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Taro and new cocoyam are root and leaf crops commonly grown in tropical to warm temperate regions. In Togo, they are neglected and underutilised. Here we report the genetic diversity of 26 accessions of taro and 101 accessions of new cocoyam. Analysis of simple sequence repeats revealed low polymorphic information content of 0.43 and 0.25 in taro and new cocoyam, respectively. PCA scatterplots and Neighbour Joining dendrograms based on the SSR data clustered accessions into groups that more-or-less correspond to morphological diversity in both species. AMOVA within and between morphological groups revealed greater variances within groups than between. This indicates weak genetic differentiation between morphological groups, particularly for taro. Genetic diversity was greater among taro cultivars. Taro has a longer history of introduction and dispersal in Africa, and has had more opportunity for multiple introduction and local cultivar development. Different strategies are suggested for future development of these crops in Togo and Africa. For taro, further studies of existing diversity and recent experimental introduction, has spread widely in Africa with little genetic diversity. For this crop, international collaboration is needed to clarify taxonomy, and to introduced further cultivars for evaluation under local conditions in Africa.

Understanding the diversity and genetic relationships among and within crop germplasm is invaluable for genetic improvement. This study assessed genetic diversity in a panel of 173 D. rotundata accessions using joint analysis for 23 morphological traits and 136,429 SNP markers from the whole-genome resequencing platform. Various diversity matrices and clustering methods were evaluated for a comprehensive characterization of genetic diversity in white Guinea yam from West Africa at phenotypic and molecular levels. The translation of the different diversity matrices from the phenotypic and genomic information into distinct groups varied with the hierarchal clustering methods used. Gower distance matrix based on phenotypic data and identity by state (IBS) distance matrix based on SNP data with the UPGMA clustering method found the best fit to dissect the genetic relationship in current set materials. However, the grouping pattern was inconsistent (r = − 0.05) between the morphological and molecular distance matrices due to the non-overlapping information between the two data types. Joint analysis for the phenotypic and molecular information maximized a comprehensive estimate of the actual diversity in the evaluated materials. The results from our study provide valuable insights for measuring quantitative genetic variability for breeding and genetic studies in yam and other root and tuber crops.

A better understanding of the structure and extent of genetic variability in a breeding population of a crop is essential for translating genetic diversity to genetic gain. We assessed the nature and pattern of genetic variability and differentiation in a panel of 100 winged-yam (Dioscorea alata) accessions using 24 phenotypic traits and 6,918 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. Multivariate analysis for phenotypic variability indicated that all phenotypic traits assessed were useful in discriminating the yam clones and cultivars. Cluster analysis based on phenotypic data distinguished two significant groups, while a corresponding analysis with SNP markers indicated three genetic groups. However, joint analysis for the phenotypic and genotypic data provided three clusters that could be useful for the identification of heterotic groups in the D. alata breeding program. Our analysis for phenotypic and molecular level diversity provided valuable information about overall diversity and variation in economically important traits useful for establishing crossing panels with contrasting traits of interest. The selection and hybridization of parental lines from the different heterotic groups identified would facilitate maximizing diversity and exploiting population heterosis in the D. alata breeding program.

Background Improvement of tuber yield and tolerance to viruses are priority objectives in white Guinea yam breeding programs. However, phenotypic selection for these traits is quite challenging due to phenotypic plasticity and cumbersome screening of phenotypic-induced variations. This study assessed quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) and the underlying candidate genes related to tuber yield per plant (TYP) and yam mosaic virus (YMV) tolerance in a panel of 406 white Guinea yam (Dioscorea rotundata) breeding lines using a genome-wide association study (GWAS). Results Population structure analysis using 5,581 SNPs differentiated the 406 genotypes into seven distinct sub-groups based delta K. Marker-trait association (MTA) analysis using the multi-locus linear model (mrMLM) identified seventeen QTN regions significant for TYP and five for YMV with various effects. The seveteen QTNs were detected on nine chromosomes, while the five QTNs were identified on five chromosomes. We identified variants responsible for predicting higher yield and low virus severity scores in the breeding panel through the marker-effect prediction. Gene annotation for the significant SNP loci identified several essential putative genes associated with the growth and development of tuber yield and those that code for tolerance to mosaic virus. Conclusion Application of different multi-locus models of GWAS identified 22 QTNs. Our results provide valuable insight for marker validation and deployment for tuber yield and mosaic virus tolerance in white yam breeding. The information on SNP variants and genes from the present study would fast-track the application of genomics-informed selection decisions in breeding white Guinea yam for rapid introgression of the targeted traits through markers validation.

