| Abstract Detail
Molecular Ecology and Evolution Black, Scott [1], Dempewolf, Hannes [2], Geleta, Mulatu [3], Bekele, Endashaw [4], Engels, Johannes M.M. [5], Rieseberg, Loren H. [2]. Mapping landrace genetic diversity in a heterogeneous landscape - the case of Noug (Guizotia abyssinica) in Ethiopia. Noug (Guizotia abyssinica L. f. Cass.; family Asteraceae) is an indigenous oil-seed crop of Ethiopia, where it is widely cultivated. It is also grown in parts of South Asia, (particularly India) and holds significant promise for improving rural livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa for a number of reasons. Noug has been categorized as a 'neglected or underutilized species' in order to draw attention to this regionally important crop, which is in great need of improvement through breeding. In Ethiopia, Noug is highly valued culturally, well adapted to marginal growing conditions (i.e. water-logged vertisols), of good nutritional value, and diverse in terms of its genetic make-up and agro-ecological requirements.
We explored the level of correlation between Noug genetic diversity and landscape scale biophysical factors using a geographical information system (GIS)-based approach. Population genetic measurements, including genetic diversity indices, were inferred from Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) data collected from a total of 70 Noug populations. The localities of these populations were then related to remotely sensed vegetation spectra in order to broadly simulate Noug distribution in Ethiopia. The available biophysical factors that best characterize the estimated geographic distribution of Noug were then used to model the potential distribution of Noug in Sub-Saharan Africa. Such modeling attempts are important in the context of promoting and facilitating the conservation and use of neglected and underutilized species. We present maps of current Noug production areas in Ethiopia and current and potential growing areas for the African continent showing the environmental gradients which best describe the agro-ecological niche of the crop.
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Related Links:
What is noug?
1 - University of British Columbia, Botany, 3529-6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
2 - University of British Columbia, Department of Botany, 3529-6270 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
3 - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, Box 101, Alnarp, SE-230 53, Sweden
4 - Addis Ababa University, Department of Biology, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
5 - Bioversity International, Via dei Tre Denari 472/a, Maccarese (Fiumicino), Rome, 00057, Italy
Keywords:
GIS
crop
Niche modeling
Africa.
Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Topics
Session: P
Location: Ball Room & Party Room/SUB
Date: Monday, July 28th, 2008
Time: 12:30 PM
Number: PME009
Abstract ID:766 |
