Scientists reveal the hybrid origin of the white Guinea yam
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18 December 2020
An international team of scientists has revealed the origin of the most popular food staple in Africa, the white Guinea yam.
Yam is a major staple widely consumed in West Africa. This starchy tuber is an important food crop that contributes to the sustenance and sociocultural lives of over 300 million people in the region. Many species of yam are grown in Africa, of which white Guinea yam (
Dioscorea rotundata Poir) is indigenous to West Africa. Despite its importance, relatively little is known about the white Guinea yam, especially at the genetic level, leading to its being branded as an “orphan crop.”