Assessment of the roles and farmer-preferred traits of sweetpotato in a crop-livestock farming system in Rwanda: implications for breeding dual-purpose varieties

Damien Shumbusha,Placide Rukundo,Mark Laing,Hussein Shimelis

doi:10.1515/opag-2020-0082

Damien Shumbusha, Placide Rukundo + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1515/opag-2020-0082

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Abstract

Abstract In Rwanda, sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam) is a highly valued crop in a crop-livestock mixed farming system. The objective of this study was to assess the role of sweetpotato in the crop-livestock farming system, to identify farmer-preferred traits, and to establish farmer-led priorities in breeding dual-purpose varieties (DPVs) in Rwanda. A participatory rural appraisal (PRA) study was conducted in three selected districts of Rwanda, namely, Bugesera, Huye, and Nyagatare. Data on the uses of sweetpotato and farmers’ trait preferences in sweetpotato varieties were collected and analysed. In Huye District, a high percent (56.7%) of respondents consumed sweetpotato every day, followed by Nyagatare with 53.3% consuming it at least twice a week. Most farmers (52.2%) used sweetpotato vines for livestock feed, depending on their availability. All respondents wanted to grow new sweetpotato varieties with improved root production combined with high aboveground biomass. About 87.7, 66.6, 56.6, and 51.1% of the respondents indicated that root-related traits of the crop such as high dry matter content (DMC), red skin colour, marketable root size, and yellow flesh colour were additional preferred traits, respectively. Therefore, farmers-preferred DPVs with improved root and green fodder yields could be developed to enhance the sustainable production and adoption of sweetpotato in a mixed farming system in Rwanda.

Highlights

Sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam] is an important crop in many regions of the world
A mixed croplivestock system was the main source of income in the Nyagatare District, with 76.7% farmers pursuing their livelihood in this sector (Table 1)
The current findings indicated that sweetpotato storage roots were commonly used for food (Table 2), whereas vines were used for feed across the study districts

Summary

Introduction

Sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam] is an important crop in many regions of the world. Asia and Africa are the predominant sweetpotato producing continents, contributing to 76.4 and 19.2% of the world annual production, respectively. In Rwanda, sweetpotato is the second important crop after bananas, with the total annual production of 10,82,364 tonnes (FAOSTAT 2018). Sweetpotato has multiple uses including food, animal feed, and recent breeding efforts focused on dual-purpose varieties (DPVs) (Shumbusha et al 2019; Rukundo et al 2020). It provides more edible energy per hectare than other food security crops such as maize, wheat, and rice (Mukhopadhyay et al 2011). Sweetpotato is mainly cultivated for its storage roots for human consumption and its aboveground biomass for livestock feed, making it an ideal dual-purpose crop (LeónVelarde 2000; Ralevic et al 2010; Valbuena et al 2012)

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