Research Trends In Horticultural Crops In Malawi - Crop And Weed

Khonje[CMD], cassava brown streak [CBSD] and cassavabacterial blight [CBB]), pests (cassava green mite[CGM] and cassava mealy bug [CM]) and foracceptable root characteristics. One hundred and ninetytwo (192) plants, 187 white/cream fleshed and 5 yellowfleshed, were selected for furtherevaluation/multiplication (Mtauruhunga and Moyo,2013).way off this poverty treadmill. Sweet potato (Ipomoeabatatas) which is grown across the country is one of thealternative and important food security crops. TheDepartment of Agricultural Research Services (DARS),Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security isresponsible for sweet potato improvement in thecountry. Promoting genetic diversity in crops isimportant as it provides insurance againstunforeseeable changes in the environment and tomaintain genetic progress. The sweet potato breedingprogram is therefore mandated to develop varieties thatgive high and stable yields per unit area and time. In2010 DARS received an Alliance for a GreenRevolution in Africa (AGRA) grant on 'Sweet potatobreeding in Malawi. The aim of this project was todevelop improved varieties of the required preferenceand nutritional attributes for increased productivity andcontribution to human nutrition. The activities of theproject in the three years included populationdevelopment in a crossing block, adaptation trials andfast track evaluation and participatory selection ofgenotypes (Chipungu et al., 2013). By 2011, five orangeand two white fleshed sweet potato varieties werereleased for production. DARS received more fundingfrom International Potato Centre (CIP) andIITA/SARRNET to contribute to variety development.CIP also facilitated germplasm exchange andinteraction among National Agricultural ResearchSystems (NARS). Semusa, Mugamba and Salera aresome of the varieties that were introduced as clones,evaluated and released in the country with thefacilitation of CIP. Sweet potato scientists in the regionare networking and therefore exchanging information.A series of sweet potato breeding trials wereimplemented in the 2012/13 growing season in variouson-station and on-farm sites. The first experiment was aseedling nursery where a total of 16,000 true seeds thatoriginated from Bvumbwe Crossing Block andintroductions from Mozambique were planted atBvumbwe Research Station on 1st February 2013. Inparallel, orange and white fleshed clonal trials nurserieswere planted separately containing selections from2011-12 seedling nursery at Bvumbwe ResearchStation. Clones were screened against undesirablebelow and above ground morphological andorganoleptic traits. Entries were also screened forresistance against sweet potato virus and alternariadiseases. At harvest, only 60 clones (26 orange and 34white) were selected from the seedling nursery(Chipungu et al., 2013).Yellow-fleshed cassava can significantlycontribute to provision of cheap sources of carotenoids.Several yellow-fleshed clones have been introduced inthe past in Southern Africa but most of them taste bitterand watery, making them not suitable for snack and thefresh market. There is need therefore to continuebreeding and selecting for sweet yellow fleshedvarieties, high in beta carotene and dry matter content.Ntauruhunga and Moyo (2013) evaluated a total of 204yellow root cassava clones in 2011-12in a clonalevaluation trial at Chitedze Research Station for rootbeta carotene content and other agronomic attributes(reaction to diseases and pests, root yield, DM contentand taste). 131 clones were selected for furtherevaluation in 2012-13. Still in 2012 cropping seasonNtauruhunga and Moyo (2013) evaluated a total of 88and 70 cassava genotypes for droughttolerance/resistance at Chitala in the lakeshore area andNgabu in the Shire Valley under natural conditions.Three improved varieties of cassava (Sagonja[CH92/082], Chiombola [TME 6] and Mpale[NDL90/34]) and one recommended local(Mbundumali) cassava varieties are under evaluationalongside farmers' own local varieties in 2012/13cropping season in Nkhata Bay (40 sites) and Lilongwe(11 sites) districts in a participatory variety selectionapproach (PVSA) (Ntauruhunga and Moyo, 2013).IITA Malawi plans to continue with cassava breedingprogrammes in 2014 with trials in nursery seedlingscreening for major diseases and pests in cassava.Preliminary trials for the white/cream fleshed clones,the yellow fleshed clones and introducing the 2011screened clones through the PVS approach and seedlingmultiplication.Sweet potato breedingCrop diversification provides an option tomaize in the existing situation of recurrent droughts anderratic rainfall patterns that the country has experiencedin recent years. Diversification of crops rather thanincreased maize production has been proposed to be theJ. Crop and Weed, 9(2)15

