Spotlighting Underutilized and Climate-Resilient Roots, Tubers, and Banana Crops for Sustainable Food Systems

Roots, tubers, and bananas (RTBs)—including cassava, yam, potato, sweetpotato, banana/plantain, taro, cocoyam, and a diversity of indigenous and underutilized species—play a foundational role in food systems across tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Their strong adaptive capacity to heat, drought, marginal soils, and extreme climate variability makes them central to climate-resilient agriculture and essential for advancing food sovereignty, nutrition security, and poverty alleviation. Yet many RTB crops remain underutilized or insufficiently prioritized in research and breeding efforts, and their potential is constrained by slow genetic gains, disease pressure, and limited availability of quality planting materials.This Research Topic highlights advances and gaps in breeding, genetic resources, seed systems, and trait improvement that enable the development of high-performing, climate-resilient RTB varieties. We welcome contributions employing both traditional and cutting-edge breeding approaches. Research focused on rapid seed multiplication, virus elimination, tissue culture innovations, and digital tools for seed traceability is particularly encouraged, given their central role in accelerating the delivery of improved varieties to farmers. Recognizing that breeding success depends on adoption and real-world performance, this collection also welcomes interdisciplinary submissions connecting breeding outputs to agronomy, value chains, farmer preferences, nutritional needs, and policy frameworks. Collectively, this Research Topic aims to demonstrate how improved RTB varieties—supported by efficient delivery systems—can strengthen resilience, dietary diversity, and livelihoods across climate-vulnerable regions. Topic editors: Jean Mubalama Mondo, Williams Esuma, Asrat Asfaw, Jude Ejikeme Obidiegwu Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/76374/spotlighting-underutilized-and-climate-resilient-roots-tubers-and-banana-crops-for-sustainable-food-systems