Our Story
This network is built on trust and sharing for the benefit of everyone.
The Groundnut Improvement Network for Africa started as an informal group of like-minded groundnut breeders from across Africa who shared information and supported one another. Connected by common challenges and opportunities created by the sequencing of the groundnut genome, the group started an ambitious project in 2018 to find, evaluate and use the genetic diversity across the continent to create varieties resistant to some of the most challenging problems in their regions.
Members of the network compiled hundreds of lines grown across the continent and extracted DNA, which was sent to the U.S. for genotyping. After selecting a core collection of 300 lines that represent the diversity of groundnut in Africa, GINA members phenotyped the most promising lines from the pan-Africa collection in their own countries. In more than 25 trials across the continent, GINA members have found new sources of disease resistence and climate-change adaptability. New varieties have been introduced and more are in the pipeline that include the genetic strength farmers need, processing traits that product manufacturers require and nutritional benefits that consumers demand.
By leveraging modern genomics tools and sharing knowledge and germplasm, the network continues to grow in knowledge and impact.
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2018
Coming together
Breeders adopt a common software platform, Breeding Management System (BMS) to assist with standardization, analysis and sharing of data and local knowledge.
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2019
Sharing seed
Each of 10 programs submit the best lines from their country, compiling nearly 1,200 accessions from across the continent.
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2020
Mining genetics
Varieties are genotyped using latest genomic methods and a core collection of 300 identified.
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July 2020
Conducting trials
The core set is returned to each member country, where breeders begin multi-location field trials across the continent.
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2021
Sharing lines
Lines found to have valuable traits are shared across the network, and because phenotyping is standardized, all breeders and technicians are speaking the same language.
