Seed improvement in underutilized crops: prospects for enhancing food security
8 June 2023
Last update: 08/06/23 11:11
The paper “Research status of seed improvement in underutilized crops: prospects for enhancing food security“, published in The Journal of Agricultural Science, has been chosen as the latest Editorial Highlight and is freely available to download.
The poor documentation of knowledge on seed improvement through seed enhancement, genetic diversity, seed characterization via microsatellite markers, seeds quality and conservation indicated that seed quality is one of the main factors limiting underutilized crop production. Investigative research on seed improvement among underutilized crops was conducted by Crop Scientists from the University of the Free State South Africa, to will aid clearer understanding of the challenges associated with seed improvement in underutilized crops. They spotted important research themes, patterns, research activities using bibliometric analysis and they identify research institutions for future funding and planning. There has been a progressive annual publication growth rate of 7.2% in seed improvement among underutilized crop related research. The future research directions are seed genetic diversity of underutilized crops that enable the utilization of these genetic resources, similar to the seed improvement advancement in staple crops. Among the pressing research areas are seed system, genetic diversity, and conservation. The introduction of advanced breeding resources from staple crops to closely related climate-resilient underutilized crops is needed. This similar effort can reproduce excellent yields with underutilized crops (> 6000 species) that have greater potential to dramatically improve food production, are resilient to climate change, high in nutrient composition, some of these crops have high resistant to pest and disease infestations with prospect to improve agricultural sustainability.
A better appreciation of the complex distinctions which characterize seed improvement in underutilized crops were identified through word cloud. The word cloud shows the most trending words or the most important keywords in seed improvement of underutilized crop related studies.This further broaden the keywords, indicating the crop species that have been frequently researched in the past three decades to be millet, wheat, quinoa, canola, sorghum, landrace wheat cowpea, quinoa, amaranthus spp, winged beans, Dioscorea spp, indigenous vegetables. However, the frequencies of words such as genetic improvement, seed priming, tissue culture, extreme temperatures and mapping are still low in seed improvement of underutilized crop research.
Additionally, there was insufficient international collaboration in seed improvement of underutilized crop-related fields especially among African countries. Therefore, increasing collaborative research with national and international initiatives on genetic variability of landraces, their conservation and adaptation to climate change is expedient in alleviating food insecurity.
The Journal of Agricultural Science Editorial Highlights are selected by the Editor-in-Chief and are freely available. View the recent selections here.
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