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Fonio (Digitaria spp.) Breeding

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Advances in Plant Breeding Strategies: Cereals

Abstract

Fonio, Digitaria exilis (Kippist) Stapf and Digitaria iburua Stapf, is a hardy crop grown in West Africa. It is a staple food in some parts of the region with excellent nutritional and culinary properties. It contains high quality vitamins, minerals, fiber, and sulfur-containing methionine and cysteine. The crop originated in present-day Guinea and Mali. It is an annual plant growing to a height of 80 cm (D. exilis) or 150 cm (D. iburua). It is a free-tillering C4 plant, with slender and glabrous culms and a life cycle of 70–150 days. Fonio is mainly cultivated on marginal soils, and soils containing aluminum. Fonio is cultivated at 400–1500 m elevation, at 25–30 °C and annual rainfall 150–3000 mm. The crop is drought tolerant, and mostly cultivated by traditional methods that make harvesting and threshing labor intensive. The crop is faced with challenges that include; poor yields (≤ 500 kg/ha), seed shattering, plant lodging, small grain size, fungal diseases and infestation by the parasitic weed Striga rowlandi. The cultivated species are allotetraploids (2n = 4x = 36). The landraces from farmers’ selection show polymorphism in their morphological, reproductive, yield and molecular-marker characteristics that can be used in marker-assisted selection for crop improvement. Fonio grain is consumed in the form of porridges, fonio jollof, flour creams or used to prepare salads, couscous, stews, candy and alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverages. Fonio and its products are good for diabetics and celiacs. The ecological versatility of fonio has enormous potential as one of the crops that guarantee food security in the future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria

    Suleiman Dangana Abdul

  2. Plant Food Processing for Bio-economy Research Group, Department of Food Science and Technology, Partnerships & Internationalisation Champion, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa

    Afam I. O. Jideani

Authors
  1. Suleiman Dangana Abdul
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  2. Afam I. O. Jideani
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Correspondence to Afam I. O. Jideani .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, King Faisal University, Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia

    Jameel M. Al-Khayri

  2. University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Shri Mohan Jain

  3. Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Dennis V. Johnson

Appendices

Appendices

2.1.1 Appendix I: Research Institutes and Online Resources Relevant to Fonio

Institute/Organization

Specialization and research activities

Contact and website

Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), Montpellier. France. (French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development).

General All aspects of the crop

Head Office: 42, rue Scheffer, 75,116 Paris, France

Tel.: +33 1 53 70 20 00

Montpellier Office: Avenue Agropolis, 34,398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France

Tel.: +33 4 67 61 58 00; www.cirad.fr/en

Guinea Agronomic Research Institute (IRAG)

Agronomic, extension and marketing

Agricultural Research Institute of Guinea Bd. of Commerce, BP: 1523 Conakry Republic of Guinea

Tel. (224) 30435580

e-Fax: (33) 821480314

Institut Togolais de Recherche Agronomique (ITRA)

Agronomic, extension and marketing

National Road N ° 1, Km 10, Agoè Cacavéli – BP 1163, Lomé – Togo

National Cereals Research Institute, Badeggi. Nigeria

Agronomic, extension and marketing

National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI), Badeggi, P. M. B 8, Bida, Niger State

Phone No.:08069314862

www.ncribadeggi.org.ng

Institut national de recherches agricoles du Bénin

(National Agricultural Research Institute, INRAB), Niaouli. Benin Republic

Agronomic, extension and marketing

01 BP 884 Cotonou, Benin

http://inrab.org

Institut d’économie rurale (IER, Mali)

Agronomic, extension and marketing

MOHAMED V ST, BP 258, Bamako, Mali

Senegalese Agricultural Research Institute – ISRA

Agronomic, extension and marketing

BP 3120

Tel. +221 33,832 84 27

Fax +221 33,832 24 27

Dakar, Senegal

www.isra.sn

2.1.2 Appendix II: Genetic Resources of Fonio

Cultivar

Important traits

Cultivation location

Afio

White seed fonio, early maturing landrace (3 months)

Northern Togo

Ayôrô (Yôrô)

White seed landrace, matured in less than 3 months

Northern Togo

Adjougouri

Produces many tillers

Northern Togo

Angim

Late maturing landrace (4 months).