Horticultural research .in MalawiThe second set of trials were three preliminaryyield trials namely orange, white fleshed clones andintroduced varieties from Mozambique implemented atBvumbwe, Makoka and Chitala Research Stations toevaluate selected materials from 2011-12 clonal trialand the introductions. Trial entries were subjected topreliminary yield and yield components assessment inaddition to pests and disease tolerance/resistance andother morphological traits. 36 orange fleshed clones and20 white fleshed clones were selected. The selectedclones will be further evaluated in multi-locationAdvanced Yield Trials both on stations and on farms(Chipungu et al. 2013).varieties introduced from breeding programmes fromCIP-Peru, CIP-Kenya, Argentina and Scotland varietieswith the aim of identifying high yielding varieties whichare also tolerant to major diseases and insect pests thatare adaptable to local environmental conditions. Out ofthe 29 testing clones evaluated, 15 clones recordedhigher yields. Mwenye et al. (2013) suggest that there isneed for bulking seed tubers for further multi-locationevaluation trials.Mwenye et al. (2013) conducted twoexperiments concurrently at two research stations in the2012-13 to determine the effect of spacing on tuberyield and size distribution for table potato. The spacingof 60X15cm giving higher yields of 30mm tuber sizegrades, such sizes are considered non marketable intable and processing sectors, which requires large tomedium size potato tuber. However, the spacing of100X20 cm was optimum for seed potato productionsince the objective is to maximize yields while limitingtuber development to the smaller sizes (Mwenye et al.,2013).Cocoyam germplasm evaluationIn Malawi, cocoyams (Xanthosomasagittifolium) are mainly grown in the northern regionbut the cultivation is very low because so muchemphasis was put on maize growing and all the otherfood crops were neglected. However, with the recurrentdroughts in recent years and increase in farm inputprices especially fertilizer, the government has noalternative but to look back at indigenous resources.Although cocoyams are not popular there is a lot ofgermplasm, this was evidenced by the number ofaccessions that were collected in 2007 during a countrywide roots and tubers collection exercise.Potato breedingThe low supply and poor quality of potatoproduced in the country has led to imports of fresh Irishpotato and potato crisps from neighbouring countries.In 2006, CIP, in collaboration with DARS, UniversalIndustries Limited (UIL), Concern Universal (CU),Plan International, Department of AgriculturalExtension Services (DAES) and other potatostakeholders, began carrying out activities aimed atimproving productivity and farmers' incomes. Withfunding from the Irish Aid, project partnersimplemented a Potato phase I project from August 2007to May 2012, that focused on developing and makingavailable to Malawian farmers improved potatotechnologies needed for increased crop productivity toimprove food security and incomes to farmers.Potato (Solanum tuberosum L) is an importantfood and cash crop in Malawi. There is great demand forquality potato suitable for different end uses such ascrisps, french fries, boiled mashed and even saladproducts. Despite the favourable climatic conditionsthat favour the production of irish potatoes, yields andquality of potato obtained by farmers from locallygrown cultivars are relatively low due to poor qualityplanting materials among other production constraints(Demo et al., 2013). In a series of field trials on stationand on farm, under rain-fed conditions Mwenye et al.(2013) evaluated CIP derived potato clones andThe Potato Phase II project (2012-2016),currently in its second year (April 2013-March 2014),seeks to reach 45,000 small farmers with improved seedand other potato production technologies, to doubleproductivity among 15,000 direct beneficiaries, andimprove their incomes through access to new highyielding improved varieties, and effective marketlinkages. CIP, DARS and partners aim to provide newpotato varieties to farmers. In trying to achieve theseobjectives two independent experiments were set upeach at Bvumbwe Research Station using sandponicsand aeroponics facilities. Plant materials for theChitete et al. (2013) conducted an on stationpreliminary evaluation of ten local cocoyam germplasmin 2011-12 with the objective of evaluating theperformance of local cocoyam germplasm for yield, andresistance/tolerance to major pests and diseases at asingle station, they need to be evaluated in more thantwo sites depending upon availability of plantingmaterials.J. Crop and Weed, 9(2)16

