm accessions were obtained from 76 farmers. The seeds were tested for time and percentage of germination, seed vigour index, shoot and root dry weight. Data collected was subjected to analysis of variance. Means were separated using Fisher’s Least Significance Difference test at p ≤ 0.05. Seed samples of 26 accessions attained germination percentage below stipulated standards by Seeds and Plant Varieties Act CAP 326. Majority of seeds showed longer mean germination time with only nine accessions germinating in less than ten days. Seed vigour index was relatively high in most of the accessions, while biomass accumulation varied from high to very low among accessions. Though most of the seeds attained a high germination percentage, about 92% of seeds showed longer mean germination time. The environmental conditions in the fields, pre and post harvest handling practices impact on the seed quality hence the wide variability in germination percentage, germination time, seed vigour index and dry matter accumulation. Therefore the need to improve quality of seeds used by subsistence farmers by providing extension services on best pre and post harvest handling practices. Increasing production of sorghum in these regions will contribute significantly towards realizing food security. Further analysis could be carried out on genetic and sanitary quality aspects of the seeds planted by farmers in Eastern, Nyanza and Coastal regions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Seed Quality Attributes of Sorghum Germplasm Accessions from Eastern, Coastal and Nyanza Regions, Kenya

Muui¹,

Muasya²,

Nguluu³

et al. 2020

SAR

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“…This takes time and resources and would need the establishment of special laboratories and trained personnel. But even for sexually propagated orphan crops, different forms of quality seed supply should be tested and regulated to suit the needs of the crop and the targeted agro-ecologies (Ahmed et al 2009 ).…”

Section: Challenges In Breeding Climate Smart Orphan Cropsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetics and breeding for climate change in Orphan crops

et al. 2021

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Climate change is rapidly changing how we live, what we eat and produce, the crops we breed and the target traits. Previously underutilized orphan crops that are climate resilient are receiving much attention from the crops research community, as they are often the only crops left in the field after periods of extreme weather conditions. There are several orphan crops with incredible resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses. Some are nutritious, while others provide good sources of biofuel, medicine and other industrial raw materials. Despite these benefits, orphan crops are still lacking in important genetic and genomic resources that could be used to fast track their improvement and make their production profitable. Progress has been made in generating draft genomes of at least 28 orphan crops over the last decade, thanks to the reducing cost of sequencing. The implementation of a structured breeding program that takes advantage of additional modern crop improvement tools such as genomic selection, speed breeding, genome editing, high throughput phenotyping and breeding digitization would make rapid improvement of these orphan crops possible, but would require coordinated research investment. Other production challenges such as lack of adequate germplasm conservation, poor/non-existent seed systems and agricultural extension services, as well as poor marketing channels will also need to be improved if orphan crops were to be profitable. We review the importance of breeding orphan crops under the increasing effects of climate change, highlight existing gaps that need to be addressed and share some lessons to be learned from major crops.

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“…To plant Kersting's groundnut, farmers use saved seeds from previous harvest or buy seeds on the markets because there is no formal seed production system supplying certified seeds of the crop in any of the growing countries in West Africa [25,27,28]. Actually, both public and private sectors are reluctant to invest in formal seed production system of underutilized crops [39]. To cope with this challenge, a community-based seed system can be established in growing areas.…”

Section: Cultivation Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential of Kersting’s groundnut [Macrotyloma geocarpum (Harms) Maréchal & Baudet] and prospects for its promotion

Ayenan

Ezin

2016

Agric & Food Secur

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Kersting's groundnut is a tropical crop, highly nutritious, adapted to drought-prone areas. The crop is neglected both by researchers and by policy makers. This paper aimed at providing relevant information on the current status of the crop and the prospects to promote its improvement and production. To this end, available papers addressing any of the following aspect: distribution, nutritional value, cropping systems, post-harvest processing, usages, value chains, conservation status, genetic diversity and improvement of Kersting's groundnut were reviewed. In West Africa, the crop provides substantial income for rural population. Kersting's groundnut has several medicinal uses and cultural values as well. However, because of its intensive labor requirement, low yield and non-availability of improved varieties, its cultivation is declining and it is even disappearing gradually in some growing areas. The promotion of the crop's value chains is an option for reversing the declining trend in Kersting's groundnut cultivation. In recent years, some progress has been recorded in the collection, characterization and ex situ conservation of the crop. Thus, there are currently about 100 accessions conserved in various gene banks in Benin, Ghana, France and Belgium. This is still insufficient as compared to the genetic resources available in ex situ for most of the grown legume crops. To cope with this, extensive germplasm collection and their systematic characterization and evaluation coupled with new generation genomic tools need to be undertaken. For this purpose, genomic resources developed for Kersting's groundnut-related species will be valuable assets. The exploitation of genomic resources will enable the development of core and mini-core collections for conservation and breeding purposes. In addition, the use of genomic resources will speed up Kersting's groundnut breeding programs. Furthermore, the genetic base of the crop is extremely narrow and there is a need to broaden it for substantial genetic gain in breeding programs. For this purpose, mutation induction has been proposed as technique to increase variability in the Kersting's groundnut germplasm. Invest in Kersting's groundnut research is key to ensure the conservation and exploit the potential of the crop.

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Seed Systems for Underutilized Crops

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Evaluation of Seed Quality Attributes of Sorghum Germplasm Accessions from Eastern, Coastal and Nyanza Regions, Kenya

Evaluation of Seed Quality Attributes of Sorghum Germplasm Accessions from Eastern, Coastal and Nyanza Regions, Kenya

Genetics and breeding for climate change in Orphan crops

Potential of Kersting’s groundnut [Macrotyloma geocarpum (Harms) Maréchal & Baudet] and prospects for its promotion

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