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Plectranthus edulis is among the most ancient and native tuber crops in Ethiopia, which is mainly cultivated by smallholder farmers. Being an orphan crop, it has not received due research attention. To tackle major crop-production constraints through breeding, knowledge of its genetic diversity is a prerequisite. Thus, the current study was carried out to assess the nature and extent of genetic diversity in 130 genotypes using 20 cross-transferable expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers developed from a related species, Plectranthus barbatus. Among the 20 SSR markers, 15 were transferable to Plectranthus edulis, from which 14 polymorphic markers were used for diversity analysis. A total of 101 alleles were detected, with a mean of 7.2 alleles per locus. Allele frequency ranged from 0.23 to 0.54, with mean value of 0.40. Polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.54 to 0.84, with a mean of 0.70, indicating a high level of informativeness. The Nei's genetic distance ranged from 0.026 to 0.247, with the highest similarity being between Wolaita and Gamo Gofa populations. About 97% of the genetic variation was attributable to differences within populations; only 3% was attributable to variation among populations. The Neighbor-Joining cluster analysis grouped the 130 genotypes into three clusters. In general, the EST-SSR markers were effective in identifying genetic diversity in Ethiopian potato. This information can help to identify parental lines for crossing and exploiting the existing variability through selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enset (Ensete ventricosum) is a multipurpose crop extensively cultivated in southern and southwestern Ethiopia for human food, animal feed, and fiber. It has immense contributions to the food security and rural livelihoods of 20 million people. Several distinct enset landraces are cultivated for their uses in traditional medicine. These landraces are vulnerable to various human-related activities and environmental constraints. The genetic diversity among the landraces is not verified to plan conservation strategy. Moreover, it is currently unknown whether medicinal landraces are genetically differentiated from other landraces. Here, we characterize the genetic diversity of medicinal enset landraces to support effective conservation and utilization of their diversity. We evaluated the genetic diversity of 51 enset landraces, of which 38 have reported medicinal value. A total of 38 alleles across the 15 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci and a moderate level of genetic diversity (He = 0.47) were detected. Analysis of molecular variation (AMOVA) revealed that only 2.4% of the total genetic variation was contributed by variation among the medicinal and non-medicinal groups of landraces, with an FST of 0.024. A neighbor-joining tree showed four separate clusters with no correlation to the use-values of the landraces. Except for two, all "medicinal" landraces with distinct vernacular names were found to be genetically different, showing that vernacular names are a good indicator of genetic distinctiveness in these specific groups of landraces. The discriminant analysis of the principal components also confirmed the absence of distinct clustering between the two groups. We found that enset landraces were clustered irrespective of their use-value, showing no evidence for genetic differentiation between the enset grown for 'medicinal' uses and non-medicinal landraces. This suggests that enset medicinal properties may be restricted to a more limited number of genotypes, might have resulted from the interaction of genotype with the environment or management practice, or partly misreported. The study provides baseline information that promotes further investigations in exploiting the medicinal value of these specific landraces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tef [ Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] is an important crop in the Horn of Africa, particularly in Ethiopia, where it is a staple food for over 60 million people. However, the productivity of tef remains extremely low in part due to its susceptibility to lodging. Lodging is the displacement of the plant from the upright position, and it is exacerbated by rain, wind and the application of fertilizer. In order to address the issue of global food security, especially in the Horn of Africa, greater insight into the causes of tef lodging is needed. In this study, we combine modeling and biomechanical measurements to compare the properties relating to lodging tolerance in high yielding, improved tef genotypes, and lower yielding natural landraces. Our results indicate that the angle of the panicle contributes to the likelihood of lodging in tef. Varieties with compact panicles and reduced height had increased lodging resistance compared to the other varieties. By comparing different varieties, we found that overall, the landraces of tef lodged less than improved varieties. We constructed a model of stem bending and found that panicle angle was an important determinant of the amount of lodging. The findings from this study provide key information to those involved in tef improvement, especially those interested in lodging tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main conclusion: Tef is a resilient crop from the Horn of Africa with significant importance in food and nutrition security, and currently gaining global popularity as health and performance food. Tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] is the most important cereal of Ethiopia in terms of production, consumption and cash crop value. In Ethiopia, tef is annually grown on about 3 million ha with total grain production of over 5 million tons. As such, it accounts for about 30% of the total cultivated area and one-fifth of the