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Morphological and Molecular Characterization, Assessment of Nutritional Composition and Micropropagation of Cocoyam (Xanthosoma

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Morphological and Molecular Characterization, Assessment of Nutritional Composition and Micropropagation of Cocoyam (Xanthosoma Morphological and Molecular Characterization, Assessment of Nutritional Composition and Micropropagation of Cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott) from Ethiopia Eyasu Wada Wachamo Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa, Ethiopia June, 2018 Morphological and Molecular Characterization, Assessment of Nutritional Composition and Micropropagation of Cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott) from Ethiopia A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Microbial, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Addis Ababa University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biology (Applied Genetics) By Eyasu Wada Wachamo Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa, Ethiopia June, 2018 Declaration I, the undersigned, declare that this Dissertation is my original work and its composition has never been submitted elsewhere for any other award. All sources of materials used for the Dissertation have been duly acknowledged. Name: Eyasu Wada Wachamo Signature: ___________________ Date: _______________ Acknowledgments First and foremost, I am highly indebted to express my deepest and genuine appreciation to my supervisors: Dr. Tileye Feyissa, Dr. Kassahun Tesfaye and Prof. Zemede Asfaw for their excellent guiding, follow-up and support. Next, I would like to owe my special thanks to Dr. Kifle Dagne and Asfaw Kifle (PhD prospective graduate) for their special pieces of support. I would also like to thank Prof. Daniel Potter from Plant Science Department, University of California-Davis (UCDavis), USA and Prof. Dr. Birgit Gemeinholzer and Prof. Dr. Volker Wessmann from Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU), Germany for inviting me to their Molecular Biology Laboratories as a visiting scholar. I extend my deepest acknowledgments to different institutions that have provided financial support: Department of Microbial, Cellular and Molecular Biology and Graduate Program Office of Addis Ababa University (SIDA project), Wolaita Sodo University and The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). I am thankful to Areka Agricultural Research Center, Department of Plant Sciences of UCDavis and Systematic Botany Group of JLU for making the laboratories accessible for this study. I am grateful to the Ethiopian Institute of Biodiversity for giving me permits to export X. sagittifolium leaf samples to UCDavis and JLU for molecular analyses. My unreserved thanks go to farmers for providing information of the crop. I have many thanks to driver Mr. Beyene Dilbore and field and laboratory technical assistances: Mr. Abeje Yilma, Mr. Wolde Pilto, Mr. Sied Mohammed, Mrs. Eyerusalem Natinael, Ms. Gloria Diaz-Britz, Mrs. Hela Krufzick, Mrs. Sabine Mutz and Mr. Peter Seum for providing unreserved technical help. Many other persons also stretched their hands for help during this research work. Although I cannot mention all of their names, Prof. Hoysign Won, Mr. Genene Gezahegn, Mr. Girma, Mrs. Tigist Markos, Mrs. Christena Muller, Mr. Teshome Matusala and Mr. Micheal Mears can be mentioned as their representatives. Finally, my deepest thanks go to my wife Meseret Gano, my children Fitsum Eyasu and Keleul Eyasu, and my nieces Suna Esayas and Konjit Minota for their patience and encouragement at all times of this study period. May God Bless You All! i Dedication This Dissertaion is dedicated to my mother Asase Anebo and my late father Wada Wachamo for giving me the foundation of learning that they never enjoyed themselves. The efforts that they made for my education are in my mind. I have been able to appreciate the value of learning. ii Table of Contents page Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................... i Dedication .......................................................................................................................................... ii Table of contents……………………………………………………………………………………iii List of Tables .................................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. viii List of Appendices ............................................................................................................................ ix List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ................................................................................................. x Abstract ............................................................................................................................................. xi Chapter One ..................................................................................................................................... 1 General Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background .............................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Statement of the problem ......................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Research questions, hypotheses and objectives ....................................................................... 5 1.3.1 Research questions ..................................................................................................... 5 1.3.2 Hypotheses ........................................................................................................................ 5 1.3.3 Objectives of the study .......................................................................................................... 6 1.4 Organization of the dissertation ............................................................................................... 7 Chapter Two ..................................................................................................................................... 8 Literature Review ............................................................................................................................. 8 2.1 Origin and distribution of cocoyam ......................................................................................... 8 2.2 Taxonomic description of cocoyam ......................................................................................... 8 2.3 Etymology and common names ............................................................................................... 9 2.4 Botanical description of cocoyam .......................................................................................... 10 2.5 Importance and use values of cocoyam .................................................................................. 10 2.6 Nutritional profile of cocoyam ............................................................................................... 11 2.7 Growth condition and cultivation of cocoyam ....................................................................... 12 2.8 Cocoyam breeding and tissue culture ..................................................................................... 13 2.9 Assessment of genetic diversity ............................................................................................. 14 2.9.1 Morphological markers ................................................................................................... 15 2.9.2 Biochemical Markers ....................................................................................................... 16 2.9.3 Molecular Markers .......................................................................................................... 17 2.10 Molecular marker techniques ............................................................................................... 18 2.11 State of knowledge on cocoyam genetic diversity ............................................................... 22 iii Table of contents continued Chapter Three ................................................................................................................................ 24 Farmers’ Knowledge and Perception of the Constraints, Trait Preferences, Uses and Management Practices of Cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott) in Ethiopia ........ 24 Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 24 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 25 3.2 Materials and methods ........................................................................................................... 27 3.2.1 Description of the study area ........................................................................................... 27 3.2.2 Sampling frame and informant selection ......................................................................... 27 3.2.3 Ethical consideration ....................................................................................................... 28 3.2.4 Data collection and analysis ............................................................................................ 28 3.3 Results .................................................................................................................................... 30 3.3.1 Age of farmers and their experiences in cocoyam cultivation .......................................
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