Yam (Dioscorea spp.) is a monocotyledonous herbaceous vine cultivated for its starchy underground or aerial tubers in the tropics and subtropics. It is an allogamous and polyploid species that reproduces by both sexual and asexual mechanisms. However, many of the landrace cultivars, including most of the popular varieties, reproduce exclusively by vegetative propagation (planting the tubers). These varieties are either sterile or produce sparse and irregular flowering with high flower abortion rate, low fruit and seed set. Production of crossbreed seeds for genetic improvement and for maintaining genetic diversity in yams is, therefore, mainly achieved through natural or managed pollination. Flowering in yam is mostly dioecious and, in some instances, monoecious. Flowering asynchrony, sticky nature of the pollen grains, and cross incompatibility are among the challenges in making genetic progress in yam breeding. There are many limitations in basic and applied knowledge of yam flower biology and pollination. This paper, therefore, reviews the flowering biology, pollination, and methods of improving pollination efficiency in yam breeding programs.

White yam (Dioscorearotundata Poir.) is one of the most important tuber crops in West Africa, where it is indigenous and represents the largest repository of biodiversity through several years of domestication, production, consumption, and trade. In this study, the genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approach was used to sequence 814 genotypes consisting of genebank landraces, breeding lines, and market varieties to understand the level of genetic diversity and pattern of the population structure among them. The genetic diversity among different genotypes was assessed using three complementary clustering methods, the model-based admixture, discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC), and phylogenetic tree. ADMIXTURE analysis revealed an optimum number of four groups that matched with the number of clusters obtained through phylogenetic tree. Clustering results obtained from ADMIXTURE analysis were further validated using DAPC-based clustering. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed high genetic diversity (96%) within each genetic group. A network analysis was further carried out to depict the genetic relationships among the three genetic groups (breeding lines, genebank landraces, and market varieties) used in the study. This study showed that the use of advanced sequencing techniques such as GBS coupled with statistical analysis is a robust method for assessing genetic diversity and population structure in a complex crop such as white yam.

Dioscorea alata (L.), also referred to as water, winged, or greater yam, is one of the most economically important staple food crops in tropical and subtropical areas. In Côte d’Ivoire, it represents, along with other yam species, the largest food crop and significantly contributes to food security. However, studies focusing on better understanding the structure and extent of genetic diversity among D. alata accessions, using molecular and phenotypic traits, are limited. This study was, therefore, conducted to assess the pattern of genetic variability in a set of 188 D. alata accessions from the National Agronomic Research Centre (CNRA) genebank using 11,722 SNP markers (generated by the Diversity Arrays Technology) and nine agronomic traits. Phylogenetic analyses using hierarchical clustering, admixture, kinship, and Discriminant analysis of principal component (DAPC) all assigned the accessions into four main clusters. Genetic diversity assessment using molecular-based SNP markers showed a high proportion of polymorphic SNPs (87.81%). The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed low molecular variability within genetic groups. In addition, the agronomic traits evaluated for two years in field conditions showed a high heritability and high variability among D. alata accessions. This study provides insights into the genetic diversity among accessions in the CNRA genebank and opens an avenue for sustainable resource management and the identification of promising parental clones for water yam breeding programs in Côte d’Ivoire.

Guinea yam (Dioscorea cayenensis–D. rotundata complex) is an important tuber crop that highly contributes to food security and poverty alleviation in Benin. The knowledge and understanding of the extent of genetic variation of Guinea yam germplasm is important for planning of the genetic conservation, and the utilisation of this resource. The objective of this study was to assess the genetic diversity and relationships of 64 yam landraces whose dried chips are considered as resistant to insect attacks using 41 simple sequence repeat. Among these primers, 13 were found to be polymorphic, giving 113 polymorphic alleles. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 4 (Ym50) to 13 (Ym29), with an average of 8.69. Unique allele was observed with some landraces (Singou and Tchakatchaka) and can be considered as unique gene and use in yam breeding program. The mean polymorphic information content values for all markers used was 0.76 and ranged between 0.58 and 0.91 in loci YM3 and YM32 respectively. The genetic distance of yam landraces ranged from 0.45 (Yasoubagarou) to 0.04 (Assinapeira and Alahina), indicating that the yam germplasm has a high degree of genetic diversity supported by an averagely observed heterozygosity of 0.78. Cluster analysis using unweighted pair group method with arithmetic average grouped the 64 yam landraces into two distinct clusters. This tendency was also observed in the principal coordinate analysis. The analysis of molecular variance revealed that 96 % of the variation was found within the population and only 4 % between the populations. Genetic diversity and relationship assessments among the 64 yam landraces of Benin could provide useful information for efficient use of these materials, especially for genetic improvement.