Book Description

This report describes an approach to assess locations and areal expenses that have potential for the production of bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea L. Verdc) across the world. The methodology was applied both to regions such as Africa, where the crop is widely cultivated but where experimental evidence is limited, and to new regions that have not previously been associated with bambara groundnut but where environmental factors are conductive for productive growth. A weather generator and a crop simulation model of bambara groundnut (BAMnut) were incorporated into a Geographical Information System (GIS) to predict, for the first time, bambara groundnut production for the world. BAMnut is a process-based model that uses physiological principles to describe the capture and use of environmental resources principally solar radiation and soil moisture. This mechanistic approach allows crop growth and yield to be predicted for regions beyond those used in the development of the model or regions where bambara groundnut is currently cultivated. The preliminary identification of potentially suitable areas for production, based on the agro-ecological requirements of the crop, serve as a useful prelude to detailed field investigations on bambara groundnut to identify appropriate management practices and may provide a basis for a similar assessment on many other underutilized crops.--Publisher's description.