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Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) are important food crops across Sub-Saharan Africa. In Zambia, common bean and cowpea yields are typically lower than potential yields due to the impact of plant diseases and invertebrate pests. Black bean aphid (Aphis...

Comparatively, Zambian smallholder cassava productivity is low. Zambian farmers produce 6 ton ha-1 , compared to 20–25 ton ha-1 in Zambia. Therefore, understanding smallholder farmers' poor yields is necessary to develop cassava cropping systems for yield intensification. In this study, field...

Aluminum (Al) toxicity in acidic soils is a major constraint to common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) production. The genetic architecture of Al toxicity resistance in common bean is not well understood. The objective of this study was to identify the quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance to...

Crop rotation is known to affect the physical, chemical and biological soil properties. This farming system has shown to be effective at reducing the farmers’ costs while increasing the yields in the long run and improving the fertility of their land. This study investigated selected crop...

The problem of drought and erratic rainfall, coupled with crop genotypes (both local and improved varieties) with low water utilisation efficiencies, are major contributors to low productivity of most crops. The poor agricultural productivity among the farming community results in poverty and...

Soil acidity is a major constraint to crop productivity and lime, the primary amendment, is seldom effective when applied alone and it is not easily accessed by resource-poor farmers. Organic residues around the farm are seldom used as soil amendments. This study was conducted at the University...

Maize is a major staple food crop widely grown in Zambia. Low soil fertility and high cost of chemical fertilizers are some of the major factors limiting maize productivity. The use and integration of legume green manure species in the cropping system is an important alternative to inorganic...

The status of selected minerals in soil, plants and goat plasma in Siavonga district of Zambia was evaluated in the rainy, cold dry and the hot dry seasons between November 2009 and June 2010. Samples were collected in November 2009 (late hot dry season), February 2010 (rainy season) and June...