121
dite the breeding cycle (Hickey et al. 2017). The 101 chosen NOC typically have not
passed through intensive domestication to improve traits related to yield, quality and
labour intensity, that are particularly important to SSA producers and consumers. This
is especially so for the perennial species on the AOCC list, many of which are essentially indigenous wild species. This means that there are large pools of genetic variation that can be exploited in improvement programmes that could, in addition to the
above traits, also specifically consider environmental adaptation to conditions such as
elevated temperatures, increased carbon dioxide levels, increased salinity, drought and
flooding that are associated with climate change (Dawson et al. 2011).
A key part of the AOCC initiative is building capacity to improve NOC via the
training of African plant breeders in modern genetic improvement approaches. To
date, more than 80 breeders have been trained through the AOCC’s UC Davis African
Plant Breeding Academy, with more than half coming from eastern and southern
Africa (in particular, Ethiopia, with 13 trained breeders). Related initiatives that
train plant breeders also exist elsewhere in SSA (e.g. the West African Centre for
Crop Improvement; WACCI 2018) which, together with the Academy, provide a
significant increase in the region’s capacity to drive production improvements in
African crops that include NOC—although most of the breeders currently work on
annual rather than perennial crops. This training needs to be combined with funded
crop improvement programmes that include field trial evaluation. In the case of
perennial NOC improvement programmes in eastern and southern Africa, current
field trials include those of ICRAF and partners on a range of species (Fig. 10.5).
Uganda: Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa)
Kenya: African medlar (Vangueria
infausta), balanites (Balanites
aegyptiaca), baobab (Adansonia
digitata), carissa (Carissa spinarum),
guava (Psidium guajava), jujube
(Ziziphus jujube), mango (Mangifera
indica), marula (Sclerocarya birrea),
tamarind (Tamarindus indica)
Tanzania: [Allanblackia
stuhlmannii], marula (Sclerocarya
birrea), [Strychnos cocculoides]
Zambia: Marula (Sclerocarya
birrea), [Strychnos cocculoides],
wild loquat (Uapaca kirkiana)
Malawi: Marula (Sclerocarya
birrea), wild loquat (Uapaca
kirkiana)
Zimbabwe: Wild loquat (Uapaca
kirkiana)
Fig. 10.5 ICRAF’s and partners’ field trials in eastern and southern African nations of perennial
NOC that are among the 101 crops considered by the African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC
2018). These trials also function as living gene banks. [] indicates a related species to an AOCC crop
10 Delivering Perennial New and Orphan Crops for Resilient and Nutritious Farming…
dite the breeding cycle (Hickey et al. 2017). The 101 chosen NOC typically have not
passed through intensive domestication to improve traits related to yield, quality and
labour intensity, that are particularly important to SSA producers and consumers. This
is especially so for the perennial species on the AOCC list, many of which are essentially indigenous wild species. This means that there are large pools of genetic variation that can be exploited in improvement programmes that could, in addition to the
above traits, also specifically consider environmental adaptation to conditions such as
elevated temperatures, increased carbon dioxide levels, increased salinity, drought and
flooding that are associated with climate change (Dawson et al. 2011).
A key part of the AOCC initiative is building capacity to improve NOC via the
training of African plant breeders in modern genetic improvement approaches. To
date, more than 80 breeders have been trained through the AOCC’s UC Davis African
Plant Breeding Academy, with more than half coming from eastern and southern
Africa (in particular, Ethiopia, with 13 trained breeders). Related initiatives that
train plant breeders also exist elsewhere in SSA (e.g. the West African Centre for
Crop Improvement; WACCI 2018) which, together with the Academy, provide a
significant increase in the region’s capacity to drive production improvements in
African crops that include NOC—although most of the breeders currently work on
annual rather than perennial crops. This training needs to be combined with funded
crop improvement programmes that include field trial evaluation. In the case of
perennial NOC improvement programmes in eastern and southern Africa, current
field trials include those of ICRAF and partners on a range of species (Fig. 10.5).
Uganda: Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa)
Kenya: African medlar (Vangueria
infausta), balanites (Balanites
aegyptiaca), baobab (Adansonia
digitata), carissa (Carissa spinarum),
guava (Psidium guajava), jujube
(Ziziphus jujube), mango (Mangifera
indica), marula (Sclerocarya birrea),
tamarind (Tamarindus indica)
Tanzania: [Allanblackia
stuhlmannii], marula (Sclerocarya
birrea), [Strychnos cocculoides]
Zambia: Marula (Sclerocarya
birrea), [Strychnos cocculoides],
wild loquat (Uapaca kirkiana)
Malawi: Marula (Sclerocarya
birrea), wild loquat (Uapaca
kirkiana)
Zimbabwe: Wild loquat (Uapaca
kirkiana)
Fig. 10.5 ICRAF’s and partners’ field trials in eastern and southern African nations of perennial
NOC that are among the 101 crops considered by the African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC
2018). These trials also function as living gene banks. [] indicates a related species to an AOCC crop
10 Delivering Perennial New and Orphan Crops for Resilient and Nutritious Farming…