Sunda or Sahul ? The origin of the Greater Yam (Dioscorea alata)

Support for a research project aimed at defining the origin of the large yam (D. alata) and its transfer to New Guinea and Melanesia. The specific objectives of this project are: (i) to clarify the relationship between D. alata and related species and analyse their genetic diversity through the use of NGS markers; (ii) to characterise 100 accessions of D. alata, originating from Africa, and to identify the genetic diversity of these accessions; and (iii) to identify the genetic diversity of D. alata accessions from Africa, Asia and Melanesia and evaluate their agronomic potential and for the improvement of genotypes selected by smallholders in response to climate change; (iii) characterise the starch contents of different Dioscorea spp genotypes and (iv) improve the understanding of the domestication and origin on Sunda of D. alata and its transfer to Melanesia.