Genomics for transforming yam breeding

Yam (Dioscorea spp.), a multispecies,
polyploidy, and vegetatively
propagated crop, is an economically
important staple food for more than
300 million people in West Africa,
Asia, Oceania, and the Caribbean.
The five major yam-producing
countries in West Africa (Bénin,
Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria,
and Togo) account for 93% of
worldwide production. Dioscorea
rotundata and D. alata are the
species most commonly cultivated
in West Africa1. The genetic
improvement of yam is faced
with several constraints, including
the long growth cycle (about 8
months or more), dioecy, plants
that flower poorly or not at all,
polyploidy, vegetative propagation,
heterozygous genetic background,
and poor knowledge about the
genetics of the crop2.