Bambara nut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc) is a nutritious legume, however, its production is characterised by use of landraces, which have been maintained by farmers. Lack of improved varieties has contributed to low yields. This research was done to identify potentially high yielding and farmers' preferred genotypes for improved production of Bambara in Malawi. A completely Randomised Block Design experiment with eight genotypes (181CR, 181RD, 194, 137CR, 137RD, 317, 2762 and 2768) and four replicates was implemented at Chitedze, Chitala and Mbawa Research Stations to identify high yielding genotypes. In addition to the yield, farmers' criteria based on plant vigour, ability to fully bury its pods in the ground (mounding), yield at harvest, maturity period, seed colour, grain size, taste of boiled dry grain and taste of fresh pods were used to identify farmers' preferred genotypes. Significant yield differences were identified between genotypes (P < 0.0001), sites (P < 0.001) and interaction between genotypes and sites (environment) (P < 0.001). Yield means across sites show that genotype 181CR yielded highly (1322 kg/ha) followed by 2768 (1066 kg/ha), 181RD (1064 kg/ha) and 2762 (841 kg/ha). In contrast to the high yielding genotypes, genotype 137RD gave the lowest yield (485 kg/ha) followed by 194 (573 kg/ha), 317 (617 kg/ha) and 137CR (620 kg/ha). Mbawa Research Station showed significantly high yields with site mean of 1177 kg/ha compared with Chitedze and Chitala with site means of 703 kg/ha and 530 kg/ha respectively. Farmers ranked the eight accessions in order of importance as follows: 181RD, 181CR, 2768, 137CR, 194, 137RD, 2762 and 317. Combination of yield and farmers' preference identified three genotypes (181RD, 181CR and 2768) as potential varieties for production in Malawi. Accessions 181RD and 2768 were specifically selected for relish unlike 181CR, which has been selected for use as snack. However, further research on nutrition, value addition and marketing needs to be conducted on the identified genotypes.

The national increase in human population in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) demands for more food; while increase in the impact of climate change, demands for resilient agricultural production systems, and both call for improved agricultural productivity. Plant breeders will need adaptive traits to improve crop productivity and resilience. Crop wild relatives (CWR) have the potential to offer the much needed diversity for crop improvement, but their diversity is inadequately conserved. Lack of knowledge about their occurrence in Malawi, limits their systematic conservation and utilisation. Developing a CWR national inventory helps to define conservation priorities and actions. The objective of this study was to match checklists of crop genera and national flora, using their taxonomic and genetic relatedness information. This resulted into the first comprehensive annotated checklist of 446 CWR taxa in Malawi, which was prioritised by a set of criteria previously agreed with national stakeholders based on socio-economic importance of the related crop, potential use of the wild relative in crop improvement and threat status. The inventory comprises of 277 CWR taxa, identified as priority for conservation in Malawi; of which 78% were native. These belong to 56 genera and are related to 54 food, fodder, spices and beverage crops; and include taxa related to crops of regional and global importance. Eighty-seven taxa of highest priority for conservation were further identified, 12.6% of which have confirmed uses in crop improvement on pests and disease resistance, drought tolerance and yielding ability. The inventory will facilitate effective conservation and availability of these taxa for their use in crop improvement. Key words: Annotated checklist, national inventory, systematic conservation

Bambara groundnut ( Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc) are a neglected and underutilized crop species that is in high demand among Sub-Saharan African smallholder farmers. Despite the high demand, there are no improved varieties available to smallholder farmers in Malawi. This study aimed at characterizing agro-morphological traits and identifying genetic diversity using Diversity Array Technologies Sequence Low Density (DArTseqLD) Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers in order to identify unique traits that can be used in germplasm discrimination for seed production and genomic variation for crop improvement. Forty germplasm were evaluated at the Crops and Soil Sciences Department's farm of Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Bunda College. From forty germplasm, 188 samples were selected for genotyping using DArTseqLD SNP markers. Data on agro-morphological traits were collected following Bambara groundnut descriptor and subjected to multivariate analysis. Principal Component Analysis revealed a total variation of 53%. The study generated 1048 DArTseqLD SNP markers. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed 84% and 13% variation among and within the Bambara groundnut germplasms respectively, 3% variations was observed among the populations. Cluster analysis based on genotypic data grouped the 188 samples into 9 clusters. Based on phenotypic and genotypic data, it can be concluded that there is a significant degree of variation and genetic diversity in the germplasm evaluated that can be used by farmers in seed production and plant breeders in crop improvement program.

Sound management of soil nutrients is critical for optimizing crop vegetative and reproductive development and realizing high yields in irrigated cropping systems. This paper discusses the work done in Africa and presents lessons from other parts of the world for improved nutrient management under irrigation. Considering the rising temperatures and erratic rainfall as a consequence of climatic change and depleted soil nutrients as a result of continuous cropping, this review offers remedial options for managing soil fertility while optimizing water use and crop yields. The paper intends to inform agricultural policy makers and help farmers and organizations in Africa to manage soil nutrient and water resources efficiently and achieve high yields. Importantly, this discussion should stimulate further research in nutrient and water management under varying ecological scenarios of southern Africa to provide a cogent basis for climate change adaptation interventions.