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Helen Asemota(nee Obasuyi)
PhD (University of Benin, 1990)

Professor (Biochemistry)

E-mail: hasemota@uwimona.edu.jm


Research Interest:
         BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY OF YAMS

Prof. Asemota and her research group are engaged in research activities directed at the improvement of production, quality and storage of some tropical crops using biotechnology tools. The current focus is on some roots and tuber crops of economic importance/potential such as yams (Dioscorea sp.), dasheen (Colocasia esculenta) and cocoyam (Xanthosoma sp.). The following areas have been addressed to varying extent:

  • Rapid clonal propagation of yams (Dioscorea spp.) and yam germplasm conservation using tissue culture techniques. Biochemical, physiological and environmental factors affecting the Lab to field transfer of in vitro derived plantlets.
  • Study of biodiversity and genetic relatedness among yams (Dioscorea sp.), dasheen (Colocasia sp.) and cocoyams (Xanthosoma sp) using PCR-based DNA fingerprinting techniques. Molecular characterization of the common leaf blight disease in dasheen.
  • Molecular changes associated with developmental processes in yam, focussing on in vitro tuberization and salinity stress.
  • Studies on antinutritional factors in tuber crops. Assessment of some natural products in different yams.
  • Studies on the metabolic effects of consumption of extracts of some tropical tuber crops in rat models under normal and disease conditions.
  • Postharvest biochemistry and physiology of tropical roots and tuber crops.
    Protoplasts culture and transient gene expression studies in yam and dashseen.

Selected publications:

  • Kahl, G., Ramser, J., Terauchi, R., Lopez-Peralta, C., Asemota, H. N. and Weising, K. (1997). Combined amplification and hybridization techniques for genome scanning in vegetatively propagated crops. In: Use of novel DNA fingerprinting techniques for the detection and characterization of genetic variation in vegetatively propagated crops. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) IAEA-TECDOC-1047, 21-34pp.
  • Grindley, P. B., Felix O. Omoruyi., Helen N. Asemota and Errol Y. Morrison. Effects of Yam (Dioscorea cayenensis) and Dasheen ( Colocassia esculenta ) extracts on the kidney of streptozotocin - induced diabetic rats. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition 52.5 (2001): 429 -33.
  • Grindley, P. B., Felix O. Omoruyi., Helen N. Asemota and Errol Y. Morrison. Carbohydrate digestion and intestinal ATPases in streptozotocin - induced diabetic rats feed extract of Yam ( Dioscorea cayenesis ) or Dasheen ( Colocassia esculenta ). Nutrition Research.. 22.3 (2001): 333 - 41.
  • Wheatley, Andrew O., Helen N. Asemota and Errol Y. Morrison. Glycaemic Index: Not all carbohydrates are created equal [Abstract]. West Indian Medical Journal 51.Suppl. 1 (2002): 60.
  • Marie A. McAnuff, Felix O. Omoruyi, Errol Y. St. A Morrison and Helen N. Asemota. Plasma and liver lipid distributions in streptozotocin - induced diabetic rats fed sapogenin extract of the Jamaican bitter yam ( Dioscorea polygonoides ). Nutrition Research 22: (13) 1427 -34.(2002)

Postgraduate Students:

  • Felix Omoruyi (Research Fellow)
  • K. Lobban
  • M. McAnuff
  • C. Riley
  • L. Dilworth
  • S. Earle-Barret
  • M. Powell
  • P. Bahado-Singh

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