Adapting AHIPA in Africa - Adaptando la AHIPA en Africa

The CIP researchers are in Benin for a project designed to introduce ahipa, a highly nutritious root crop, as a promising food staple in drought-prone regions of Central and Western Africa. They are discovering that beyond its potential as a healthy food alternative for people, it may become valuable as livestock feed that not only improves farmers’ diets, but also their bottom line.

Ahipa is the legume root produced by the American yam bean (Pachyrhizus spp.). Shaped like a very large radish, there are two types. The low dry matter one has a crunchy, juicy texture and is usually eaten raw. It is a good source of protein, supplies potassium and vitamins C and K, and has a high water content that makes it easy to digest. There is another high dry matter type which is more suitable for cooking and processing.

“Ahipa is an excellent complement or alternative to other common staples. It offers more nutrients than cassava, and it pairs well with vitamin-A rich orange-fleshed varieties of sweet potato,” says Wolfgang Gruneberg, a CIP breeder and geneticist who leads the ahipa program. Ahipa will grow in dry, marginal conditions. And because the plant fixes nitrogen in the soil, it does not require nitrogen fertilizer. The result is a crop that is inexpensive to produce and well suited to the needs of small farmers as an integral part of a sustainable land-use system.

“But ahipa’s potential as livestock feed or for local processing may bring even greater value added to small-scale farmers,” notes Graham Thiele, an economist and Director of the CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers, and Bananas.

CIP is collaborating with agricultural research institutes in Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Benin, DR Congo, and the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. They are combining research from Africa, Europe, and Latin America to increase the availability of yam bean collections and breeding lines, identify high-yielding varieties adapted to agro-forestry-based or maize-mixed farming systems, and develop its commercial potential. Impact assessment studies have been integrated, as well, to identify where resources can be used most effectively to maximize benefits and adoption.

What really excites Gruneberg, however, is the prospect of introducing a highly beneficial crop into a new region. “If we see local farmers in Africa adopting ahipa, adapting it to different uses, and benefitting from it, that will be an impressive success, indeed!” he concludes.

Source: http://192.156.137.121:8080/cipotato/press-room/press-releases/adapting-ahipa-in-africa

Semblance of Ethiopian HORTICULTURAL sector, its great potential and opportunities - Semblanza del sector HORTÍCOLA etíope, su gran potencial y oportunidades

Photo source: https://www.kissfromtheworld.com

Ethiopia has strong potential and competitive edge in agriculture in general and horticulture in particular. The country has 12 major river basins with an annual runoff volume of 122 billion meter cubic of water and an estimated 2,6 – 6,5 billion meter cubic of ground water potential. It is often referred as the water tower of Africa. It has 4 million hectare irrigable land. The horticulture sector has shown rapid growth over the last five years, with cumulative growth of 22%. According to data from Central Statistical Authority (CSA) of Ethiopia fresh fruits and vegetables production in 2013 was estimated to be over 5 million MT.

The Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) of Ethiopia estimated that annual domestic market of horticultural products around US $ 900 Million. Smallholder farmers are the principal suppliers of fruits and vegetables, but the commercial horticultural production focusing on high value products is increasing fast. Fruits and vegetables production in the smallholders sector is mainly rain fed, while most commercial farmers use irrigation. According to a report by Ministry of Agriculture (2009), a total of close 0,8 million hectares land (including out grower schemes) has been identified for commercial investment in horticulture of which less than 10% is developed.

Fruits and vegetables are strategic export commodities for Ethiopia. Over the last five years the country earned a total of US $ 170 million. Important export markets for fruits and vegetables are the surrounding countries as Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan. The main products to these countries were non-graded fresh fruit and vegetables such as onion, tomato, potato, banana, mango and avocado. High value graded prepacked vegetables and fresh herbs account for only 11% of the total export. Most of these products are exported to the United Kingdom (UK), United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Netherlands. During the last five years Ethiopia imported a total of over 148.000 MT processed horticultural products; import has shown a cumulative average growth of 33%. Tomato juice (35%), mixed juice (18%) and pineapple juice (18%) are the top three imported juices to Ethiopia.

