Cultivated yams are known to have less ramified and larger roots than wild yams. Remarkably, we found a contig homologous to a gene coding for a SCARECROW-LIKE protein. As demonstrated in Arabidopsis, this gene is a key player in root development [42, 43] and consequently may have been mobilized during yam domestication. We also pinpointed a contig homologous to an EIN4 gene. EIN4 is a receptor of ethylene  involved in growth regulation and many developmental processes including seed germination, leaf and flower senescence . At this stage, we do not know if this gene may affect root development itself or its above ground development.