Summary
This peer-reviewed study uses whole genome sequencing of 265 accessions to reconstruct the independent domestication histories of black fonio (Digitaria iburua) and white fonio (D. exilis), two indigenous West African grain cereals. The authors demonstrate these crops arose from separate domestication events without subsequent gene flow, with cultivation expanding from the Common Era onwards—timing that aligns with the earliest archaeological fonio evidence in Nigeria. The work provides genomic resources and historical context to support conservation and promotion of these climate-resilient neglected crops amid changing agricultural pressures.
UK applicability
These findings have limited direct applicability to UK farming systems, as fonio cultivation is specific to West African agroecological and socioeconomic contexts. However, the study's methodology for reconstructing crop domestication and genetic diversity may inform UK plant breeding and heritage crop conservation efforts, and underscores the global importance of protecting crop diversity in developing regions.
Key measures
Whole genome sequences of 265 accessions; phylogenetic relationships; domestication timing relative to archaeological records; population size dynamics
Outcomes reported
The study analysed whole genome sequences of 265 accessions to establish the domestication history and genetic relationships of black and white fonio species and their wild relatives. It determined that the two fonio crops arose from independent domestication events without gene flow, and documented a cultivation expansion beginning in the Common Era with subsequent population decline centuries ago.
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