Yam Research Programme

Yam Research Programme of the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike conducts research aimed at improving yam productivity and promoting the adoption of improved technologies by farmers. The Programme addresses key aspects of yam production, utilization, post-harvest management, markets, and research capacity, with the broader goal of contributing to sustainable increases in productivity within yam-based systems.

Yam is an important food crop in West Africa and serves as a major source of food and income for producers, processors, traders, and consumers. The Programme therefore undertakes research and technology development focused on addressing the production and utilization challenges associated with the crop.

Strategic Objectives

The strategic objectives of the Yam Research Programme are to:

• Expand the demand for yam through increased diversity of yam end-products and improved understanding of markets and consumption patterns.
• Increase the productivity of yam cultivation through improved yields, reduced storage losses, and lower production costs.
• Contribute to enhanced capacity for yam research.
• Promote partnerships with stakeholders involved in yam research and development.
• Promote awareness of opportunities and challenges within the yam sector and progress in research for development.
• Engage in policy dialogue towards increased support for the yam sector.
  
  

Research Focus

Agronomy, Breeding and Crop Improvement

This research area focuses on increasing yam productivity while reducing production costs and environmental impact. It involves the development and deployment of varieties preferred by end users, with improved yield, resistance to pests and diseases, and desirable quality characteristics.

Integrated Soil, Crop and Pest Management

The Programme focuses on sustainable management of yam production systems, including crop health, soil fertility, and production profitability. Research draws on breeding, farming systems, physiology, soil fertility management, and related areas to improve yam cultivation.

Post-Harvest Research

Post-harvest research focuses on yam product diversification and expanding market opportunities. The Programme considers the preferences of key stakeholders, including producers, retailers, processors, and consumers. It also examines different trait and food-product preferences among social groups and value-chain actors, including gender considerations within yam value chains.

Policies, Institutions and Markets

Research in this area addresses improved outcomes in food security, poverty reduction, nutrition and health, and sustainable management of biological resources. The Programme also contributes to technology adoption, sustainable intensification, gender-related initiatives, capacity strengthening, assessment of technology adoption, and value-chain analysis.

Research and Technology Development

The Programme has contributed to the development and delivery of yam technologies through multidisciplinary research. These activities draw on expertise in areas including genetics and breeding, biotechnology, plant physiology, entomology, food science and nutrition, environmental science, biochemistry, agronomy, bioinformatics, and statistics.

The Programme also utilizes research infrastructure that includes fields, multi-site stations in different agro-ecologies, laboratories, yam barns, and a yam screen house.

Research Achievements

The Yam Research Programme has recorded several achievements, including:

• Release of two improved yam varieties, UMUDr/020 and UMRDr/021, in October 2016.
• Registration of five top yam landraces: Obiaoturugo-UMUDr/022, Amola-UMUDr/023, Hembakwasi-UMUDr/024, Ekpe-UMUDr/025, and Aloshi-UMUDr/026.
• Establishment of an aeroponics system for clean seed yam multiplication.
• Establishment of a bioreactor system for the production and multiplication of clean seed yams.
• Availability of improved yam varieties TDr 89/02665 (Asiedu), TDr 95/19177 (Kpamyo), and TDr 95/01176 (Swaswa) for farmers in large numbers.
• Release of 20,000 improved and clean seed yams to seed companies for mass production towards the take-off of a commercial yam seed system in Nigeria.
• Training and establishment of yam farmers as out-growers in Nigeria.
• Training of ten NRCRI Umudike staff.
• Provision of infrastructural support, including aeroponics and bioreactor systems and laboratories, for Umudike Seed Company.
  
  

Research Projects and Collaborations

The Programme has participated in research projects addressing yam evolution, domestication, breeding, genetic resources, productivity, and food security.

The AfriCrop Project – Yam Evolution and Domestication, funded by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), investigated the origin and history of agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa, including the domestication of African yam (Dioscorea rotundata).

The Basic Research for Enabling Agricultural Development (BREAD) project focused on developing genomic resources in water yam (Dioscorea alata L.) to support accelerated breeding and improvement. The project generated genomic resources, a genetic map, and characterization of global D. alata cultivars.

The AfricaYam Project focused on improving yam productivity while reducing production costs and environmental impact through the development and deployment of preferred varieties with higher yield, greater resistance to pests and diseases, and improved quality. Its activities also included strengthening yam breeding capacity, improving infrastructure, data collection and management, and developing genetic and genomic resources.

Institutional and Research Partnerships

The Programme operates through multidisciplinary research and partnerships with other stakeholders in yam research and development. NRCRI reports that, in collaboration with its partners, it has released 31 yam varieties in Nigeria.

The Programme has also participated in international and multi-consortium projects, including NSF-Yam Basic Research for Enabling Agricultural Development, AfricaYam, Yam Improvement for Food Security in West Africa (YIIFSWA), and RTBfoods.