gross grain production of all cereals cultivated in the country. In spite of its supreme economic and agricultural significance in Ethiopia, its productivity is relatively low with national average yield of about 1.7 t/ha. This has primarily been due to the very little scientific improvement done on the crop. Tef has still been an "orphan crop" since it is globally a very much under-researched crop owing to its localized importance. Scientific research on tef in Ethiopia began in the late 1950s. The main objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the significance and major production constraints of tef, and the major achievements made to date in various tef research aspects including breeding, agronomy, crop protection, and agricultural economics and extension. Based on these reviews, the paper eventually concludes with remarks on the way forward by emphasizing on the identification of the major gaps and the improvement efforts required for realizing the ever-needed breakthrough in the productivity and production of the crop. The major focal areas of future efforts include increasing productivity of both grain and biomass, systematic conservation and mining of the genetic resources, tackling the lodging malady, mechanization of the crop's husbandry, understanding the overall physiology of the crop especially with respect to stress tolerance, unraveling the nutritional qualities, and development of recipes and value-added products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tef, Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter, is the most important cereal in Ethiopia. Tef is cultivated by more than five million small-scale farmers annually and constitutes the staple food for more than half of the population of 80 million. The crop is preferred by both farmers and consumers due to its beneficial traits associated with its agronomy and utilization. The genetic and phenotypic diversity of tef in Ethiopia is a national treasure of potentially global importance. In order for this diversity to be effectively conserved and utilized, a better understanding at the genomic level is necessary. In the recent years, tef has become the subject of genomic research in Ethiopia and abroad. Genomic-assisted tef improvement holds tremendous potential for improving productivity, thereby benefiting the smallholder farmers who have cultivated and relied on the crop for thousands of years. It is hoped that such research endeavours will provide solutions to some of the age-old problems of tef's husbandry. In this review, we provide a brief description of the genesis and progress of tef genomic research to date, suggest ways to utilize the genomic tools developed so far, discuss the potential of genomics to enable sustainable conservation and use of tef genetic diversity and suggest opportunities for the future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tef research has little benefited from omics due to neglect of the crop by the global scientific community. However, the few utilized tools showed promising results. Chromosome-scale assembly of the genome reveals the evolution of tef. The whole-genome sequencing of drought-resurrecting Eragrostis nindensis and desiccation-sensitive Eragrostis curvula shows genes that play key roles in drought responses. A few studies using omics tools have revealed differentially expressed genes, proteins, and metabolites in tef plants exposed to drought. Molecular markers have deciphered diversity in tef germplasm collected from diverse agroecologies in Ethiopia. The application of targeting induced local lesions in genomes resulted in mutant tef lines with a semidwarf stature, which were later bred to locally adapted and high-yielding varieties. Genome editing using 'Green Revolution' genes resulted in a semidwarf and lodging-tolerant tef plant. Tef or teff [ Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] is a cereal crop indigenous to the Horn of Africa, where it is a staple food for a large population. The popularity of tef arises from its resilience to environmental stresses and its nutritional value. For many years, tef has been considered an orphan crop, but recent research initiatives from across the globe are helping to unravel its undisclosed potential. Advanced omics tools and techniques have been directed toward the exploration of tef's diversity with the aim of increasing its productivity. In this review, we report on the most recent advances in tef omics that brought the crop into the spotlight of international research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main Conclusion: Seed priming with gas plasma-activated water results in an increased ageing resilience in Eragrostis tef grains compared to a conventional hydropriming protocol. Tef (Eragrostis tef) is a cereal grass and a major staple crop of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Despite its significant importance in terms of production, consumption, and cash crop value, tef has been understudied and its productivity is low. In this study, tef grains have undergone different priming treatments to enhance seed vigour and seedling performance. A conventional hydropriming and a novel additive priming technology with gas plasma-activated water (GPAW) have been used and tef grains were then subjected to germination performance assays and accelerated ageing. Tef priming increases the germination speed and vigour of the grains. Priming with GPAW retained the seed storage potential after ageing, therefore, presenting an innovative environmental-friendly seed technology with the prospect to address variable weather conditions and ultimately food insecurity. Seed technology opens new possibilities to increase productivity of tef crop farming to achieve a secure and resilient tef food system and economic growth in Ethiopia by sustainable intensification of agriculture beyond breeding., (© 2024. The Author(s).)