Ensete ventricosum: A Systematic Review of Its Biogenetic Framework as a Model for Climate-Resilient Perennial Crops.

Abstract

<title>Abstract</title> Background Climate change poses unprecedented threats to global food security, necessitating the diversification of agricultural systems toward resilient, underutilized crops. <italic>Ensete ventricosum</italic> (enset), a perennial, starch-storing staple supporting approximately 20 million people in the Ethiopian highlands, is renowned for its legendary resilience to drought, poor soils, and temperature fluctuations. However, the genetic, genomic, and physiological mechanisms underpinning this resilience remain synthetically unexplored, limiting its potential as a model for climate-smart crop development. Objective This systematic review synthesizes and critically evaluates the current body of knowledge on the biogenetic foundations of enset's resilience. We aim to construct an integrated framework that positions enset not merely as a regional food source, but as a pre-adapted model system for perennial, climate-resilient agriculture. Methods Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we conducted a systematic search across seven major databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, AGRICOLA, CAB Abstracts, Google Scholar, ProQuest Dissertations) for literature published between January 2000 and March 2024. From 1,268 screened records, 68 studies met the inclusion criteria for qualitative synthesis. Data were extracted and analyzed thematically across four domains: (1) physiological adaptations, (2) genomic architecture and diversity, (3) molecular mechanisms of key traits, and (4) comparative biology. Results Enset's resilience emerges from a synergistic integration of unique adaptations. Physiologically, it employs facultative CAM-idling for drought tolerance, forms a specific mycorrhizal symbiosis with <italic>Funneliformis mosseae</italic> for enhanced phosphorus acquisition, and utilizes a bimodal carbon storage system (starch and fructans) in its massive corm. Genomically, the species maintains moderate diversity despite clonal propagation (He = 0.18–0.28), with strong domestication signatures on genes controlling corm gigantism ( <italic>SUS2</italic> , <italic>GBSSI</italic> ), delayed flowering ( <italic>FT</italic> repression), and reduced cyanogenesis ( <italic>CYP79D1</italic> ). Molecularly, omics studies reveal phased transcriptional responses to stress, intricate hormonal control of corm development, and a robust florigen repression system. Comparatively, enset represents a divergent domestication trajectory from its relative <italic>Musa</italic> (banana), targeting vegetative storage over fruit production, offering a blueprint for perennial staple crop design. Conclusion <italic>Ensete ventricosum</italic> embodies a coherent "biogenetic resilience framework" integrating perennial storage, stress-responsive physiology, efficient symbiosis, and delayed reproduction. This framework positions enset as a powerful model system for understanding and engineering climate resilience in crops. We identify critical research gaps, including the need for a telomere-to-telomere genome assembly, a functional transformation system, and quantification of CAM contribution, and propose a targeted roadmap for future research. Translating enset's biological lessons offers a viable strategy for developing sustainable, perennial agricultural systems capable of withstanding the challenges of a changing climate. Investment in enset research is an investment in a archetype of climate-resilient agriculture with global relevance.