Common bean (
Phaseolus vulgaris
L.) has increasingly become an important cash crop in SSA. Africa is the second-largest producer of common bean, contributing about 25% of global output and US$3.84 billion annually in Sub-Saharan Africa. However 50% of current bean-growing areas could become unsuitable by 2050 and yield is expected to reduce by 30–40% as temperatures rise, with disproportionate impacts on women, who account for more than 60% of producers largely due to persistent social and structural barriers. This systematic review of 79 studies (2007–2026) synthesizes evidence on climate risks and adaptation pathways in common bean systems. While breeding programs have released varieties tolerant to heat, drought, and poor soils, varieties bred for excessive-rainfall tolerance and explicit spatial adaptation remain absent from research agendas. Neighboring countries have already released and traded broadly adapted varieties based on regional market potential, but the lack climate-resilient cultivars constrains scalable climate resilience. Women, who dominate production and small-scale trade, are particularly vulnerable. We therefore call for urgent realignment of agricultural research with evolving climate and market realities and propose two actionable priorities: 1. Integrate excessive rainfall adaptation into breeding and climate models. (2) Shift breeding strategies toward a more regionally coordinated approach to enhance adaptation of varieties with regional market potential; 3. Strengthen seed systems and grain markets for market-relevant varieties through a gender-responsive regional approach.
S. Kalemera, Pavithravani B. Venkataramana, Ernest R. Mbega et al.· Frontiers in Sustainable Foo...· 0 citations
Hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet), commonly known as lablab, is an underutilized legume with potential for improving food and nutritional security in smallholder farming systems. Although it is adapted to low-input and drought conditions, genetic improvement of lablab is constrained by limited knowledge of its genetic diversity, despite extensive germplasm collections. Moreover, additional diversity maintained in farmers’ fields is currently not well documented or conserved. This study assessed the genetic diversity and population structure in a global panel of 281 lablab accessions, including newly collected farmer cultivars from Tanzania. Genotype-by-sequencing yielded 15,125 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Observed heterozygosity exceeded expected heterozygosity, suggesting partial outcrossing in this predominantly self-pollinating species. The bimodal distribution of individual heterozygosity, with two peaks corresponding to accessions exhibiting low (< 15%), and high (> 15%) heterozygosity, supports the possibility of partial outcrossing, which may be facilitated by insect pollination. Population structure analyses revealed seven distinct genetic clusters which were not correlated with geography, suggesting historical seed exchange and germplasm movement across regions. Tanzanian farmer collections harbor genetic variation that is not represented in local seedbanks, underscoring the significance of on-farm conservation and the need for future collection efforts. These findings pave the way for further genome research in marker-assisted breeding, which will contribute to future food security and sustainable livelihoods.
Elice Godson Lekasio, K. Mtei, X. Argout et al.· Genetic Resources and Crop E...· 0 citations
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