Abstract
BackgroundLocal communities in the South Eastern Lowveld of Zimbabwe have adopted the feeding of livestock with Neorautanenia brachypus (Harms) C.A. tuber to mitigate against climate change. Differences within Neorautanenia brachypus (Harms) tuber flesh colour and preferences by cattle have been observed, suggesting possible diversity within the N. brachypus plant community. This study aimed at distinguishing the N. brachypus wild plant species through phenotypic and genetic characterization using morphological descriptors and random amplified polymorphic (RAPD) markers respectively. Leaf samples were selected using judgmental sampling techniques from wards 11–15 in Sengwe (Chiredzi district) for leaf morphology and molecular characterization. RAPD-PCR analysis was done using 18-screened random decamer primers to confirm the diversity in the plant population. The similarity of the biotypes was evaluated using binary coding on the basis of the presence or absence of a morphological indicator as well as distinct DNA amplicon fragments. Primer 7.0.13 was used to estimate morphological and genetic similarities using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic average (UPGMA). The cluster number was estimated using the Elbow method part of the R package.ResultsInitially, 14 biotype groups were identified from 96 accessions visually characterized basing of leaf characteristics. All the leaf biotypes displayed arcuate venation with differences observed for leaf shape, tip shape and leaf margins. The 14 biotypes clustered into six groups based on the binary data of the morphological characteristics. RAPD primers generated three hundred and sixty eight distinct amplicons with 77.5% being polymorphic from the 14 biotypes. The number of bands produced per primer ranged from four (OPF-02) to 44 (UBC-746). The PIC value ranged from 0.1327 to 0.1873 for the RAPD primers. Use of molecular markers collapsed the biotypes into five clusters. Both the leaf descriptors and RAPD markers showed the existence of genetic diversity within the wild accessions of N. brachypus.ConclusionsA combination of morphological and RAPD markers effectively refined the resolution of the genetic diversity within the N. brachypus wild accessions to nine biotypes. These findings have indicated to the existence of more than one biotype of N. brachypus with potentially different properties. The favorable biotypes can further be promoted through incorporation in pastures as alternative feed or complementary feed to livestock. As such the output of this study will serve as a guide for N. brachypus germplasm management and improvement.
Highlights
Local communities in the South Eastern Lowveld of Zimbabwe have adopted the feeding of livestock with Neorautanenia brachypus (Harms) C.A. tuber to mitigate against climate change
The objective of this study was to establish the diversity of N. brachypus wild plant species through phenotypic and genetic characterization using morphological descriptors and Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers
Investigation 1: Characterization of Neorautanenia brachypus based on leaf morphology The findings from this study clearly show that there is some morphological diversity of leaves within the N. brachypus wild accession (Table 1)
Summary
Local communities in the South Eastern Lowveld of Zimbabwe have adopted the feeding of livestock with Neorautanenia brachypus (Harms) C.A. tuber to mitigate against climate change. The plant has been used as an alternative ruminant animal feed during periods of drought, wound remedy for livestock and a botanical pesticide against internal parasites in ruminants [1]. Farmers will be hard-pressed to ensure their livestock get enough nutrition especially through the harsh dry seasons Most communities in this arid region are reported to be resource-challenged, the farmers struggle to buy in feed supplements and necessary commercial preventative and curative chemicals to fight disease [1]. N. brachypus, like many other noxious plants, have bioactive properties that are awaiting proper understanding
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