Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea)
Anthony Assibi Mahama
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
Corresponding author<EMAIL_ADDRESS>OUTLINE
- Overview
- Etymology
- Origin, domestication, and geographic distribution
- Description
- Growth conditions
- Production and use
- Breeding and improvement
- Untapped potential
- References
- Chapter information
1. OVERVIEW
Bambara groundnut (BGN) or Bambara beans (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) is considered the third most important food legume crop in continental Africa after groundnut (Arachis hypogea) and cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata). It is recognized for its high nutritional value and as a complete crop (15–25% protein, 49–63.5% carbohydrate, 5.2–6.4% fiber, 4.5–7.4% fat, 3.2–4.4% ash, and 2% mineral) (Bamshaiye et al., 2011; Holm & Marloth, 1940; Jideani & Diedericks, 2014; Murevanhema & Jideani, 2013), as well as its tolerance to poor soils, drought, and salt stress, and its ability to produce in conditions where groundnuts/peanuts completely fail. These are possibly the main reasons for it still being maintained and grown by local populations (Adzawla et al., 2016a,b; Olayide et al., 2018). It has recently been declared one of the “crops of the new millennium” (Ahmad, 2012).
2. Etymology
Bambara groundnut is an annual legume belonging to the family Leguminosae (Fabaceae), subfamily Papilionoideae (Faboidea), and the genus Vigna. It had a botanical name change from Voandzeia subterranea (L.) Thouars to Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc., following a report by Verdcourt (1980). The Bambara groundnut originates from the continent of Africa and is generally cultivated in sub-Saharan Africa. The name Bambara originated from the Bambara district on the upper Niger (Hillocks et al, 2012). It goes by many different names in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) according to the country where it is grown and even the tribe growing it. Some common names include Congo groundnut, Congo goober, Madagascar groundnut, earth pea, baffin pea, njugo bean (South Africa), voandzou (Togo), Nzama Jugo bean (Malawi), indhlubu (Zimbabwe), nyimo beans, or ditloo in Southern Africa, and underground bean. In Brazil, it is called mandubi d’Angol. Bambara groundnut has long been referred to as a “poor man’s” crop and most commonly as a “women’s” crop because it was grown and tendered mainly by women to achieve food security for the family (Ntundu et al, 2006).
3. ORIGIN, DOMESTICATION, AND GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
Studies suggest that Bambara groundnut originated from the continent of Africa (Hepper, 1970), specifically from Timbuktu areas in central Mali, West Africa (Hillocks et al., 2012). However, the primary center of genetic diversity of Bambara groundnut is the northeastern region of Nigeria and northern Cameroon (Dalziel, 1937; Hepper, 1963) from where it spread across sub-Saharan Africa. A secondary center of diversity exists outside Africa and includes Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Philippines, and India (Rungnoi et al., 2012). It is culti