Table 4.
Major techniques applied to develop abiotic stress-tolerant African orphan crops.
| Technique | Improved trait | Crop | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding & genomics | |||
| Selection/screening | Soil acidity | Tef | [44] |
| Hybridization (intra- & interspecific) | Drought tolerance | NERICA rice | [45] |
| Mutation breeding | Diverse traits | Tef | [46] |
| Marker-assisted method | Drought tolerance | Pearl millet | [47] |
| TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genomes) | Several traits | Chickpea, millets, tef | [48, 49] |
| Agronomy & physiology | |||
| Conservation tillage | Drought tolerance | Sorghum and chickpea | [50] |
| Biochar application | Soil acidity tolerance; improved soil properties | Tef & other crops | [51, 52] |
| BBF (broad-beds & furrows) | Improved drainage | Faba bean and tef | [53] |
| SCI (System of Crop Intensification) | Several | Finger millet, tef, mustard | [54] |
| Plant hormones | Salt & cold tolerance | Several crops | [55, 56] |