Khonjeexperiment were sub cultured for multiplication in theplant tissue culture laboratory for six weeks. The invitro produced plantlets were then used in sandponicsand aeroponics facilities. One potato variety 'Thandizo'is being subjected to five variable nutrients solutionswhere 40 plantlets were planted per sandponic box. Twopotato varieties “Thandizo and Zikomo” are beingsubjected to two nutrient solution levels in anaeroponics facility and that data collection is in progressin both experiments (Chiipanthenga et al., 2013; Demoet al., 2013).2008). However, no work was done in breeding newvegetable varieties. Over time these varieties havefallen behind in yield and resistance to pests anddiseases. Recent research has produced new superiortomato varieties (such as Romitel, Rodade andMbambande). Some high yielding varieties of onions,cabbages and sweet corn have also been released (Sakaet al., 2006; Daudi and Mwenda 2008).But according toChipungu et al., 2013 there is very little research beingdone in the main line exotic vegetables. On the otherhand Lilongwe University of Agriculture and NaturalResources do conduct some research in exoticvegetables through students' final year projects.In Malawi potato production is limited tospecific cool areas since potato is particularlyvulnerable to high temperatures due to its narrowproduction "window": it needs mean daily temperaturesof 18-20 C and night-time temperatures less than 15 C.However, CIP potato breeding programme hasspecifically bred for heat and drought tolerance, highyielding, early maturity varieties which are alsotolerance to late blight. Chipungu et al. (2013) haveproposed a research project where 30 heat and droughttolerant potato clones derived from CIP-Peru breedingprogramme will be evaluated on-station underirrigation from 2013-14 growing season. After twoyears the promising clones will be tried both on-stationand on-farm locations of the different agro-ecologicalzones under rain fed and irrigated conditions. This willexpand potato growing sites to the non traditionalgrowing area under rain fed and irrigation conditions(Chipungu et al., 2013).Seed production has been a big challenge forthe Department of Agricultural Research Servicesbecause of financial constraints; as such the countryrelies on imported seed. The Asian Vegetable Researchand Development Centre(AVRDC), the ChineseAgricultural Mission, The JICA project, the Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO) project, InternationalVegetable Centre have assisted the Department inproviding vegetable seed for research and developingvegetable production technologies for small vegetablefarmers.Capsicum / sweet pepperChiipanthenga et al., (2013) evaluated ninelines of sweet pepper, (Capsicum annum L),eight ofwhich were from AVRDC and one as a check fromMalawi, to determine yield performance under Malawiconditions and to isolate sweet pepper lines that couldbe recommended for use by small farmers. Theevaluation was undertaken over three growing seasons2007-2008, 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 seasons at tworesearch stations and at some selected farmers' fields.Lines 0137-7034, PBC-271, 0137-7048 and 7852-190,outperformed other tested lines in terms of yield, fruitsize, days to flowering, and disease resistance and lines7852-190, 0137-7034 and PBC-271 are more liked byfarmers. During the 2007-2008, 2011-2012 and 20122013 growing seasons Chiipanthenga et al. (2013) alsoconducted field trials at the four DARS research stationsand some selected farmers' fields (on farm) to evaluatethe effect of moisture regimes on the yield of chillies /hot pepper (Capsicum frutescens). The objectives ofthese trials were to isolate hot pepper lines that could berecommended for irrigation production and rain-fedproduction. Five hot pepper lines of ICPN 15 fromTaiwan and three irrigation levels were used to evaluateResearch trends in vegetable productionExotic vegetablesVegetable