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With its drought tolerant and protein-rich properties, Bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.], an indigenous African legume crop can contribute immensely to food security. This miracle crop is used as food and for the enhancement of soil fertility in South Africa. Knowledge on the genetic diversity and structure among the Bambara groundnut landraces can pave the way for the effective use and cultivation of this crop in southern Africa, especially South Africa. The aim of this study was to assess the genetic diversity and structure among Bambara groundnut landraces collected across South Africa and compared to a limited number of accessions from southern Africa using SSR markers. Seventy-eight Bambara groundnut accessions were genotyped using 19 Bambara specific SSR markers. SSR loci explored in this study, were all polymorphic. A total of 127 alleles were detected with a mean of 6.7 alleles per locus. Allele diversity and frequency among genotypes varied from 0.21 to 0.85 with an average of 0.62 per locus. Genetic variation as described by the analysis of molecular variance indicated higher genetic diversity (92%) within landraces than between (8%) different landraces. Population structure analysis showed that three subpopulations existed, and most of the South African accessions were restricted to one subpopulation, indicating that Bambara landraces has the ability to form unique haplotypes in different environments. Information harnessed in this study is helpful for further use in breeding programs for crop improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bambara groundnut is a leguminous crop that originated in West Africa. It is a drought-tolerant crop and has the potential to provide improved food and nutritional security in the dry areas of Africa. However, the plant contains anti-nutritional factors that affect its food value chain. The objective of this study was to assess the content of four major anti-nutritional factors in 30 bambara groundnut accessions in South Africa. The seeds of the bambara groundnut landraces were ground to make a fine powder and assessed for condensed tannins (CTs), phytic acid phosphate (PAP), polyphenol, and trypsin inhibitor content. Each assay was done in triplicate. The content of the four anti-nutritional compounds varied widely among the bambara groundnut accessions. The mean values for CTs ranged between 0.2 and 6.2 mg/g of prodephinidin equivalent, whereas that of the PAP was between 1.4 and 4.9 mg/g. A low mean polyphenol content of 0.4 mg/g of GA (gallic acid) equivalent was observed among the accessions. The level of trypsin inhibitor ranged from 5.3 to 73.4 TI/mg. With the exception of CTs and trypsin inhibitor, no significant correlation was observed among the four anti-nutritional factors assessed in this study. Generally, higher levels of anti-nutrients were observed in this study compared with certain studies reported earlier. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]