GENETIC VARIABILITY AND MULTI-TRAIT SELECTION FOR SUPERIOR TRAITS IN WILD YAM HYBRIDS
Abstract
The interspecific breeding of yams (Dioscorea spp.) for superior traits is hindered by the dioecious nature of their flowers and low flowering frequency, despite the potential of wild yams to improve related cultivated varieties. However, the genetic variability of these wild yam species has yet to be fully explored. This study investigated the genetic variability and heritability estimates for multi-trait selection of hybrids derived from crosses between two wild yam species, Dioscorea abyssinica and Dioscorea praehensilis. Field experiment was conducted on 65 hybrids using a partially replicated block design. With standard descriptors, data were collected on phenotypic traits, including stem length, internode, plant vigour, tuber length, tuber weight, tuber width, tuber thorniness, and tuber surface cracks. Heritability, genetic advance and variance components were estimated to quantify the genetic contribution to trait variability. Analysis of variance identified significant differences (p=0.00) among hybrids and high genetic variability was observed in phenotypic traits assessed, with tuber weight showing the highest genotypic (104%) and phenotypic (127%) variances. Heritability estimates suggested strong selection potential for stem length (74%), tuber weight (67%) and tuber hairiness (65%), while tuber shape (7%) and tuber width (9%) showed low genetic potential. Multi-trait Genotype Ideotype Distance Index (MGIDI) analysis further identified 8 high-performing wild yam hybrid accessions (TDabp2101010, TDabp2101013, TDabp2101030, TDabp2101042, TDabp2101046, TDabp2101050, TDabp2101052, and TDabp2101055). These findings demonstrate the potential of wild yam hybrids for trait introgression, thereby paving way for the development of new yam cultivars and providing valuable insights for yam improvement programs.
References
Adejumobi, I. I., Agre, P. A., Adewumi, A. S., Shonde, T. E., Cipriano, I. M., Komoy, J. L., & Onautshu, D. O. (2023). Association mapping in multiple yam species (Dioscorea spp.) of quantitative trait loci for yield-related traits. BMC Plant Biology, 23(1), 357. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-023-04350-4
Adewunmi, A. S., Asare, P. A., Adejumobi, I. I., Adu, M. O., Taah, K. J., Adewale, S., and Agre, P. A. (2023). Multi-trait selection index for superior agronomic and tuber quality traits in bush yam (Dioscorea praehensilis Benth.). Agronomy, 13(3), 682. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13030682
Alam, Z., Akter, S., Khan, M. A. H., Rahman, A., & Rahman, M. H. S. (2024). Ideotype based genotype selection in a multivariate dataset of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.). Data in Brief, 110575. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2024.110575
Andres, C., AdeOluwa, O. O., & Bhullar, G. S. (2017). Yam (Dioscorea spp.)-A rich staple crop neglected by research. In Encyclopedia of applied plant sciences (Vol. 2, pp. 435-441). Academic Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-394807-6.00177-5
Asfaw, A. (2016). Standard operating protocol for yam variety performance evaluation trial. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). ISBN 978-978-8444-68-8.
Asfaw, A., Aderonmu, D. S., Darkwa, K., De Koeyer, D., Agre, P., Abe, A., ... & Asiedu, R. (2021). Genetic parameters, prediction, and selection in a white Guinea yam earlygeneration breeding population using pedigree information. Crop science, 61(2), 1038-1051. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20382
Asfaw, A.; Agre, P.; Matsumoto, R.; Olatunji, A.A.; Edemodu, A.; Olusola, T.; Odom-Kolombia, O.L.; Adesokan, M.; Alamu, O.E.; Adebola, P.. Genome-wide dissection of the genetic factors underlying food quality in boiled and pounded white Guinea yam. Journal of Science and Food Agric. 2023, 115. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.12816
Bilate Daemo, B., Belew Yohannes, D., Mulualem Beyene, T., & Abtew, W. G. (2023). Phenotypic characterization, evaluation, and classification of cassava (Manihot esculenta crantz) accessions in Ethiopia. International Journal of Agronomy, 2023(1), 1559070. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/1559070
Burton, G. W. (1952). Quantitative inheritance in grasses. Proceedings of the Sixth International Grassland Congress 1952, Pennsylvania, (Vol. 1, pp. 277283).
