Search

Black wattle (Acacia mearnsii) has great economic value as a commercial source of tannins, timber and a source of firewood for local and international markets. It has been suggested that to maximize the genetic gain of A. mearnsii plantations in South Africa, the gene pool that exist within ICFR needs to be broadened via introduction of new genotypes with diverse traits. In this work, 282 A. mearnsii samples sourced from the ICFR breeding program were genotyped using 11 cross-species SSR markers. Our results showed low to moderate genetic differentiation (FST) among the six breeding subpopulations, with positive inbreeding (FIS) values that could be attributed to an historical inbreeding event. Low levels of relatedness could however indicate some mechanism of inbreeding avoidance. The effects from a recent supplementation of genetic material from two native Australian populations were observed through genetic structuring analyses. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that significant genetic variation was mainly distributed within populations (75%) and among individuals (23%). The results provide significant information on A. mearnsii population genetic diversity and structure, which can be used for conservation of the current subpopulations and future tree improvement programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations puts forward a transformational vision to cope with food security, nutrition, and health challenges, in which sweet potato can play an important role. Globally, sweet potato production is valued at $53.83 billion. The Agricultural Research Council of South Africa (ARC) sweet potato research and development (R&D) program over the past seven decades delivered 31 genetically improved cultivars via demand‐led breeding, managed the collection and maintenance of 375 accessions, contributed toward the optimization of cultivation practices, developed crop protection and diagnostic services, and provided streamlined seed systems and technology transfer in processing and enterprise development. The ARC's work is part of a large number of interdependent global programs committed to improving livelihoods and nutrition through sweet potato. This review shares and analyses major achievements, highlights unique research contributions achieved through partnerships, and discusses bottlenecks on funding and uptake of technologies. New research imperatives will involve root phenotyping, employing marker‐based technologies, and genome‐wide association studies through new funding received recently. Exploration of the commercialization potential of processed products made from orange‐fleshed sweet potato will be a major focus of the R&D program. Expansion of partnerships, marketing, and financing will be important for future contribution of sweet potato to the economy. Core Ideas: Sweet potato has great potential to address several Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.A comprehensive sweet potato research and development program described herein provided technology across the full value chain.Screening methods for wilt disease, nematodes, protein content, virus, and crop development are highlighted.Expansion of partnerships and financing is essential to retain research momentum.Modern technologies must be key in new research imperatives.This article provides important lessons for public breeding efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]