Unexpected pattern of pearl millet genetic diversity among ethno-linguistic groups in the Lake Chad Basin

Jika, Abdel Kader Naino; Dussert, Yann; Raimond, Christine; Garine, Éric; Luxereau, Anne; Takvorian, Najat; Djermakoye, R.S.; Adam, Toudou; Robert, Thierry

doi:10.1038/hdy.2016.128

Cited by 27 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…These results confirm the differentiation of knowledge along ethnic groups in our study. These results are very closed to those of Jika et al [38], claiming that millet has a higher symbolic value in the rural communities of Zarma-Sonhrai , Hausa , and Kanuri , which represents a strong social barrier in the dissemination of seeds between these ethnolinguistic groups [38]. Furthermore, similar studies conducted on other species with important socio-economic value on a regional scale confirm these observations [29, 30].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

Inter and intra cultural variations of millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br) uses in Niger (West Africa)

Moussa

Kindomihou

Houéhanou

et al. 2019

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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Background An ethnobotanical study was conducted in the eight regions of Niger to identify local knowledge variation of millet ( Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br) uses. In fact, the level of individual knowledge can be affected by many factors such as gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, religious and cultural beliefs, etc. This study documented indigenous knowledge of millet uses in Niger and aimed specifically to (i) identify the different types of millet organ uses and (ii) assess the variation of local knowledge of millet uses along with ethnicity, occupation, and age. Methods The data were collected in 32 major millet-producing villages in Niger through individual semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. About 508 individuals from 5 ethnic groups were interviewed. The assessment of the knowledge was performed by calculating five ethnobotanical indices such as the number of reported uses by parts of the plant (RU), the use-value of the parts of the plant (PPV), the specific use-value (SU), the intraspecific use-value (IUV), and the relative frequency of citations (FRC). Data were analyzed using descriptive, univariate, and multivariate statistical analyses. Results The results indicated a significant variation in uses across ethnic groups ( H = 38.14, P = 0.000) and socio-occupational categories ( H = 6.80, P = 0.033). The Hausa , Kanuri , and Zarma-Sonhrai ethnic groups, farmers were the largest users of the species. Dietary (51.40%) and forage (40.35%) were the most reported uses. The most commonly used parts of the plant were the stubble (74.92%) and grains (73.68%). Conclusions The study showed the importance of P. glaucum in the daily life of local people. It also confirmed the uneven distribution of indigenous knowledge of millet uses in Niger due to social factors. Now, the challenge is how to incorporate these social differences in knowledge of millet uses in view to sustainable management and conservation of local genetic resources of millet. Finally, this work could be an important decision-making tool for future millet valuing.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

Inter and intra cultural variations of millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br) uses in Niger (West Africa)

Moussa

Kindomihou

Houéhanou

et al. 2019

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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“…In family farming systems, farmers are directly involved in crop varietal innovation and in the management of crop genetic resources 40 . Varietal diffusion is shaped by social factors, as illustrated by the relationship between the structure of crop diversity and ethno-linguistic groups 41 – 43 . Farmers’ seed networks are known to be major drivers of gene flow, within and beyond local communities and environments 44 , 45 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pearl millet genomic vulnerability to climate change in West Africa highlights the need for regional collaboration

et al. 2020

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Climate change is already affecting agro-ecosystems and threatening food security by reducing crop productivity and increasing harvest uncertainty. Mobilizing crop diversity could be an efficient way to mitigate its impact. We test this hypothesis in pearl millet, a nutritious staple cereal cultivated in arid and low-fertility soils in sub-Saharan Africa. We analyze the genomic diversity of 173 landraces collected in West Africa together with an extensive climate dataset composed of metrics of agronomic importance. Mapping the pearl millet genomic vulnerability at the 2050 horizon based on the current genomic-climate relationships, we identify the northern edge of the current areas of cultivation of both early and late flowering varieties as being the most vulnerable to climate change. We predict that the most vulnerable areas will benefit from using landraces that already grow in equivalent climate conditions today. However, such seed-exchange scenarios will require long distance and trans-frontier assisted migrations. Leveraging genetic diversity as a climate mitigation strategy in West Africa will thus require regional collaboration.

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“…These data are consistent with the existence of long‐distance connections and ancient historical factors promoting human‐mediated seed exchanges within culturally similar language macro‐areas across Eurasia starting from ~2,500 BP onward (Persian, Greek and Roman civilizations, for more details see the next section “ Tracing indirect and direct human‐mediated dispersal routes of walnut and chestnut across Eurasia”). An interdependence between material and cultural exchange‐drive components was clearly illustrated in crop species such as cassava (Delêtre et al., 2011), maize (Orozco‐Ramírez et al., 2016), pearl millet (Naino Jika et al., 2017), and sorghum (Labeyrie et al., 2014). While the cultural boundaries limited the connectivity of human communities and impeded the diffusion of annual plant material among different ethnolinguistic groups, historical–cultural similarities strongly promoted exchanges of seeds and knowledge by facilitating social relationships within members of the same macro‐groups.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biocultural diversity of common walnut (Juglans regia L.) and sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) across Eurasia

Pollegioni

Lungo

Müller

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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A biocultural diversity approach integrates plant biology and germplasm dispersal processes with human cultural diversity. An increasing number of studies have identified cultural factors and ethnolinguistic barriers as the main drivers of the genetic diversity in crop plants. Little is known about how anthropogenic processes have affected the evolution of tree crops over the entire time scale of their interaction with humans. In Asia and the Mediterranean, common walnut ( Juglans regia L.) and sweet chestnut ( Castanea sativa Mill.) have been economically and culturally important crops for millennia; there, in ancient times, they were invested with symbolic and religious significance. In this study, we detected a partial geographic congruence between the ethno‐linguistic repartition of human communities, the distribution of major cognitive sets of word‐related terms, and the inferred genetic clusters of common walnut and sweet chestnut populations across Eurasia. Our data indicated that isolation by distance processes, landscape heterogeneity and cultural boundaries might have promoted simultaneously human language diversification and walnut/chestnut differentiation across the same geographic macro‐regions. Hotspots of common walnut and sweet chestnut genetic diversity were associated with areas of linguistic enrichment in the Himalayas, Trans‐Caucasus, and Pyrenees Mountains, where common walnuts and sweet chestnuts had sustained ties to human culture since the Early Bronze Age. Our multidisciplinary approach supported the indirect and direct role of humans in shaping walnut and chestnut diversity across Eurasia from the EBA (e.g., Persian Empire and Greek–Roman colonization) until the first evidence of active selection and clonal propagation by grafting of both species. Our findings highlighted the benefit of an efficient integration of the relevant cultural factors in the classical genome (G) × environmental (E) model and the urgency of a systematic application of the biocultural diversity concept in the reconstruction of the evolutionary history of tree species.

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Unexpected pattern of pearl millet genetic diversity among ethno-linguistic groups in the Lake Chad Basin

Cited by 27 publications

References 48 publications

Inter and intra cultural variations of millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br) uses in Niger (West Africa)

Inter and intra cultural variations of millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br) uses in Niger (West Africa)

Pearl millet genomic vulnerability to climate change in West Africa highlights the need for regional collaboration

Biocultural diversity of common walnut (Juglans regia L.) and sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) across Eurasia

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