Using a Crowdsourcing Approach to Test Sorghum and Cowpea Varieties for Climate Adaptability

Abstract

IPCC predicts increasing temperatures in Sub-Saharan Africa which will negatively impact crop productivity and lead to a reduction in crop yields. Crops need to adapt to higher temperatures, water stress and pest incidence. Genetic improvement and the evaluation of cultivars in field conditions allow for the development of more tolerant varieties with traits that are better suited to adapt to climate change.In tropical regions there is a higher diversity of climate patterns and management practices which affects the evaluation of varieties [3] in field testing. The interaction of genotype by environment is the biggest challenge that plant breeders face [3] and with high costs associated with releasing a new cultivar only a limited number are released. To identify climate smart varieties materials need to be tested in the conditions in which the crops will be grown.A broad genetic base is needed to select strong varieties which are able to adapt to drought, biotic stress and salinity. It is only possible to evaluate varieties in a large number of possible environments. Using a crowdsourcing approach to crop improvement we are identifying climate smart varieties while at the same time speeding up the processes of variety development [4]. We asked a large group of farmers to test and evaluate different varieties. We combined farmers’ and morphological evaluation data of a set of 20 varieties of cowpea and sorghum to research the performance of varieties in dissimilar climatic conditions. Data on current crop diversity allows us to compare local varieties with landraces from other areas. Results specify the variation between trials in different sites in terms of performance and environmental adaption potential. We are able to identify varieties that display a diversity of traits that enhance resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses and considering farmer-preferred/market traits.