Burton, G. W., & De Vane, D. E. (1953). Estimating heritability in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) from replicated clonal material. Agronomy Journal, 45(9), 478-81. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj1953.00021962004500100005x
Cullis, B. R., & Coombes, N. E. (2006). On the design of early generation variety trials with correlated data. Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics, 11(4), 381-393. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1198/108571106X154443
Darkwa, K., Agre, P., Olasanmi, B., Iseki, K., Matsumoto, R., Powell, A., ... & Asfaw, A. (2020). Comparative assessment of genetic diversity matrices and clustering methods in white Guinea yam (Dioscorea rotundata) based on morphological and molecular markers. Scientific reports, 10(1), 13191. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-69925-9
Darkwa, K., Olasanmi, B., Asiedu, R., & Asfaw, A. (2020). Review of empirical and emerging breeding methods and tools for yam (Dioscorea spp.) improvement: Status and prospects. Plant Breeding, 139(3), 474-497. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/pbr.12783
Hossain, M. M., Kaium, M. A., Al Amin, M., Ali, T. B., Jahan, N., & Uddin, M. N. (2023). Evaluation of Genetic Divergence in Various Potato Genotypes Grown in Bangladesh through Different Traits Assessment. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 14(11), 1235-1247. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/ajps.2023.1411084
Kilian, B., Dempewolf, H., Guarino, L., Werner, P., Coyne, C., & Warburton, M. L. (2021). Crop Science special issue: Adapting agriculture to climate change: A walk on the wild side. Crop Science, 61(1), 32-36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20418
MagwTindo, J., Wieringa, J. J., Sonk, B., Zapfack, L., Vigouroux, Y., Couvreur, T. L., & Scarcelli, N. (2018). Guinea yam (Dioscorea spp., Dioscoreaceae) wild relatives identified using whole plastome phylogenetic analyses. Taxon, 67(5), 905-915. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12705/675.4
Malik, A. I., Kongsil, P., Nguyn, V. A., Ou, W., Srean, P., Lpez-Lavalle, L. A. B., ... & Ishitani, M. (2020). Cassava breeding and agronomy in Asia: 50 years of history and future directions. Breeding Science, 70(2), 145-166. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1270/jsbbs.18180
Matemilola, S. (2017). The challenges of food security in Nigeria. Open Access Library Journal, 4(12), 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1104185
Mondo, J. M., Agre, P. A., Edemodu, A., Adebola, P., Asiedu, R., Akoroda, M. O., & Asfaw, A. (2020). Floral biology and pollination efficiency in yam (Dioscorea spp.). Agriculture, 10(11), 560. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10110560
Norman, P. E., Agre, P. A., Asiedu, R., & Asfaw, A. (2022). Multiple-traits selection in White Guinea Yam (Dioscorea rotundata) genotypes. Plants, 11(21), 3003. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11213003
Obidiegwu, J. E., Lyons, J. B., & Chilaka, C. A. (2020). The Dioscorea Genus (Yam)An appraisal of nutritional and therapeutic potentials. Foods, 9(9), 1304. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9091304
Olawuyi, O. J., & Ajie, V. I. (2023). Diverse morphological and molecular patterns of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Linn.) accessions. Plant Gene, 34, 100423. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plgene.2023.100423
Olawuyi, O. J., Kariunwi, O. F., & Akanmu, A. O. (2019). Molecular variability of Ocimum gratissimum L. Accessions using RAPD marker. Biotechnology Journal International, 22(3), 1-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.9734/BJI/2018/45381
Olawuyi, O. J., Oyetunde, E. O., Akanmu, A. O., & Olowe, O. M. (2022). Phenotypic Characterisation of Nine Accessions of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench.). In Food Security and Safety Volume 2: African Perspectives (pp. 389-401). Cham: Springer International Publishing. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-09614-3_17