The Oromia Regional State produced 42% of the total national horticultural products in 2013. The diverse agroecology, large surface and ground water potential and highly fertile land makes Oromia suitable for almost any type of fruit and vegetable products. Currently, the leading vegetable products in the region are onion, potato, tomato, cabbage and garlic. However production of high valued vegetables such as lettuce, eggplant, cherries, strawberry, fresh beans and peas is increasing with an increasing investment by international and domestic companies. The fruits produced in the region include citrus, grapes, mango, papaya, banana, guava and avocado. Apple is a recent introduction in the highlands of North Shewa. 

Oromia region horticulture matrix (Source: http://www.rvo.nl)

Source: Netherlands Enterprise Agency (http://www.rvo.nl/file/investmentguideoromiapdf)

Protective effects of anthocyanins from purple SWEET POTATO on hepatic fibrosis - Los efectos protectores de las antocianinas de la BATATA (CAMOTE, BONIATO) morada sobre la fibrosis hepática

Photo source: http://static.communitytable.parade.com

The effects of anthocyanins obtained from purple sweet potato (PSPAs) on hepatic fibrosis were studied in mices. Anthocyanins are natural food colorants. PSPAs showed high scavenging effects against 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH). Tested mice were orally treated with PSPAs every day for 3 weeks and in combination with CCl4 at last. The results indicated that treatment with CCl4 caused hepatotoxicity which was assessed by an increase in the levels of relative liver weight, serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase, as well as in hepatic lipid peroxide malondialdehyde. Moreover, the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were found reduced. However, these changes were inhibited by the treatment with PSPAs prior to the administration of CCl4. The biochemical alterations were accompanied by histopathological changes, such as vacuolization, necrosis and congestion. In conclusion, the present finding revealed that PSPAs' administration can effectively improve liver damage caused by CCl4, and has the potential to be used as a therapeutic option and the prevention of hepatic fibrosis.

Source: Man Zhanga, Li-Jun Panb, Shao-Tong Jiangb & Yu-Wen Moa. 2015. Protective effects of anthocyanins from purple sweet potato on acute carbon tetrachloride-induced oxidative hepatotoxicity fibrosis in mice. Food and Agricultural Immunology. http://www.tandfonline.com

BATATAS: Naturalmente transgénicas - SWEET POTATOES: Naturally transgenic

Foto de: http://www.todoagro.com.ar

Un grupo de científicos del Centro Internacional de la Papa (CIP, por sus siglas en inglés), una de las mayores entidades de mundo dedicadas a la investigación sobre tubérculos, con sede en Lima, Perú, encontró genes provenientes de bacterias del suelo insertados en el genoma de 291 variedades de batatas cultivadas en América del Norte y Sur, Europa, Indonesia, China y África.

El hallazgo, según publicó la FAUBA, significaría que las batatas que consumimos a diario serían transgénicas desde incluso mucho antes de que la humanidad comenzara a alimentarse con esta especie. El trabajo fue publicado en la revista científica Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, de Estados Unidos. Allí se explica que los genes encontrados en las batatas fueron originados en dos bacterias del suelo (Agrobacterium tumefaciens y A. rizogenes) que, curiosamente, en la actualidad son utilizadas regularmente como vectores biológicos por los biotecnólogos para obtener plantas transgénicas en condiciones controladas.