research in Malawi was pioneeredby Andrew Spurling, a horticulturist who was based atBvumbwe Agricultural Research Station in the 1970s.The Department of Agricultural Research, at itsBvumbwe Research Station basically concentrates onexotic vegetables. Cabbage, tomato, brussels sprouts,chinese cabbage, celery, carrot, eggplant, okra, andasparagus are some of the varieties of vegetables thathave been released to farmers. The research that wasdone at Bvumbwe concentrated on variety screening,plant populations, spacing, pests and pathogens,fertilizer use, heat tolerance and storage. The researchproduced specific recommendations for fertilizer rates,irrigation regimes, time of planting, plant populations,and pesticide formulations for specific varieties(Spurling, 1972; DARS, 1998, Daudiand Mwenda,J. Crop and Weed, 9(2)17

Horticultural research .in Malawiyield performance of hot pepper lines under irrigationsystem and rainfall to improve the yield of hot pepperproduction in Malawi. Chiipanthenga et al. (2013)found that lines 0337-7545,0337-7065 and 9852-173outperformed in terms of yield, fruit size, days toflowering, water use efficiency and disease resistanceboth in rain fed and irrigation. Lines 9955-15 and 03377545 were more liked (hot and good flavour) comparedto others. Line 9955-15 gave higher yields underrainfall. It was also found that applying water to hotpepper every 5 days (100% ET) was more efficient andeconomical than applying either at every two (2) days(150% ET) or ten (10) days (50% ET).spices, production trends in the country have been onthe decline. Today as people travel and mix with othercultures in the world, the influence of spicy food in thecountry is being observed. Efforts are thus being madeto collect and name different varieties of some spicesthat are found in the country. It was for this reason thatMwamlima (2013) designed a project to collect,evaluate, characterize, multiply and conservegermplasm of major spices that are found in Malawi;some of which are pepper (Piper nigrum), ginger(Zingiber officinale), turmeric (Curcuma domestica),cardamoms (Ellettaria cardamomum), cinnamon(Cinnamomum verum), annatto (Bixa orellana) andlemon grass (Gymbopogon citratus).Paprika (Capsicum annuum L.)Indigenous vegetablesAs Malawi is looking for alternative crops thatwould contribute to its economy, paprika is beingtreated as a strong candidate for diversifying exportcrops. However, low paprika output in Malawi isattributed, among other factors, to over reliance on rainfed production. Mwamlima et al. (2013) conductedtrials at two DARS research stations, Nchenachena andKasinthula during winter of 2012 and 2013 season toevaluate the performance of released and promisingpaprika varieties under irrigation. Seven paprikavarieties namely Papri Queen, Papri Royal, Papri Ace,CPS 125, Excel, Brin 3 and Mantenga were used, theresults showed that Brin 3 gave the highest yield at bothresearch station.Indigenous vegetables (IVs) in Malawi play avery important role in the local diet of rural and periurban communities as they contribute greatly byproviding essential nutrients for growth and preventionof nutritional deficiency diseases. Rural familiestraditionally have made conscious efforts to preserveindigenous vegetables around their homesteads, in cropfields and communal lands as orphan plants. Theavailability of indigenous vegetables has declineddrastically because of excessive cultivation of fieldcrops and habitat change, including deforestation andthe perception that indigenous vegetables are inferior toexotic vegetables. This has been exacerbated by a lackof major research and extension efforts to improve theirhusbandry and promote these species (Mwase 2010;kwapata and Maliro,1997;Thomoand Kwapata, 1984).GarlicThe local varieties of garlic (Allium sativum)grown by the farmers are not well known by the researchdepartment. A trial of garlic cultivars that are currentlygrown in the country was conducted by Chiipanthengaet al. (2013). The trial also evaluated garlic lines foryield, quality and disease resistance. The germplasmswere collected at Ntcheu, Dedza, Chikwawa andThyolo which are the areas where garlic is grown inMalawi. A total number of 18 accessions were collected.These accessions have been multiplied at KasinthulaResearch station for characterization (Chiipanthenga etal., 2013).Bunda College, which is now called LilongweUniversity of Agriculture and Natural Resources(LUANAR) was a constituent college of the