Recurrent evolution of cryptic triploids in cultivated enset linked to higher yield

Researchers led by Yann Dussert, James S. Borrell, and colleagues, publishing in PLOS Genetics, have investigated the occurrence and significance of triploidy in cultivated enset (Ensete ventricosum), a major food-security crop in Ethiopia. Enset is a close relative of banana and provides a staple starchy food for tens of millions of people in the Horn of Africa.

The study finds evidence that triploid enset plants — those with three sets of chromosomes rather than the standard two (a condition known as polyploidy) — have evolved recurrently within cultivated populations and are associated with increased yield. Critically, the authors argue that traditional horticulturalists appear to have selected for these triploid forms based on their desirable agronomic traits, including yield and possibly robustness, without requiring knowledge of the cytogenetic mechanism responsible.

The findings contribute to a broader understanding of how polyploidy — extremely common among crop plants — may have been driven by domestication processes worldwide. The collaborative team includes researchers from institutions including the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, and draws on genomic and horticultural data from Ethiopian communities.

This work is of primary relevance to plant geneticists, crop scientists, and evolutionary biologists. It also provides an instructive case study for educators and students exploring polyploidy, domestication genetics, and the relationship between phenotypic selection and genomic change.