Utilizing the genome of the vegetable species Cleome gynandra for the development of improved cultivars for the West and East African markets

Spider plant (Cleome gynandra) is an important and nutritious leafy vegetable for rural people in West and East Africa as well as South Asia, especially at the beginning of the rainy season when little other vegetables are available. Pilot projects have shown that it has great potential for further development into a commercially important vegetable. The variation in the crop is considerable, as expressed in differences in bitterness, anthocyanin content and nutritional value. As a C4 plant, it uses water efficiently and consequently shows drought resistance. The genome has recently been sequenced and the African Orphan Crops Consortium will sequence 100 additional varieties as part of this proposal. Our proposed project will focus on: collecting and analysing germplasm for testing variation in nutritional characteristics, productivity and drought, as a basis for the re-sequencing effort. The results will be used in breeding programmes to develop planting material for a crop with improved nutritious value and optimal adaptation to a warmer and drier climate.