Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Modeling Earth Systems and Environment https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-020-00973-w ORIGINAL ARTICLE Modelling current agro‑ecological zones for the cultivation of Dioscorea dumetorum (Kunth) Pax, a neglected and underutilized yam species in Benin (West Africa) D. S. J. C. Gbemavo 1,2  · Z. Assani 1  · R. Idohou 2  · J. Laly 1  · A. Gbaguidi 3  · A. Dansi 3 Received: 10 April 2020 / Accepted: 9 September 2020 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 Abstract Yam species (Dioscorea spp.) constitute important staple foods for local communities in Sub-Saharan in Africa. Among yam species, Dioscorea dumetorum (Kunth) Pax, commonly consumed, has been reported to be among the most nutritious and well-appreciated local resource although it remains neglected and underutilized species in Benin. Here, we combined occur- rence records and environmental data (bioclimatic and soil data) in ecological niche models to assess the suitable areas for the two locally acknowledged varieties of the species: the cultivated and the wild varieties. Results showed that the potential cultivable area of the cultivated variety is twofold, the one of the wild variety. Seven and fve of the eight agro-ecological zones of Benin are potentially suitable for the cultivation of the cultivated variety and the wild variety, respectively. Difer- ences in the two varieties of ranges could result from the adaptation of each variety to local conditions reinforced by intrinsic characteristics of each variety. These results constitute an important step towards scaling up the species valorization while developing conservation programs for both varieties. Further genetic investigation and feld experiments could shed light on the origin of the diferences between these two forms. Keywords Benin · Conservation · Domestication · Dioscorea dumetorum · Distribution Introduction Local people in Africa rely on a diversity of farm products for their basic diets. In Sub-Saharan Africa, food habits difer among residents but remains based on the cultural importance of resources and especially the diferent forms of use (Fathauer 1969). Yam (Dioscorea spp.) constitutes one of the highly consumed staple foods, in Africa by all social strata due to its uncontestable nutritional value and especially the diversity of uses. The species in the Dioscorea genus are basic diets for local communities of West, East and Central Africa and also from other regions of the world, such as Asia, South America and the Pacifc (Ferede et al. 2010). In total, 55 million tons of yams were produced in the West African countries (namely Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana) in 2013 (Cornet 2015). The pounded form of yams is sold in restaurants of all social strata in many parts of Africa. Several yam varieties exist among which some are wild and others enter the domes- tication process (semi-cultivated) and other are now fully cultivated. Dioscorea dumetorum is a highly nutritious semi- cultivated yam species (Lape and Trèche 1994; Agbor-Egbe and Trèche 1995) and belongs to the group of six most con- sumed and most traded yams species (Ezeocha and Okafor 2016) but rarely eaten compared to other types of yams. The species originates in Africa and belongs to the Dioscoreaceae family. It is recognizable through its trifoli- ate leaves and oval-shaped tubers grouped around a central * D. S. J. C. Gbemavo cgbemavo@yahoo.fr 1 Unité de Biostatistique et de Modélisation (UBM), Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Biosciences et Biotechnologies Appliquées (ENSBBA), Université Nationale des Sciences, Technologies, Ingénierie et Mathématiques (UNSTIM), BP 14, Dassa-Zoumé, Benin 2 Laboratoire de Biomathématiques et d’Estimations Forestières, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 04 BP 1525 Cotonou, Benin 3 Laboratoire des Biotechnologies, Ressources génétiques et Amélioration des Espèces Animales et Végétales (BIORAVE), Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Biosciences et Biotechnologies Appliquées (ENSBBA), Université Nationale des Sciences, Technologies, Ingénierie et Mathématiques (UNSTIM), BP 14, Dassa-Zoumé, Benin