Abstract

The prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in sub-Saharan Africa necessitates effective approaches to improve provitamin A content of major staple crops. Cassava holds much promise for food security in sub-Saharan Africa, but a negative correlation between beta-carotene, a provitamin A carotenoid, and dry matter content has been reported, which poses a challenge to cassava biofortification by conventional breeding. To identify suitable material for genetic transformation in tissue culture with the overall aim to increase beta-carotene and maintain starch content as well as better understand carotenoid composition, root and leaf tissues from thirteen field-grown cassava landraces were analyzed for agronomic traits, carotenoid, chlorophyll, and starch content. The expression of five genes related to carotenoid biosynthesis were determined in selected landraces. Analysis revealed a weak negative correlation between starch and beta-carotene content, whereas there was a strong positive correlation between root yield and many carotenoids including beta-carotene. Carotenoid synthesis genes were expressed in both white and yellow cassava roots, but phytoene synthase 2 (PSY2), lycopene-epsilon-cyclase (LCY epsilon), and beta-carotenoid hydroxylase (CHY beta) expression were generally higher in yellow roots. This study identified lines with reasonably high content of starch and beta-carotene that could be candidates for biofortification by further breeding or plant biotechnological means.

Keywords

carotenoid biosynthesis; ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS); provitamin A; biofortification

Published in

Agronomy
2020, Volume: 10, number: 3, article number: 424
Publisher: MDPI

SLU Authors

• Olayide, Priscilla Olukola

  • Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

• Large, Annabel

  • Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Stridh, Linnea

  • Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Alexandersson, Erik

  • Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture


UKÄ Subject classification

Agricultural Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10030424

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/106433