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Greenhouse gas emissions and land use change - from deforestation, forest degradation and agricultural intensification - are contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss. Important landbased strategies such as planting trees or growing bioenergy crops (with carbon capture and storage) are needed to achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and to enhance biodiversity. The integrated Land Ecosystems Atmospheric Processes Study (iLEAPS) is an international knowledge-exchange and capacity-building network, specialising in ecosystems and their role in controlling the exchange of water, energy and chemical compounds between the land surface and the atmosphere. We outline priority directions for land-atmosphere interaction research and its contribution to the sustainable development agenda.

Prunus africana bark contains phytochemical compounds used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer. It has been shown that this plant establishes association with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). AMF are involved in nutrient uptake, which may also affect plant growth and secondary metabolites composition. However, there is no information regarding the role of AMF in the growth and phytochemical content of P. africana. A pot experiment was carried out to assess the response of 8 months old vegetatively propagated P. africana seedlings inoculated with indigenous AMF collected from Mount Cameroon (MC) and Mount Manengumba (MM) in Cameroon, Malava near Kakamega (MK) and Chuka Tharaka-Nithi (CT) in Kenya. Mycorrhizal (frequency, abundance and intensity), growth (height, shoot weight, total weight, number of leaf, leaf surface) and phytochemical (total phenol, tannin and flavonoids) parameters were measured three months after growth of seedlings from two provenances (Muguga and Chuka) with the following inoculation treatments: MK, CT, MC, MM, non-sterilized soil (NS) and sterilized sand as non-inoculated control. Results showed that seedling heights were significantly increased by inoculation and associated with high root colonization (>80%) compared to non-inoculated seedlings. We also found that AMF promoted leaf formation, whereas inoculation did not have any effect on the seedling total weight. AMF inoculum from MM had a higher tannin content, while no significant difference was observed on the total phenol and flavonoid contents due to AMF inoculation. Pearson’s correlation was positive between mycorrhizal parameters and the growth parameters, and negative with phytochemical parameters. This study is the first report on the effect of AMF on the growth and phytochemical in P. africana. Further investigations are necessary to determine the effect of single AMF strains to provide better understanding of the role of AMF on the growth perfo

Background: Moringa oleifera (MO) and M. stenopetala (MS) (family Moringaceae; order Brassicales) are multipurpose tree/shrub species. They thrive under marginal environmental conditions and produce nutritious edible parts. The aim of this study was to determine the mineral composition of different parts of MO and MS growing in their natural environments and their potential role in alleviating human mineral micronutrient deficiencies (MND) in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: Edible parts of MO (n = 146) and MS (n = 50), co-occurring cereals/vegetables and soils (n = 95) underneath their canopy were sampled from localities in southern Ethiopia and Kenya. The concentrations of seven mineral elements, namely, calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), iodine (I), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) in edible parts and soils were determined using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Results: In Ethiopian crops, MS leaves contained the highest median concentrations of all elements except Cu and Zn, which were greater in Enset (a.k.a., false banana). In Kenya, Mo flowers and MS leaves had the highest median Se concentration of 1.56 mg kg-1 and 3.96 mg kg-1, respectively. The median concentration of Se in MS leaves was 7-fold, 10-fold, 23-fold, 117-fold and 147-fold more than that in brassica leaves, amaranth leaves, baobab fruits, sorghum grain and maize grain, respectively. The median Se concentration was 78-fold and 98-fold greater in MO seeds than in sorghum and maize grain, respectively. There was a strong relationship between soil total Se and potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4)-extractable Se, and Se concentration in the leaves of MO and MS. Conclusion: This study confirms previous studies that Moringa is a good source of several of the measured mineral nutrients, and it includes the first wide assessment of Se and I concentrations in edible parts of MO and MS grown in various localities. Increasing the consumption of MO and MS, especially the leaves as