“La evolución de las especies fue planteada por Charles Darwin como una selección natural. En ese contexto, la transgénesis siempre pareció algo contranatura y, por lo tanto, peligroso. No obstante, ahora sabemos que la evolución es mediada por procesos complejos a nivel molecular. El hallazgo de fragmentos de ADN bacterianos insertados en el genoma de algunos vegetales da cuenta de lo dinámico del proceso de intercambio de material genético entre distintos organismos”, sostuvo Raúl Lavado, profesor titular consulto de la Facultad de Agronomía de la UBA (FAUBA), al sitio de divulgación http://sobrelatierra.agro.uba.ar/

Los autores de la publicación consideran que ese ADN de origen bacteriano ayudó en el proceso de domesticación de la batata, debido a que codifica para enzimas que participan de la síntesis de hormonas vegetales. Gracias a estas hormonas, las raíces fueron seleccionadas para el consumo humano, quizás por su mayor tamaño y vigor. De acuerdo al trabajo del CIP, Lavado explicó que “cuando las poblaciones ancestrales de América comenzaron a cultivar batata habrían notado ventajas en esas raíces y seleccionaron las plantas que tenían los genes bacterianos. Desde ese momento comenzó la difusión del cultivo transgénico a través de la Polinesia y el sudeste de Asia, y después hacia el resto del mundo”.

Fernando Carrari, docente de la cátedra de Genética de la FAUBA e investigador del INTA y del Conicet, explicó a SLT que, al igual que ocurre con los transgenes, los genes encontrados en las batatas son funcionales: “Es decir que se expresan igual que cualquier otro gen de la misma planta. Además, parte de ellos fueron encontrados sólo en las batatas cultivadas y no en sus parientes silvestres”. “Estas revelaciones sugieren que, quienes consumimos batatas, venimos comiendo transgénicas naturales mucho antes de que el hombre haya obtenido la primer planta genéticamente modificada en forma artificial”, agregó Gustavo Schrauf, profesor a cargo de Genética de la FAUBA.

Por otra parte, Carrari sostuvo que “estos hallazgos no resultan extraños porque se sabe que bacterias del género Agrobacterium pueden transferir parte de su ADN a células vegetales de distintas especies de cultivos. A su vez, otros microorganismos también interactúan con las células vegetales a partir del intercambio de material genético. Por esto, sería esperable que a partir del conocimiento de los genomas completos de un gran número de seres vivos, comencemos a develar procesos y mecanismos de intercambio de ADN que hasta el momento parecen controversiales”, concluyó.

Fuente: http://www.todoagro.com.ar

California sweet potatoes the healthiest choice - Batatas de California, la elección más saludable

A trend in consumer demand for a healthy lifestyle has lead to an increase in demand for California sweet potatoes. 

The Center for Science in the Public Interest recently rated the top ten vegetables based on nutritional value, ranking sweet potatoes as number one. “Our market is expanding into new areas where we can meet the interest in new varieties,” states Jason Tucker, Vice President of the California Sweet Potato Council. “California offers a wider variety of sweet potatoes in color, size, shape, and flavor.”

In comparison to the beginning of 2015, demand for California sweet potatoes continues to remain strong, allowing prices to remain stable. “The value driven pricing structure that the market is experiencing is due in part to our strategy to offer a premium food at a reasonable price,” explains Tucker, “ounce for ounce, nutritionally speaking, and dollar for dollar, today’s consumer is getting more value than in other foods.”

Approximately 10% of sweet potatoes grown within the United States are exported mainly to Europe and Canada. “During the Canadian Thanksgiving we see the strongest demand for California sweet potatoes, but demand remains strong from other countries throughout the year.”

The total acreage of sweet potatoes within California is planning to increase. Approximately 19,000 acres of sweet potatoes are planned to go into production for the upcoming season, which is higher than previous years. “The drought and low forecasting of water availability may cause a decrease in the acres planted,” states Tucker, “Currently, we are at 65% of normal rainfall for the season and our main reservoir is at 8% of capacity. Water availability will continue to challenge our desire to increase acreage to meet the growing demand for California sweet potatoes.”

Despite the drought, the volume of sweet potatoes produced remains steady in comparison to last year due to the generous sunshine and warm, dry climate which is ideal for sweet potato production.
Source: Kayleigh Csaszar in www.freshplaza.com