Genetic diversity, population structure, and a genome-wide association study of sorghum lines assembled for breeding in Uganda.

Sorghum is an important source of food and feed worldwide. Developing sorghum core germplasm collections improves our understanding of the evolution and exploitation of genetic diversity in breeding programs. Despite its significance, the characterization of the genetic diversity of local germplasm pools and the identification of genomic loci underlying the variation of critical agronomic traits in sorghum remains limited in most African countries, including Uganda.

Medicinal plants used for cutaneous wound healing in Uganda; ethnomedicinal reports and pharmacological evidences.

Background: Wounds have become a major health challenge worldwide, presenting marked humanistic and economic burdens such as disabilities and death. Annually, approximately 14 million people suffer from wounds worldwide and 80 % of these occur in developing countries like Uganda. In Uganda, besides many cases of daily wound occurrences, approximately 10 % of surgical procedures become septic wounds and consequently lead to increased morbidity and mortality.

Multi-locus genome-wide association studies reveal genomic regions and putative candidate genes associated with leaf spot diseases in African groundnut ( L.) germplasm.

Early leaf spot (ELS) and late leaf spot (LLS) diseases are the two most destructive groundnut diseases in Ghana resulting in ≤ 70% yield losses which is controlled largely by chemical method. To develop leaf spot resistant varieties, the present study was undertaken to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and putative candidate genes underlying both ELS and LLS. In this study, six multi-locus models of genome-wide association study were conducted with the best linear unbiased predictor obtained from 294 African groundnut germplasm screened for ELS and LLS as well as image-based indices of leaf spot diseases severity in 2020 and 2021 and 8,772 high-quality SNPs from a 48 K SNP array Axiom platform.

In vitro propagation of Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf. using apical shoot segments and phytochemical assessments of the maternal and regenerated plants.

Background: Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf. is a medicinal plant traditionally used in China, Korea, and Japan to treat many diseases including poor gastrointestinal function, low immunity, gastric ulcers, and chronic gastritis.

Influence of various temperatures, seed priming treatments and durations on germination and growth of the medicinal plant Aspilia africana.

For millennia, Aspilia africana has been used across Africa to treat various diseases including malaria, wounds, and diabetes. In this study, temperature influenced the in vitro germination of A. africana with highest final germination percentage (FGP) and germination index (GI) of 65.

Exploration of Alternative Approaches to Phenotyping of Late Leaf Spot and Groundnut Rosette Virus Disease for Groundnut Breeding.

Late leaf spot (LLS), caused by (Berk. & M.A Curt.

Genetic diversity analysis of East African sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) germplasm collections for agronomic and nutritional quality traits.

Breeding for climate-resilient, high-yielding, and nutrient-rich sorghum cultivars is essential for sustainable food systems and enhanced livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the genetic diversity among East African sorghum germplasm collections through agronomic and nutritional quality traits to select promising lines for direct production or breeding. A collection of 348 sorghum germplasm was field evaluated at two locations in Uganda using an augmented design, and grain iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) contents were profiled.

Indirect Regeneration of the Medicinal Plant, , and Histological Assessment at Different Developmental Stages.

The medicinal plant, , has been traditionally used in several African countries to treat many diseases such as tuberculosis, cough, inflammation, malaria, osteoporosis, and diabetes. In this study, we developed a protocol for propagation of using indirect shoot organogenesis from leaf and root explants of -grown seedlings and assessed the tissues at different developmental stages. The highest callus induction (91.

Genomics, genetics and breeding of tropical legumes for better livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

Legumes are important components of sustainable agricultural production, food, nutrition and income systems of developing countries. In spite of their importance, legume crop production is challenged by a number of biotic (diseases and pests) and abiotic stresses (heat, frost, drought and salinity), edaphic factors (associated with soil nutrient deficits) and policy issues (where less emphasis is put on legumes compared to priority starchy staples). Significant research and development work have been done in the past decade on important grain legumes through collaborative bilateral and multilateral projects as well as the CGIAR Research Program on Grain Legumes (CRP-GL).

Bridging the gap: decomposing sources of gender yield gaps in Uganda groundnut production.

Female plot managers in Sub-Saharan Africa often realize significantly lower crop yields than their male counterparts. Even for legumes, which are often referred to as 'women's crops', yields are significantly lower. This study investigated the underlying causes of this gender yield gap in groundnut production.

Next-Generation Sequencing Reveals the First Complete Genome Sequence of from Uganda.

We present here the first complete genome sequence of (CABMV) isolated from cowpea in Uganda and compare it with five CABMV complete genome sequences from Brazil (2), India (2), and Zimbabwe (1). It most resembled the genomes of two Brazilian isolates (MG-Avr and BR1) and one Indian isolate (RR3).

Control of origin of sesame oil from various countries by stable isotope analysis and DNA based markers--a pilot study.

The indication of origin of sesame seeds and sesame oil is one of the important factors influencing its price, as it is produced in many regions worldwide and certain provenances are especially sought after. We joined stable carbon and hydrogen isotope analysis with DNA based molecular marker analysis to study their combined potential for the discrimination of different origins of sesame seeds. For the stable carbon and hydrogen isotope data a positive correlation between both isotope parameters was observed, indicating a dominant combined influence of climate and water availability.