Universityof Malawi, was mandated to carry out research inindigenous vegetables (Kwapata, M. B. and Maliro, M.F, 1997; Thomo and Kwapata, 1984; Daudiand.Mwenda, 2008).Thomo and Kwapata (1984) conducted asurvey of indigenous vegetables in the area aroundBunda College. After this survey a project documentwas prepared and submitted to World Bank for fundingunder a contract agreement with Ministry ofAgriculture. The objective of the project was toconserve the diverse germplasm of indigenousvegetables found in Malawi. The outcome of thisresearch project was a compilation of over 20SpicesMalawi's staple diet is not spicy, as a resultthere is limited knowledge amongst researchers andfarmers on the different types of spices. This coupledwith the unavailability of improved seed of most of theJ. Crop and Weed, 9(2)18

KhonjeManihot esculenta Crantz (Cassava) Plants, with tubers (inset)Sweet Potato(White)Sweet Potato(Yellow)J. Crop and Weed, 9(2)19

Horticultural research .in MalawiPotato PlatsUapaca kirkianaZiziphus mauritianaJ. Crop and Weed, 9(2)20

Khonjeindigenous vegetables that are found in all climaticzones of Malawi, some of which are Corchorustrilocularis, Cucurbita maxima, Cleome gynandra(Gynandropsis gynandra), Amaranthus lividus,Capsicum spp., Bidens pilosa, Adenia cissampeloides,Hibiscus physaloides, Afzelia quanzensis and'mukokwa' (Kwapata and Maliro, 1997; Kwapata andDawa, 2008).MasturdDuring 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 cropgrowing seasons Malidadi et al. (2013) evaluated neweight Ethiopian mustard (Brassica cariryata) lines fromThe World Vegetable Centre (AVRDC)-RegionalCentre for Africa for leaf yield and quality against onecheck local variety 'Kamganje'. The evaluation wasdone at Bvumbwe and Kasinthula Research Stationsunder rain fed and irrigated conditions. The resultsshowed that some of the new Ethiopian lines outyielded the local variety but the investigatorrecommends that more evaluations need to beconducted before coming up with conclusive results(Malidadi et al., 2013).Kwapata and Maliro (1997) implemented along term research project at Bunda College ofAgriculture which was aimed at improving the status ofindigenous vegetables in Malawi, and it involvedcollecting and cataloguing indigenous vegetablegermplasm and developing production technologies foradoption by small farmers. Presently local farmers arebuying IV seeds produced under this project.Research trends in fruit productionCashewnutThe cashew nut (Anacardium occidentale L) isan important nut crop that provides food, employment,income and shade. However, the Malawi cashew nutindustry is dominated by the estate sector with very littleparticipation by the small farmers. The industry, ofwhich its research is in infancy programme, is indesperate need to reverse the declining trend in cashewproduction especially for the benefit of small farmers.Although research on indigenous vegetables issupposed to be done by Bunda College sometimes dueto donor's requirements some research on IVs has beendone by DARS. Between 2006 and 2009, Chilanga et al.(2008) carried out multilocation trials in a researchproject which was aimed at selecting superiorgenotypes and characterizing germplasm on variousneglected indigenous vegetable crops wheredocumentation of growth habit, harvesting frequenciesand leaf and seed yields was done (Chilanga et al.,2008). Seeds for eight indigenous varieties wereobtained from the World Vegetable Centre (AVRDC)and they were evaluated in the different agro-ecologicalzones of Malawi under irrigation and rainfall regimes.In the period between June 2007 and August2008, Chipojola et al. (2009) conducted a study where40 accessions of cashew collected from 4 populations,were characterized for genetic diversity andrelationship using quantitative and qualitative traits.The results revealed similarity values between 35 to66%. The study showed existence of potential geneticbase that could be used to improve production ofcashew in Malawi. However, to confirm whether thevariation is genetic in nature, there is need tocharacterize the four populations using molecularmarkers such as amplified fragment lengthpolymorphism (A

A major constraint in the root and tuber crop development is inadequate supply of sweet potato vines and cassava stalks that could be distributed for multiplication to the small farmers. The major donor agents and some NGOs have embarked on programmes to multiply and distribute cassava cuttings and sweet potato vines.