The Bioversity International Musa Germplasm Transit Center holds the world's biggest collecti... more The Bioversity International Musa Germplasm Transit Center holds the world's biggest collection of banana biodiversity (>1500 accessions). We aim to characterize this banana diversity for its suitability for specific agro-ecological conditions. To achieve this characterization, a lab-based model is needed to rapidly and objectively determine growth. Identifying a suitable light source that can help mimic relevant agro-ecological conditions is a challenge. LED lights are the most economical way to illuminate growth chambers, but the spectrum of LED lamps does not resemble that of natural daylight. Red light supplemented with blue light promotes growth of several plant species and suggests that blue light is important. However, the effect of blue light on transpiration, dry matter production and photosynthesis remains unclear as it might differ according to the plant species. In this study, we monitored plant growth and transpiration of two strategically selected banana cultivars under three different spectra. The final degree of stomatal opening is determined by the balance between impulses to open (the strength of the (blue) light signalling) and impulses to close (abscisic acid detection triggered by, for example, high vapour pressure deficit, high CO2 or low soil water potential). The transpiration rate is lower in light conditions enriched in red light (blue/red 1:4). Blue light is beneficial for transpiration; however, the transpiration rate of equal blue and red intensities (blue/red 1:1) is still higher than the blue-enriched spectrum (4:1 blue/red). Under a certain light intensity, there seems to be a saturation point of blue light quantity causing an increase in transpiration and therefore growth. In banana-growing regions, the proportion of blue and red wavelengths within the solar spectrum are equal. We show that a light spectrum simulating this natural ratio results in the highest transpiration. Therefore, we recommend equipping banana growth chambers with LEDs emitting a spectrum with red and blue wavelengths of equal intensity
For the first time it is possible to distinguish among accessions originating from Papua New Guin... more For the first time it is possible to distinguish among accessions originating from Papua New Guinea. Better fine tuning now allows tracing diploid ancestors of triploids. Breeding programmes performing affiliation studies will gain from this study, enabling cross predictions. It is possible to see the evolution of Musa acuminata, but not Musa balbisiana for which there is a need to include a wider range of representatives. Conclusions Fig. 1: Genome constitution of the 549 genotyped accessions Diversity analysis
Smallholder farms in the semi-arid and sub-humid tropics are particularly vulnerable to increased... more Smallholder farms in the semi-arid and sub-humid tropics are particularly vulnerable to increased climate variability. Indigenous agrisystems that have co-evolved with climate variability may have developed resilience strategies. In the Southwest Ethiopian Highlands, agrisystems are dominated by the multipurpose perennial staple enset ( Ensete ventricosum ), which has flexible harvest timing, high yield, long storage, and putative drought tolerance, earning it the name 'tree against hunger'. We tested three hypotheses using crop production area and climate data. First, that enset production area is greatest in the most drought-prone locations. Second, that farmers respond to drought events by increasing enset production area. And third, that drought encourages shifts in agrisystem composition more widely towards perennial or storable crops. We found that regions with a higher severe drought frequency are associated with significantly higher proportion of enset production. Si...
Crop landraces have unique local agroecological and societal functions and offer important geneti... more Crop landraces have unique local agroecological and societal functions and offer important genetic resources for plant breeding. Recognition of the value of landrace diversity and concern about its erosion on farms have led to sustained efforts to establish ex situ collections worldwide. The degree to which these efforts have succeeded in conserving landraces has not been comprehensively assessed. Here we modelled the potential distributions of eco-geographically distinguishable groups of landraces of 25 cereal, pulse and starchy root/tuber/fruit crops within their geographic regions of diversity. We then analysed the extent to which these landrace groups are represented in genebank collections, using geographic and ecological coverage metrics as a proxy for genetic diversity. We find that ex situ conservation of landrace groups is currently moderately comprehensive on average, with substantial variation among crops; a mean of 63% ± 12.6% of distributions is currently represented in...
Societal Impact StatementGlobal production of bananas, among the top 10 food crops worldwide, is ... more Societal Impact StatementGlobal production of bananas, among the top 10 food crops worldwide, is under threat. Increasing the use of germplasm conserved in genebanks is crucial. However, the lack of or difficult access to genetic diversity information limits the efficient utilization of these valuable resources. Here, we present a digital catalog of high‐density markers for banana germplasm conserved at the international banana collection. By facilitating access to subsets of genetic diversity information, the catalog has potential to maximize conservation and use of climate‐ready varieties and to optimize breeding strategies. The catalog is extendable with data from any banana collection and the software is easily deployable in other crop genebanks.
