Tracing ancestor rice of Suriname Maroons back to its African origin

Andel, Tinde van; Meyer, Rachel S.; Aflitos, Saulo Alves; Carney, Judith; Veltman, Margaretha A.; Copetti, Dario; Flowers, Jonathan M.; Havinga, Reinout; Maat, Harro; Purugganan, Michael D.; Wing, Rod A.; Schranz, M. Eric

doi:10.1038/nplants.2016.149

Cited by 38 publications

(30 citation statements)

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“…The greater yam could have been introduced with Guinea yam ( D. rotundata ). While African rice ( Oryza glaberrima ), probably introduced concomitantly with yams, has now been supplanted by Asian rice ( O. sativa ) ( van Andel et al , 2016 ), greater yam remains the most widely cultivated species in the tropical Americas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genome-wide genotyping elucidates the geographical diversification and dispersal of the polyploid and clonally propagated yam (Dioscorea alata)

et al. 2020

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Background and Aims Inferring the diffusion history of many human-dispersed species is still not straightforward due to unsolved past human migrations. The centre of diversification and routes of migration of the autopolyploid and clonally propagated greater yam, Dioscorea alata, one of the oldest edible tubers is still unsolved. Here, we address yam demographic and dispersal history using a worldwide sample. Methods We characterized genome-wide patterns of genetic variation by genotyping by sequencing 643 greater yam accessions spanning four continents. First, we disentangled the polyploid and clonal components of yam diversity using alleles frequency distribution and identity by descent approaches. Then, we addressed yam geographical origin and diffusion history with a model-based coalescent inferential approach. Key Results Diploid genotypes were more frequent than triploids and tetraploids in all the continents. Genetic diversity was generally low and clonality appeared to be a main factor of diversification. The most likely evolutionary scenario supported an early divergence of mainland Southeast Asian and Pacific gene pools with continuous migration between them. Triploids and tetraploids genetic make-up suggests that they have originated from these two regions before westward yam migration. The Indian Peninsula gene pool gave origin to the African gene pool, which was later introduced in the Caribbean region. Conclusions Our results are congruent with the hypothesis of independent domestication origins of the two main Asian and Pacific gene pools. The low genetic diversity and high clonality observed suggest a strong domestication bottleneck followed by thousands of years of widespread vegetative propagation and polyploidisation. Both processes reduced the extent of diversity available for breeding, which most likely threaten future adaptation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genome-wide genotyping elucidates the geographical diversification and dispersal of the polyploid and clonally propagated yam (Dioscorea alata)

et al. 2020

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“…These advances are needed to document adaptive population-level shifts of in situ agrobiodiversity in response to global change and use of ex situ materials through genetic enhancement and crop improvement. It requires integrated analysis of the history and evolution of the genepools plant and animal genepools amid cultural interactions and knowledge systems (Van Andel et al 2016). In the case of crop wild relatives (CWR), recent scientific advances and improved global-scale geospatial information have enabled high resolution ex situ gap analysis (Castañeda-Álvarez et al 2016).…”

Section: Evolution Genetic Resources and Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Agrobiodiversity and a sustainable food future

Zimmerer

Haan

2017

Nature Plants

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A paradigm shift from industrial agriculture to diversified agroecological systems EXECUTIVE SUMMARYToday's food and farming systems have succeeded in supplying large volumes of foods to global markets, but are generating negative outcomes on multiple fronts: widespread degradation of land, water and ecosystems; high GHG emissions; biodiversity losses; persistent hunger and micro-nutrient deficiencies alongside the rapid rise of obesity and diet-related diseases; and livelihood stresses for farmers around the world.Many of these problems are linked specifically to 'industrial agriculture': the input-intensive crop monocultures and industrial-scale feedlots that now dominate farming landscapes. The uniformity at the heart of these systems, and their reliance on chemical fertilizers, pesticides and preventive use of antibiotics, leads systematically to negative outcomes and vulnerabilities.Industrial agriculture and the 'industrial food systems' that have developed around it are locked in place by a series of vicious cycles. For example, the way food systems are currently structured allows value to accrue to a limited number of actors, reinforcing their economic and political power, and thus their ability to influence the governance of food systems.Tweaking practices can improve some of the specific outcomes of industrial agriculture, but will not provide long-term solutions to the multiple problems it generates.What is required is a fundamentally different model of agriculture based on diversifying farms and farming landscapes, replacing chemical inputs, optimizing biodiversity and stimulating interactions between different species, as part of holistic strategies to build long-term fertility, healthy agro-ecosystems and secure livelihoods, i.e. 'diversified agroecological systems'.There is growing evidence that these systems keep carbon in the ground, support biodiversity, rebuild soil fertility and sustain yields over time, providing a basis for secure farm livelihoods.Data shows that these systems can compete with industrial agriculture in terms of total outputs, performing particularly strongly under environmental stress, and delivering production increases in the places where additional food is desperately needed. Diversified agroecological systems can also pave the way for diverse diets and improved health.Change is already happening. Industrial food systems are being challenged on multiple fronts, from new forms of cooperation and knowledge-creation to the development of new market relationships that bypass conventional retail circuits.Political incentives must be shifted in order for these alternatives to emerge beyond the margins. A series of modest steps can collectively shift the centre of gravity in food systems. Key messages2 REPORT 02 FROM UNIFORMITY TO DIVERSITY

