Review of empirical and emerging breeding methods and tools for yam ( Dioscorea spp.) improvement: Status and prospects

By K. Darkwa, B. Olasanmi, R. Asiedu, Asrat Asfaw. Plant Breeding, 2019

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Yam is a multi-species monocotyledonous crop extensively disseminated in Africa, Asia, Oceania and South America. The genus Dioscorea to which yam belongs encompasses about 600 species (Burkill, 1960); however, a few are cultivated for food and income. Dioscorea alata, D. cayenensis and D. rotundata are by far the major cultivated species worldwide, while D. bulbifera, D. esculenta, D. opposita, D. japonica, D. nummularia, D. pentaphylla, D. transversa, D. trifida and D. dumetorum are also economically important (Lebot, 2009; Sonibare, Asiedu, & Albach, 2010). Many wild yam species serve as sources of food in West Africa especially in times of food scarcity (Bahuchet, McKey, & Garine, 1991; Sato, 2001). Dioscorea rotundata is indigenous to West Africa and represents the most important species in terms of volume of production while D. alata, which was introduced to Africa from Asia, is the most widely cultivated species globally (Abang, Winter, Mignouna, Green, & Asiedu, 2003). Yam is an important staple source of carbohydrates (starch, sugars and fibres), proteins, minerals, vitamins and small amounts of lipids in the diets of millions of people in the tropics and subtropics. Yam is not only cultivated for consumption and as a source of income, but it is a highly esteemed food crop integrated into the social, cultural, economic and religious aspects of life of West Africans (Zannou et al., 2004). The rituals, ceremonies and superstitions Received: 27 December 2018 | Revised: 10 October 2019 | Accepted: 26 October 2019 DOI: 10.1111/pbr.12783

Subfields: Food Science, Genetics

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