The primary goal of this study was to compare the multiplication rates of yam varieties propagated through organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis (SE). Callus was induced from axillary bud explants of three genotypes of Dioscorea rotundata (Asiedu, Ekiti2a, and Kpamyo) and two genotypes of Dioscorea alata (Swaswa and TDa2014) cultured in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 9.1 µM 2,4-dichlorophenoxylacetic acid and 5.4 µM naphthaleneacetic acid. Plantlets were regenerated in MS containing ...

The capability of winged bean to support food and nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa is recurrently being affected by several constraints, which include a lack of genetic improvement. The dearth of adequate information on the level of available genetic diversity in winged bean germplasm has been a major setback in planning appropriate improvement programs. Fifteen winged bean accessions were assessed for genetic diversity using 10 quantitative traits and 10 simple sequence repeat (SSR) ...

Winged bean [Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.] is an underutilized legume with the potential to contribute to nutrition and food security globally, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, more attention needs to be paid to exploiting its full potential due to a lack of adequate knowledge of the existing genetic diversity in the available winged bean germplasm. To bridge this gap, thirty accessions of winged beans sourced from the Gene Bank of the International Institute of Tropical ...

Natural and social science studies have commonly referenced a ‘typical’ or ‘habitual’ Nigerian diet, without defining what such a diet entails. Our study, based on a systematic review of the existing literature and an analysis of household-level survey data, describes the general outline of a common Nigerian diet and how it varies based on spatial, demographic, and socio-economic characteristics. We further try to establish whether Nigeria has embarked on a dietary transition common in most modern ...

Several factors have traditionally hampered the effectiveness of agricultural extension services, including limited institutional capacity and reach. Here we assess the potential of large language models (LLMs), specifically Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT), to transform agricultural extension. We focus on the ability of LLMs to simplify scientific knowledge and provide personalized, location-specific and data-driven agricultural recommendations. We emphasize shortcomings of this technology, ...

This study generates evidence to understand the impact of agribusiness empowerment programmes on youth livelihoods in developing countries based on the ENABLE-TAAT programme implemented in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. A multistage sampling technique was used in obtaining primary agribusiness-level data from a sample of 1435 young agripreneurs from the study countries. An Endogenous Treatment Effect Regression (ETER) model was used to assess the impact of programme participation on youth livelihoods ...

Introduction: Bambara groundnut (BG) (Vigna subterranea [L.] Verdc) is an indigenous, resilient, but underutilized leguminous crop that occurs mostly as genetically heterogeneous landraces with limited information on the drought tolerant attributes. This study elucidates the associations between sequencing-based diversity array technology (DArTseq) and phenotypic character as well as differing indices related to drought tolerance in one hundred accessions of Bambara groundnut. Methods: The field ...

Roots, tubers and bananas (RTBs) contribute immensely to food security and livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America. The adoption of RTB genotypes in these regions relies on the interplay among agronomic traits, ease of processing and consumer preference. In breeding RTBs, until recently, little attention was accorded key textural traits preferred by consumers. Moreover, a lack of standard, discriminant, repeatable protocols that can be used to measure the textural traits deter ...

Fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook F.) is an underutilized indigenous leafy vegetable with enormous prospects for food security in sub-Saharan Africa. However, relatively little is known about genetic relationships and population structure in the species. In this study, 32 landraces of fluted pumpkin collected across three southern geographical regions in Nigeria were assessed for genetic diversity and population structure using 8 start codon-targeted (SCoT) makers. The polymorphic ...