Bibliometric analysis of plant breeding research in Africa

Plant breeding involves the utilization of various techniques to develop superior crop varieties with desirable characteristics, including higher yield and improved quality, such as better taste, aroma, texture, and nutrient content, as well as resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. A bibliometric analysis was conducted to assess the global status, focal points, and trends in plant breeding research in Africa over the past two decades. Using VOSviewer and the Bibliometrix R package, this study examined 1682 documents indexed in the Scopus database from 2000 to 2023. The findings revealed a consistent increase in the number of published articles in this field from 2014 to 2022. South Africa emerged as the leading African country, while the USA stood out as the leading international collaborator on plant breeding research in Africa. “Theoretical and Applied Genetics” and “Prasanna BM” emerged as the most impactful source and author in African plant breeding research. Keywords such as “genetics,” “genotype,” “phenotype,” “genetic variation,” “genetic marker,” “single nucleotide polymorphism,” and “quantitative trait locus” were most commonly used in plant breeding research in Africa. CRISPR/Cas9 technology emerged as a current trend in African plant breeding research. Monitoring hotspots and frontiers in plant breeding research is essential for understanding the key directions for future research. These results offer valuable insights into the trajectory of plant breeding research in Africa and provide researchers with useful guidance for future exploration of this domain.