THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE CULTIVATED FORMS OF VIGNA SINENSIS

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Abstract
Evidence is presented to support the West or Central African as opposed to the Indian origin of Vigna sinensis. Besides some support from the literature, this evidence includes the following facts: of 170 Vigna species 120 are found in tropical Africa and only 22 on the Indian subcontinent and in Southeast Asia; crossing studies involving several Vigna species proposed as wild prototypes of cultivated_V. sinensis pointed to wild V. sinensis as the only possible direct wild prototype of those studied; wild V. sinensis has only been reported from West and Central Africa; wild was shown not to be an escape from cultivation; and several seed coat colors and patterns are found only in West and Central Africa. Furthermore, from comparisons between West African and Indian cultivars it is proposed that Vigna sinensis was originally domesticated in West or Central Africa as common cultivated V. sinensis and that through the centuries this crop has been taken to the Indian subcontinent by traders. On the Indian subcontinent the forage type var. cylindrica and the snap bean type var. sesquipedalis have been selected from common African V. sinensis. It was not possible in the present study to determine the actual center of origin of this crop in West or Central Africa.

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