Objective
This multidisciplinary research programme will link field experiments in Botswana and Tanzania with controlled-environment experiments and analysis at the Universities of Nottingham and Wageningen. Within three years the project will assess the food potential of bambara groundnut, an under-utilized legume crop indigenous to Africa.
Contrasting field sites in Botswana and Tanzania will provide a range of rainfall and soil environments in which the growth, development and yield of bambara groundnut genotypes will be measured over three field seasons. Results from the field experiments in Africa will be combined with research at Nottingham and Wageningen to develop a robust model of bambara groundnut. A preliminary version of the model will be produced within the first year of the project and during the second year, data from the field experiments will be incorporated in order to refine and adjust the model. Data from the final field season will be used to test whether the model can reasonably predict the yields of contrasting bambara groundnut genotypes in different tropical regions. The model will also determine the sensitivity of yield to genetic and environmental factors.
The project will identify agroclimatic regions, sustainable agronomic strategies which do not require high levels of fertilizers and pesticides, and research priorities for bambara groundnut.
The experience gained and the research procedures followed during the project will be used to develop a general methodology for assessing the potential of a wide range of under-utilized crops. In addition, the project will train scientists from two African institutions and thus help to strengthen the agricultural research capacity of these developing countries.
Fields of science
Topic(s)
Data not availableCall for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
LE12 5RD Loughborough
United Kingdom