Moringa oleifera (MO) and M. stenopetala (MS) are two commonly cultivated species of the Moringaceae family. Some households in southern Ethiopia (S. ETH) and Kenya (KEN) plant MS and MO, respectively. The edible parts of these species are rich in amino acids, vitamins and minerals, especially selenium. Despite their nutritional value, Moringa is sometimes considered as a “famine food”. The aim of this study was to determine the extent of dietary utilization of these plants by Moringa Growing Households (MGHs). Moringa growing households were surveyed in 2015. Twenty-four and 56 heads of MGHs from S. ETH and KEN, respectively, were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires. Subsistence agriculture was the main source of livelihood for all MGHs in S. ETH and 71% of those in KEN. All MGHs in S. ETH cultivated MS while those in KEN cultivated MO. Of the MGH heads in S. ETH, 71% had grown MS as long as they remember; the median cultivation period of MO in KEN was 15 years. All MGHs in S. ETH and 79% in KEN used Moringa leaves as a source of food. Forms of consumption of leaves were boiled fresh leaves, and leaf powder used in tea or mixed with other dishes. Other uses of Moringa include as medicine, fodder, shade, agroforestry, and as a source of income. Although MO and MS have multiple uses, MGHs face several challenges, including a lack of reliable information on nutritional and medicinal values, inadequate access to markets for their products, and pest and disease stresses to their plants. Research and development to address these challenges and to promote the use of these species in the fight against hidden hunger are necessary.

Osyris lanceolataHochst. & Steud. isa multipurpose tree species widely spread in many of the sub-Saharan countries ranging from Algeria to Ethiopia all the way to South Africa. In Kenya, the species is endemic to the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs). It is highly valued for its essential oils used in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Despite its endangered status and economic importance, little is known about its genetic diversity status and only few conservation strategies exist for the species.Overexploitation of the species hasresulted in the decline of its population and reduced availability of its products. The mode of harvesting of sandalwood is destructive and unsustainable. This is because the whole tree is usually uprooted to get the heartwood from the stem, stump and roots. The exploitation of African sandalwood could soon drive the species to extinction unless proper control measures are put in place through regulation of its trade and development of conservation strategies. Despite its endangered status and economic importance, no genetic study has been carried out on the species to provide information vital for conservation strategies. This paper reports the development and characterization of a set of 12 polymorphic and five (5) monomorphic microsatellite markers isolated and characterized of O. lanceolata.

Knowledge of rangewide variation in DNA content and ploidy level may be valuable in understanding the evolutionary history of a species. Recent studies of Acacia senegal report diploids and occasional tetraploids in the Sudano-Sahelian region of sub-Saharan Africa, but nothing is known about the overall extent of DNA ploidy variation within the species. In this study, we determine the DNA content and ploidy level of A. senegal across its native range, and explore whether the variation is related to its evolutionary and colonization history. We used propidium iodide flow cytometry (FCM) to estimate DNA content (2C value) and infer ploidy in 157 individuals from 54 populations on various tissues, using seeds, fresh leaves, dried leaves and twigs and herbarium specimens. The mean 2C DNA (pg ± s.d.) contents detected were 1.47 ± 0.09, 2.12 ± 0.02, 2.89 ± 0.12, and a single individual with 4.51 pg, corresponding to a polyploid series of diploid, triploid, tetraploid and hexaploid individuals. Diploids were confirmed by chromosome counts (2n = 2x = 26). Most populations (90.7 %) were of single ploidy level, while mixed ploidy populations (9.3 %) comprising mostly diploids (2x+3x, 2x+4x and 2x+6x) were restricted to the Sudano-Sahelian and Indian subcontinent regions, its northern range. The species is predominantly diploid, and no mixed ploidy populations were detected in east and southern Africa, its southern range. The geographic pattern of ploidy variation in conjunction with existing phylogeographic and phylogenetic data of the species suggests that polyploids have occurred multiple times in its evolutionary and recent colonization history, including contemporary ecological timescales. The successful use of external tissues of dried twigs in FCM is new, and presents the opportunity to study numerous other dryland woody species.