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“…Jewish planters that were expelled from Brazil may have introduced rice to Suriname when they migrated there around 1667 (Young and Angier, 2010). Slave traders bought stocks of rice from merchants along the West African coast to feed their captives during the Middle Passage (Carney, 2009; Mouser et al, 2015; Van Andel et al, 2016a). Oryza sativa was introduced to West Africa in the 16th century, before the onset of the transatlantic slave trade, and adopted by peoples along the upper Guinea Coast who had previous experience growing the local African species (Linares, 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rice has been grown for centuries in the Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana). In the 17th and 18th centuries, plantation owners imported the crop from the US and West Africa as provision for their enslaved laborers (Carney, 2009; Van Andel et al, 2016a). Asian rice was introduced by Portuguese sailors in West Africa in the 16 th century, and both African and Asian rice were grown by African farmers before the onset of the transatlantic slave trade (Linares, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The only expedition to collect Maroon rice varieties was carried out by Baumgart et al (1998) along the upper Suriname River, who deposited their samples at the SNRI/ADRON seed bank. The discovery of a field of O. glaberrima in a Saramaccan village in 2008 (Van Andel, 2010) stimulated further ethnobotanical research on African crops grown among Maroons (Van Andel et al, 2016b) and rice in particular (Van Andel et al, 2016a; Maat and Van Andel, 2018), but genetic analysis of rice was limited to one accession.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hidden Rice Diversity in the Guianas

et al. 2019

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Traditional crop varieties are an important source of genetic diversity for crop adaptation and modern breeding. Landraces of Asian (Oryza sativa) and African (Oryza glaberrima) rice have been well studied on the continents where they were domesticated. However, their history of cultivation in northern South America is poorly understood. Here, we reveal the rice diversity that is maintained by Maroons, descendants of enslaved Africans who fled to the interior forests of the Guianas ca. 300 years ago. We interviewed subsistence farmers who practice shifting cultivation along the Maroni and Lawa rivers that form the natural border between French Guiana and Suriname, and used ethnobotanical and morphological methods to identify around 50 varieties, of which 15 were previously undocumented. The genetic origin of these varieties was explored using the Angiosperms353 universal probe set. Despite the large distances between sites and relative inaccessibility of the area, phenotypic and genetic diversity did not display any geographic structure, which is consistent with knowledge of seed exchange among members of the same ethnolinguistic group. Although improved US cultivars were introduced in Maroon villages in the 1940s, these have not displaced the traditional landraces, which are cherished for their taste and nutritious qualities and for their importance in Maroon spiritual life. The unique agricultural and ritual practices of Maroons confirm their role as custodians of rice diversity, a role that is currently under threat from external pressures and encroaching globalization. We expect that the rice diversity uncovered in this study represents only a fraction of the total diversity in the Guianas and may constitute a large untapped resource that holds promise for future rice improvement. Further efforts to inventory and preserve these landraces will help to protect a precious cultural heritage and local food security.

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Tracing ancestor rice of Suriname Maroons back to its African origin

Cited by 38 publications

References 34 publications

Genome-wide genotyping elucidates the geographical diversification and dispersal of the polyploid and clonally propagated yam (Dioscorea alata)

Genome-wide genotyping elucidates the geographical diversification and dispersal of the polyploid and clonally propagated yam (Dioscorea alata)

Agrobiodiversity and a sustainable food future

Hidden Rice Diversity in the Guianas

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