A review of crop variety evaluation in Roots, Tubers and Bananas: geographic coverage, approaches, trait inclusion, and gender aspects

Abstract

Participatory crop breeding and selection are a relatively new and promising field of research with a potential to improve field performance and adoption. This is particularly true in the case of root, tuber and banana (RTB) crops which despite their important contribution to energy intake in the tropics rely on small scale production and traditional varieties. This review compiles available literature in order to analyse geographic and temporal trends in research methodologies, gender inclusiveness and trait preferences across participatory research in cassava, banana, plantain, sweetpotato, yam and potato. The purpose of this paper is to provide insights for breeders and social scientists in order to improve protocols and better target participatory research in the future. We found that a significant amount of research on the topic has not yet produced scientific publications and available papers are lacking protocols for research design and sampling that are responsive to gender and socioeconomic diversity. Moreover we found that data collection strategies are not adequate for deciphering complex traits describing trade-offs and revealing reasons for varietal preferences. This limits the ability to identify quantifiable indicators that can be integrated into breeding programs. Geographic, environmental and field management data is lacking, undermining the external validity of existing research. Overall this report points to the need for uniform protocols that facilitate collection, digitalization and open sharing of data in order to allow for cumulative data analysis that can shed light on spatial and demographic patterns.