Problem Statement
African Orphan legumes are highly nutritious and stress-tolerant crops with the potential to enhance food security and contribute to more sustainable farming systems in Africa. This research assesses the diversity and nutritional potential of three orphan grain legume species, contributing to the mitigation of malnutrition and climate change effects through the conservation and valorization of three neglected edible crops (African Yam beans, Bambara groundnut, and common beans).
Progress Highlights
We have completed an ethnobotanical which enabled us to collect the accessions of the targeted species and to gather some valuable information related to the producer's socio-demographic characteristics, constraints related to the crop's production, the producer's perception of climate change, and its impact on the targeted crops.
Key Findings
So far, we have a database of the main producers, a list of the constraints and preferred traits, and a collection of the accessions of the different species.
Potential Impact
This project will contribute to the sustainable conservation and valorization of three neglected crops, which can play an important role in mitigating the double burden of malnutrition and in food security. It can also help diversify farmers' sources of income.
Summary
African Orphan legumes are highly nutritious and stress-tolerant crops with the potential to enhance food security and contribute to more sustainable farming systems in Africa. Dr Palanga’s research will assess the diversity and the nutritional potential of three orphan grain legumes species (African Yam bean, common bean and Bambara groundnuts) grown in Togo.
Grantee Description
Dr PALANGA Koffi Kibalou is a Lecturer and Research Investigator at Université de Kara in Togo. He obtained his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) in 2016 and his doctoral work focused on identification of quantitative traits loci associated and the biochemical compounds associated with Gossypium hirsitum (Upland Cotton) resistance to Verticillium dahliae.
Dr Palanga’s long-term aspiration is to continuously expand and embrace new molecular biology and biochemistry methodologies in studying the diversity of orphan species grown in Togo and their potentiality in mitigating the double burden of malnutrition and to cope with climate change challenges. As a Lecturer and a research investigator, he aims to advance a research niche plants molecular breeding, train young African scientists, and conduct researches to contribute to a sustainable agriculture and the double burden of malnutrition.
Project: Agromorphological, genetic and biochemical Characterization of three neglected legumes species grown in Togo and assessment for their adaptability to drought
The project on orphan legumes species aims at gathering all the cultivars of three of most endangered legume grains in Togo and their genetic, agro morphological and nutritional characterization. Aside the molecular characterization, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) will be done in order to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and genes associated with phenological and phenotypic traits of importance. Further, the study will also identified cultivars with potentiality to resist to drought in a context of climate change where the rain are more and less irregular and cultivars displaying a yield stability under different environments and the genotype* environment interaction thus paving the way to an efficient breeding program to address environmental challenges. It will ultimately promote the integration of high nutritious crops in the diet of the Togolese and by doing so a potential novel source of incomes for farmers.