Oseghale, A. I., Nmadu, J. N., Bako, R. U., Olarewaju, T. O., Jirgi, A. J., Yisa, E. S., & Mohammed, U. S. (2024). Sustainable Food Supply: The Interplay between Population Growth and Land Productivity Changes as a Pathway to 2030 and Beyond for Nigeria. Asian Research Journal of Agriculture, 17(2), 414-423. DOI: https://doi.org/10.9734/arja/2024/v17i2463
Otoo, E. (2017). Yam breeding in Ghana. Journal of Agricultural Science, 9(10), 122 -136. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/jas.v9n10p122
Ouattara, F., Agre, P. A., Adejumobi, I. I., Akoroda, M. O., Sorho, F., Ayoli, K., & Bhattacharjee, R. (2024). Multi-trait selection index for simultaneous selection of water yam (Dioscorea alata L.) genotypes. Agronomy, 14(1), 128. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14010128
Ousmael, K. M., Tesfaye, K., & Hailesilassie, T. (2019). Genetic diversity assessment of yams (Dioscorea spp.) from Ethiopia using inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. African Journal of Biotechnology, 18(30), 970-977. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5897/AJB2018.16446
Oyedoyin, F. P, Agre, P. A, Olawuyi, O. J and Asfaw, Asrat (2024), Molecular and Morphological Evaluations on Hybridisation of Two Wild Yams (Dioscorea abyssinica and Dioscorea praehensilis) to Enhanced Agro-Morphological Traits in Cultivated Yam (Dioscorea rotundata). Available at SSRN: 5008065. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5008065
Padhan, B., Mukherjee, A. K., Mohanty, S. K., Lenka, S. K., & Panda, D. (2019). Genetic variability and inter species relationship between wild and cultivated yams (Dioscorea spp.) from Koraput, India based on molecular and morphological markers. Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants, 25, 1225-1233. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-019-00691-3
Pour-Aboughadareh, A., & Poczai, P. (2021). Dataset on the use of MGIDI index in screening drought-tolerant wild wheat accessions at the early growth stage. Data in Brief, 36, 107096. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2021.107096
Santos dos, D. P., Sermarini, R. A., dos Santos, A., & Demtrio, C. G. B. (2024). Optimal designs in plant breeding experiments: A simulation study comparing grid-plot and partially replicated (p-rep) design. Sugar Tech, 26(2), 387-395. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12355-024-01375-3
Shaibu, A. S. (2021). Genetic diversity of extra-early yellow maize hybrids under Striga environments. FUDMA Journal of Sciences, 5(1), 302308. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33003/fjs-2021-0501-568
Sharma, S. (2017). Pre-breeding using wild species for genetic enhancement of grain legumes at ICRISAT. Crop Science, 57(3), 1132-1144. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2017.01.0033
Singamsetti, A., Zaidi, P. H., Seetharam, K., Vinayan, M. T., Olivoto, T., Mahato, A., ... & Shikha, K. (2023). Genetic gains in tropical maize hybrids across moisture regimes with multi-trait-based index selection. Frontiers in Plant Science, 14, 1147424. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1147424
Sugihara, Y., Darkwa, K., Yaegashi, H., Natsume, S., Shimizu, M., Abe, A., ... & Terauchi, R. (2020). Genome analyses reveal the hybrid origin of the staple crop white Guinea yam (Dioscorea rotundata). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(50), 31987-31992. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2015830117
Swarup, S., Cargill, E. J., Crosby, K., Flagel, L., Kniskern, J., & Glenn, K. C. (2021). Genetic diversity is indispensable for plant breeding to improve crops. Crop Science, 61(2), 839-852. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20377
Tesfaye, A. (2022). Genetic divergence and cluster analysis for bulb yield and related traits in garlic (Allium sativum) accessions at Dorze, southern Ethiopia. Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment, 5(2), e20269. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/agg2.20269
Copyright (c) 2025 FUDMA JOURNAL OF SCIENCES

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
FUDMA Journal of Sciences