The Bioversity International Musa Germplasm Transit Center holds the world's biggest collecti... more The Bioversity International Musa Germplasm Transit Center holds the world's biggest collection of banana biodiversity (>1500 accessions). We aim to characterize this banana diversity for its suitability for specific agro-ecological conditions. To achieve this characterization, a lab-based model is needed to rapidly and objectively determine growth. Identifying a suitable light source that can help mimic relevant agro-ecological conditions is a challenge. LED lights are the most economical way to illuminate growth chambers, but the spectrum of LED lamps does not resemble that of natural daylight. Red light supplemented with blue light promotes growth of several plant species and suggests that blue light is important. However, the effect of blue light on transpiration, dry matter production and photosynthesis remains unclear as it might differ according to the plant species. In this study, we monitored plant growth and transpiration of two strategically selected banana cultivars under three different spectra. The final degree of stomatal opening is determined by the balance between impulses to open (the strength of the (blue) light signalling) and impulses to close (abscisic acid detection triggered by, for example, high vapour pressure deficit, high CO2 or low soil water potential). The transpiration rate is lower in light conditions enriched in red light (blue/red 1:4). Blue light is beneficial for transpiration; however, the transpiration rate of equal blue and red intensities (blue/red 1:1) is still higher than the blue-enriched spectrum (4:1 blue/red). Under a certain light intensity, there seems to be a saturation point of blue light quantity causing an increase in transpiration and therefore growth. In banana-growing regions, the proportion of blue and red wavelengths within the solar spectrum are equal. We show that a light spectrum simulating this natural ratio results in the highest transpiration. Therefore, we recommend equipping banana growth chambers with LEDs emitting a spectrum with red and blue wavelengths of equal intensity
For the first time it is possible to distinguish among accessions originating from Papua New Guin... more For the first time it is possible to distinguish among accessions originating from Papua New Guinea. Better fine tuning now allows tracing diploid ancestors of triploids. Breeding programmes performing affiliation studies will gain from this study, enabling cross predictions. It is possible to see the evolution of Musa acuminata, but not Musa balbisiana for which there is a need to include a wider range of representatives. Conclusions Fig. 1: Genome constitution of the 549 genotyped accessions Diversity analysis
Smallholder farms in the semi-arid and sub-humid tropics are particularly vulnerable to increased... more Smallholder farms in the semi-arid and sub-humid tropics are particularly vulnerable to increased climate variability. Indigenous agrisystems that have co-evolved with climate variability may have developed resilience strategies. In the Southwest Ethiopian Highlands, agrisystems are dominated by the multipurpose perennial staple enset ( Ensete ventricosum ), which has flexible harvest timing, high yield, long storage, and putative drought tolerance, earning it the name 'tree against hunger'. We tested three hypotheses using crop production area and climate data. First, that enset production area is greatest in the most drought-prone locations. Second, that farmers respond to drought events by increasing enset production area. And third, that drought encourages shifts in agrisystem composition more widely towards perennial or storable crops. We found that regions with a higher severe drought frequency are associated with significantly higher proportion of enset production. Si...
Crop landraces have unique local agroecological and societal functions and offer important geneti... more Crop landraces have unique local agroecological and societal functions and offer important genetic resources for plant breeding. Recognition of the value of landrace diversity and concern about its erosion on farms have led to sustained efforts to establish ex situ collections worldwide. The degree to which these efforts have succeeded in conserving landraces has not been comprehensively assessed. Here we modelled the potential distributions of eco-geographically distinguishable groups of landraces of 25 cereal, pulse and starchy root/tuber/fruit crops within their geographic regions of diversity. We then analysed the extent to which these landrace groups are represented in genebank collections, using geographic and ecological coverage metrics as a proxy for genetic diversity. We find that ex situ conservation of landrace groups is currently moderately comprehensive on average, with substantial variation among crops; a mean of 63% ± 12.6% of distributions is currently represented in...
Societal Impact StatementGlobal production of bananas, among the top 10 food crops worldwide, is ... more Societal Impact StatementGlobal production of bananas, among the top 10 food crops worldwide, is under threat. Increasing the use of germplasm conserved in genebanks is crucial. However, the lack of or difficult access to genetic diversity information limits the efficient utilization of these valuable resources. Here, we present a digital catalog of high‐density markers for banana germplasm conserved at the international banana collection. By facilitating access to subsets of genetic diversity information, the catalog has potential to maximize conservation and use of climate‐ready varieties and to optimize breeding strategies. The catalog is extendable with data from any banana collection and the software is easily deployable in other crop genebanks.
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Papers by Nicolas Roux