Northern Togo

Ezio

White seed, easy to husk, early maturing landrace (3 months).

Southern Togo

Folom

Hairy and irritating; tiny, rounded white grains and late maturing landrace

Northern Togo

Foukmum

Produces many tillers; late maturing landrace (4 months)

Northern Togo

Gnimimbi

Produces sparkly, tiny and easy husking grains; early maturing landrace

Southern Togo

Ipowan

Reddish grain; intermediate maturing landrace (3.5 months)

Central Togo

Kopordagou

Rounded and reddish grains; late maturing landrace (4 months)

Central Togo

Yôrô

Extra-early maturing (2.5 months); harvesting, drying and conservation very difficult as it matures during the rainy season; low yield and high loss of seeds due to shattering; grains must be roasted before pounding; paste not soft and difficult to prepare

Benin

Ipoaga

Semi-late landrace (4 months); panicles with mostly 4 to 5 racemes; black grains; easy cultivation, drying and storage; drought tolerant; high yield; large and very hard chaff; husking difficult and time-consuming; paste normally soft and tasty but it quality and color are generally affected by non-removed chaff

Benin

Iporhouwan

Intermediate landrace (3.5 months); easy cultivation, drying, and storage; high yield; grains big and easy to husk; paste soft and tasty. Susceptible to drought and poor soils (reduced yield)

Benin Republic

Iporni

Late maturing (5 months); easy cultivation, drying and storage; performs well in humid zones (around shallows); low seed loss (low shattering); drought susceptible; hard bran; husking difficult and time-consuming paste normally soft and tasty but it quality and color can be affected by non-removed bran

Benin

Yawko

Extra-early growing cycle with 60–75 days

Senegal

Mora

Intermediate maturity of 90 days

Senegal

Rane

Intermediate-late maturing requiring 100–120 days

Senegal

Maoko

Late maturing landrace requiring 150 days; seeds are coarse and heavier

Senegal

Jenger 1

High yield; produces many reproductive tillers; brown seeds, erect plants; leaf and glumes pubescence.

Plateau State, Nigeria

Tzaat

High yield; dark brown seeds; erect plants; leaf and glumes pubescence

Bauchi State, Nigeria

Chit Kusung

High yield; early maturing; straggling plant habit; light brown seeds; leaf and glumes glabrous

Bauchi State, Nigeria

Ibura

Very low yield; up to 8 racemes; erect plant; leaf and glumes pubescence; brown seeds

Plateau State, Nigeria

Wondat 1

Moderate yield; intermediate maturity; light brown seeds; produces many reproductive tillers; straggling plant habit; leaf and glumes glabrous

Bauchi State, Nigeria

Tswan 1

Low yield; straggling plant habit; high number of nodes; tillers profusely with few bearing inflorescence; leaf and glumes glabrous

Kaduna State, Nigeria

Tswan 2

Extra early; straggling plant habit; leaf and glumes glabrous; light brown seeds; seed shattering

Kaduna State, Nigeria

Kachang

Low yield; erect plant habit; leaf and glumes glabrous; brown seeds

Plateau State, Nigeria

Yar zheti

Late maturing; moderate yield; straggling plant habit; leaf and glumes glabrous; light brown seeds

Bauchi State, Nigeria

Lhad

Late maturing; tall and thick culm; large leaf

Bauchi State, Nigeria

Wèlè

High protein content (16.97 g/100 g DM); low carbohydrate content (70.85 g/100 g DM)

Mali

Siragué

Most popular variety; yielding 800–1000 kg/ha with 52% for harvest index

Guinea

Péazo

Low protein content (7.86 g/100 g DM); high carbohydrate content(80.03 g/100 g DM)

Mali

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Abdul, S.D., Jideani, A.I.O. (2019). Fonio (Digitaria spp.) Breeding. In: Al-Khayri, J., Jain, S., Johnson, D. (eds) Advances in Plant Breeding Strategies: Cereals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23108-8_2

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