Yam production Yam breeding in West Africa Yam improvements

1. AfricaYam: A project to
strengthen yam breeding in
West Africa
YIIFSWA Annual Meeting
Ibadan, Nigeria
February 17, 2016
David De Koeyer

2. FAO: Huge opportunities for
agricultural growth in West Africa
• http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/2845
99/icode/
• 300 M population now; 490 M by 2030
• Half in urban regions
• To meet demands, substantial improvements
in productivity are required
• Adding more value after harvest is key

3. The yam crop is most important in
West Africa
- 54 M t / 4.6 M ha
- 95% in Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire
- Value exceeds all other African staple crops
- Demand exceeds supply

4. Key challenges and opportunities in
yam breeding
• Vegetative propagation
• Heterozygous
• Multiple ploidy levels (2x, 3x, 4x…)
• Multiple species (D. rotundata, D. alata, etc.)
• Poor flowering / seed set
• Multiple uses
• Serious pest, disease and storage problems
• Limited research / breeding

5. Yam breeding targets
• Quality (food/cooking and tuber appearance)
• Disease and pest resistance (virus,
anthracnose, nematodes, storage insects, etc)
• Tuber yield and adaptation to target regions
• Abiotic stress tolerance (water, soil fertility)
• Reproductive traits (flowering, dormancy)

6. 2 - 4 months 8-10 months
10-20 seed for PT
Rapid selection at IITA

7. Molecular genetics and genomics
Linkage maps available in D. rotundata and D. alata and QTLs
identified using RAPD, AFLP, and EST-SSRs for anthracnose and
YAD.
Whole genome sequencing and re-sequencing of D. rotundata
(IITA-IBRC-JIRCAS) for discovery of SNPs.
Whole genome sequencing of D. alata in progress (IITA and
TGAC) along with re-sequencing of 100 additional lines (for
nutritional values) (IITA-AOCC-NARS).
Reference transcriptome sequencing for anthracnose disease
(D. alata)
GBS evaluated in D. alata and D. rotundata.

8. What is AfricaYam?
• Title: Enhancing yam breeding for increased
productivity and improved quality in West Africa
(AfricaYam)
• Target Countries: Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana,
Nigeria
• Period: 14/10/2014 - 31/10/2019
• Life budget: $13,500,000 USD
• Development Investor: Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation

9. AfricaYam Objective
• To enhance food security and improved
livelihoods by increasing productivity and
sustainability of yam cultivation and reducing
the costs for small holder producers and
consumers in West Africa

10. Capacity Building
Primary Outcome 1.
• Active yam breeding programs in four countries in West Africa (Nigeria,
Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Benin)
Intermediate Outcome
• Yam breeding programs at IITA and in national institutes in Ghana, Nigeria,
Cote d’Ivoire and Benin strengthened
Outputs
• Plant breeders and technicians in yam breeding programs in Ghana,
Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire and Benin trained and more productive in their
positions
• Yam Breeding Community of Practice (YCoP) established and active
• Infrastructure and equipment available to support yam breeding in the 4
target countries

11. AfricaYam Training
Visit to JHI
Breeder and technician
workshop

12. Infrastructure improvements

13. Yam Community of Practice
• Website / information portal to be developed
• Database of yam researchers
• Communication through social media
• Exchange visits amongst research programs
• Standard operating procedures for breeders
• Interested?
– E-mail d.dekoeyer@cgiar.org

14. Improved Breeding Methods
Primary Outcome 2.
• Improved efficiency of yam breeding programs through use
of faster and more precise tools and methods
Intermediate Outcomes:
• Genetic basis of important agronomic and quality traits
understood and utilized in breeding
• Rapid and accurate phenotyping protocols adopted and
utilized in breeding programs
• Effective integration of data in yam breeding programs

15. Genetics / genomics resources
• D. rotundata and D. alata mapping
populations
• Diversity panels of both species
• SNPs from re-sequenced genomes
• Improved genotyping platforms
• QTL and GWAS analysis
• Genomic selection evaluated

16. Phenotyping resources
• Needs assessment surveys for evaluation
• Standardized methods
• Rapid evaluation protocols
• Higher-throughput quality screening (NIRs)
NEMATODES
ANTHRACNOSE

17. Data collection
Male Monoecious Female
Evaluation of mapping populations at IITA;
photos courtesy of JIRCAS
Anthracnose and virus resistance of
landraces from Benin.

18. YamBase

19. Improved Varieties
Primary Outcome 3
• Breeding methods used in national and international yam
breeding programs in West Africa for sustainable
development of new yam varieties that combine high and
stable yield with good tuber qualities
Intermediate Outcomes:
• Genotypes superior in key traits to existing cultivars
selected from multi-site pre-release trials in each country
• Dioscorea alata and D. rotundata genotypes with desired
traits evaluated in multi-site trials and used in breeding

20. Yam breeding networks
• Characterization of yam growing regions,
selection of testing sites in each country, and
establishment of multi-location trials.
• Establish germplasm exchange procedures and
generation of clean planting materials of
advanced breeding clones
• In-country and regional testing of elite selections
• Population development and distribution of
seeds amongst partners.

21. Breeding activities
Participatory trials in Benin
Generation of virus-free materials - IITA Seedlings in new screen house - Benin
Crosses in
Côte d’Ivoire

22. AfricaYam Partners
Breeding / Trait Evaluation
IITA
NRCRI and EBSU – Nigeria
CRI and SARI – Ghana
CNRA – Côte d’Ivoire
UAC – Benin
JIRCAS – Japan
Breeding Tools
IITA
IBRC – Japan
CIRAD – France
JHI – United Kingdom
BTI – USA

23. Linkages to YIIFSWA
• Use of virus diagnostics (multiplication and
resistance screening)
• Rapid propagation methods applied to new /
candidate varieties
• Seed production and agronomic management
best practices
• New varieties for improved seed systems
• Strengthen critical mass in yam research

24. Thank you