Biology subjects

Houngbo, M. E.

Publications and source records attributed to Houngbo, M. E..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

Detecting the genetic variants associated with key culinary traits in Dioscorea alata

Quality attributes play a pivotal role in determining consumers acceptability and market value of food crops. Dioscorea alata is a major yam species for food security in tropical areas, but our understanding of the genetic factors underlying tuber culinary traits is limited. This study aimed at elucidating the genetic basis of key culinary attributes, including dry matter content, cooking time, boiled yam hardness, and moldability, through genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Phenotypic assessments revealed notable variations among the D. alata genotypes across two locations as well as significant correlations among the quality traits. The GWAS identified 25 significant associations distributed across 14 chromosomes. Allele segregation analysis of the identified loci highlighted favorable alleles associated with desired traits, such as reduced cooking time, increased dry matter content, enhanced hardness, and good moldability. Within the set of 42 putative candidate genes, we identified specific genes differentially expressed in tubers of distinct genotypes with contrasting quality attributes. Furthermore, we conducted a comparative analysis with previously reported quantitative trait loci for dry matter content and showed that multiple genomic regions govern this trait in D. alata. Our study offers valuable insights into the links between these key culinary traits and the underlying genetic basis in D. alata. These findings have practical implications for breeding programs aimed at enhancing the quality attributes of greater yam.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Identification and analysis of genomic regions influencing leaf morpho-physiological traits related to stress responses in Dioscorea alata

BackgroundYams (Dioscorea spp.) are significant food security crops especially in West Africa. With the increasing tuber demand and climate change challenges, it is pertinent to strengthen breeding programs for developing high-yielding cultivars with climate resilience. The current study aimed at deciphering the genetic basis of leaf traits related to stress responses in a diverse panel of Dioscorea alata genotypes. ResultsPhenotypic characterization of 12 traits, including leaf dry matter content, leaf area, net photosynthesis, transpiration rate, transpiration use efficiency, stomatal density, stomatal index, node number, leaf thickness, competitor, stress-tolerator, ruderal (CSR) ecological strategy spectrum emphasized significant variations among the genotypes and across two planting locations. Weak correlations were observed among most of traits, suggesting that breeding simultaneously for some of these stress response-related traits would be possible. Heritability was highest for transpiration rate, leaf area and stomatal density, while it was lowest for stress-tolerator, ruderal ecological strategies. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) using high-quality single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) identified 24 significant associations on 11 chromosomes, where the association signals were consistent across two locations for traits with high heritability, viz., stomatal density (Chr18) and transpiration rate (Chr3). Further characterization of the significant signals and their related alleles identified advantageous alleles contributing positively to the studied traits. Moreover, 44 putative candidate genes were identified. Dioal.18G049300 (3 keto acyl-coenzyme A synthase) was identified as a strong candidate gene for stomatal density, while Dioal.12G033600 (Phosphatidyl inositol monophosphate 5 kinase 4) was identified for net photosynthesis. ConclusionTaken together, GWAS and allele segregation analysis for key SNPs provided significant insights into the marker-trait associations, which can be further utilized in breeding programs to improve climate resilience in greater yam.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Genome-wide association studies reveal novel loci controlling tuber flesh color and oxidative browning in Dioscorea alata

BackgroundConsumers preferences for food crops are guided by quality attributes. This study aimed at deciphering the genetic basis of quality traits, especially tuber flesh color (FC) and oxidative browning (OB) in Dioscorea alata, based on the genome-wide association studies (GWAS) approach. The D. alata panel was planted at two locations in Guadeloupe. At harvest, the FC was scored visually as white, cream, or purple on longitudinally sliced mature tubers. The OB was scored visually as the presence or absence of browning after 15 minutes of exposure of the sliced samples to ambient air. ResultsPhenotypic characterization for FC and OB of a diverse panel of D. alata genotypes highlighted significant variation within the panel and across two locations. The genotypes within the panel displayed a weak structure and could be classified into 3 subpopulations. GWAS identified 14 and 4 significant associations for tuber FC and OB, respectively, with phenotypic variance, explained values ranging from 7.18 to 18.04%. Allele segregation analysis at the significantly associated loci highlighted the favorable alleles for the desired traits, i.e., white FC and no OB. A total of 24 putative candidate genes were identified around the significant signals. A comparative analysis with previously reported quantitative trait loci indicated that numerous genomic regions control these traits in D. alata. ConclusionOur study provides important insights into the genetic control of tuber FC and OB in D. alata. The major and stable loci can be further utilized to improve selection in breeding programs for developing new cultivars with enhanced tuber quality.

genetics↗