TRADITIONAL VEGETABLE SEED PRODUCTION & POTENTIAL TO INCREASE FOOD SECURITY OF THE POOR

TRADITIONAL VEGETABLE SEED PRODUCTION & POTENTIAL TO INCREASE FOOD SECURITY OF THE POOR

VEGETABLE An edible, usually succulent plant or a portion of it cooked or raw eaten as a main part of a meal, side dish or appetizer

TYPES Indigenous vegetables are those whose home is known to be in a specified area, African Indigenous Vegetables will be abbreviated as AIVs

Exortic Exotic vegetables are those introduced, grown and utilized in areas other than their natural home

Leafy vegetables Are those whose leaves and petioles only are consumed,

cont Under-utilized vegetables are those whose potentials have not been fully exploited. Local vegetables are those that are grown and utilized locally by local people within a given community

AfricanTraditional Vegetables Can be categorized as Cultivated, Semi-cultivated and Wild (un-cultivated) species.)

TVs Long use Part of cultures Part of African diet well adapted to adverse weather less prone to insect pest damage taste is preferred Easier to grow.

Crop research low priority at National Agriculture and Extension Systems in many countries in Africa as well as at International

Efforts AVRDC ICRAF Biodiversity Universities

TVs seed Nucleus Foundation of food security TVs seeds farmers can save Open pollinated ( Ops) Exchange between farmers

IMPORTANT AFRICAN TRADITIONAL VEGETABLES

Diversity in Amaranth

Amaranths AMARANTHACEAE Amaranthus blitum/lividus Amaranthus cruentus/hybridus Amaranthus dubius A.hypocondriacus

Cowpea leaves Vigna unguiculata

African nightshades SSOLANACEAE Solanum scabrum Solanum villosum Solanum americanum

African eggplant

African eggplant

African eggplant DB3

African eggpant SOLANACEAE Solanum aethiopicum Solanum anguivi Solanum macrocarpon

Night shade (Scabrum)

Spider plant CAPPARACEAE Cleome gynandra Gynandropsis gynandra Cleome pentaphylla

Jute mallow

TILIACEAE Jute Mallow Corchorus olitorius Corchorus triculari

African kale CRUCIFERAE Brassica carinata

THE VALUE AND POTENTIALS OF TRADITIONAL VEGETABLES SEED Nutritive value Medicinal properties Food security and income generation Agronomic advantages Soil fertility improvement Weed suppression Pest suppression

THE CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF CULTIVATION AND SEED PRODUCTION Principles and Practices

Seed overcome three major problems for the plant Provide the method by which a plant can multiply Provide means by which plants can survive adverse conditions Provide the plant with the possibility to move or disperse

The aim of vegetable seed production To multiply and distribute seeds of improved varieties To multiply desirable seeds to provide for future crops To make seeds available to vegetable growers Supply more seeds to improve the nutrition of the population Help the country to attain self reliance in vegetable seed supply

Reproductive System in vegetable Crops Vegetative Reproduction - Stems or roots develop into specialized organs Sexual Reproduction - Through seed

Complexities of Vegetable Seed Production Method of cross pollination is important Wind agent - consideration to the direction and velocity where the seed crop is grown Insect agents - consideration to be sure the habitat is suitable for the most efficient Pollinators Mechanisms are needed to mitigate against self fertilization (self-incompatibility)

Environmental conditions affecting seed production Temperature - Affects flowering Day length - photoperiod affects flowering and fruiting Rainfall - Promotes high RH, enhances foliage growth, disease infestation and affects pollination Wind - favors movement of pollen and seed ripening.

Seed Production Process Cultivar identification - characteristics which distinguish a cultivar from others have to be established so as to identify seed-lots and seed field during multiplication as being consistent Cultivar evaluation - To evaluate for desirable characteristics before it s grown for seed on a wide scale

Assessment of Cultivar Purity Tests on Samples of seed in the laboratory (including seedling assessments) Pre-and Post-control plot tests - used to monitor cultivar purity during a seed multiplication programme Seed Crop Inspection - field inspection is important to make sure the crop shows the desired characteristics

Factors checked at field inspection Cropping history of the field - low risk of undesirable volunteer plants Sufficient isolation from other crops to reduce the risk of mixture at harvest or pollination by undesirable pollen The proportion of male to female flowers/ plants The prescence of weeds and other crop plants whose seeds may be difficult to separate from the seed after harvest.

Techniques of field Inspection Cropping history of the field should be obtained for the last 3-5 yrs. check that the crop as a whole is consistent with the characteristics of the cultivar examine the seed crop as a whole by walking round the perimeter, with attention to areas which may have been contaminated counts off-types in the area in relation to population estimate

A B The sampling procedures depend upon the genetic quality standards expressed or required

Seed Quality and Quality Control Genetic Quality Viability and Germination Analytical Quality Health Quality Physical Quality

Safe guarding Genetic quality The seed crop should be sown with authentic seed of very high cultivar purity Storage of seed under condition which will preserve viability for many years

Understanding the stages of Seed Multiplication Breeders seeds (Nucleus seeds) - Improved variety produced under strict supervision of breeder Foundation Seeds (Parental Seeds) - direct multiplication of seeds produced from the breeders seeds, with the aim of maintaining genetic identity. Registered Seeds (Parental II seeds) - First generation seeds produced from the foundation or breeder seeds. Certified Seeds (Improved seeds) - First generation seeds produced from registered, breeder or foundation seeds.

Methods of isolation Isolation by distance Isolation by time Isolation by barriers

A global presence

MISSION AVRDC The World Vegetable Center, an international nonprofit research and development institute, is committed to alleviating poverty and malnutrition in the developing world through the increased production and consumption of nutritious and health-promoting vegetables

VEGETABLES: Prosperity for the poor, health for all From its founding mandate in 1971 to support vegetable research and development in tropical Asia, AVRDC The World Vegetable Center has expanded its focus to serve more continents, more countries, and more people

AVRDC headquarters The Center is the only international agricultural research center headquartered in a Chinese-speaking country Southern Taiwan Science Park, just south of Shanhua, Tainan City in southern Taiwan

Regional offices: East and Southeast Asia Bangkok, Thailand (1992) Africa Arusha, Tanzania (1992) South Asia Hyderabad, India (2006) Central & West Asia and North Africa Dubai UAE (2010)

Sub-regional offices: West and Central Africa Bamako, Mali Central Asia and Caucasus Tashkent, Uzbekistan National Horticultural Research Institute Suwon, Korea

Outreach project offices Yaounde, Cameroon Java, Indonesia Bangladesh

Research and Development working groups biotechnology/molecular breeding entomology genetic resources and gene bank management nutrition plant breeding

cont plant pathology postharvest socioeconomics technology dissemination

Principal partners: National agricultural research and extension systems and nongovernment organizations in developing countries; the private seed sector; (eg. Afrisem) research universities

Strategic advantages The world s largest public sector collection of vegetable germplasm+ A balance of research and development+ A long-term focus on climate change research+ Research and development that benefits women+ Committed to health+

cont An emphasis on nutrition as well as productivity+ Reducing pesticide abuse+ A close and productive relationship with the private sector+ A headquarters location with unique advantages+ The global leader in promoting vegetables for development

OUR WORK

Managing germplasm Our goal: Collect, conserve and distribute the world s vegetable germplasm, identify genes for valuable traits, and incorporate these into improved lines using classical breeding and molecular techniques

Developing new varieties Our goal: Produce varieties that extend the boundaries of tropical vegetable production

Improving production Our goal: Develop environmentally safe and sustainable means of profitable vegetable production to increase the supply of safe vegetables to consumers