New cowpea seeds for Namibia

ELLANIE SMIT WINDHOEK New cowpea seed varieties will be gazetted and released by the agriculture ministry as soon as their local names are finalised. The government, through the ministry and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), under the Joint FAO/IAEA Technical Cooperation in 2009, initiated a collaborative research project, NAM5009, on induced mutation breeding. This project was implemented from the 2009/10 to 2016/17 cropping seasons by the Directorate of Agricultural Research and Development at three of the ministerial crop research stations.These were Bangani, Mannheim and Omahenene in the Kavango East, Oshikoto and Omusati regions, respectively. Super cropsAccording to agriculture executive director Percy Misika, the main objective of the project was to apply mutation breeding techniques to develop high-yielding, early-maturing, drought-tolerant and insect-, pest- and disease-resistant crop varieties. Under the project, three major staple crops, namely mahangu, sorghum and cowpea seed selected varieties, were exposed to radiation using gamma rays at the IAEA Seibersdorf laboratories in Vienna, Austria. During this process, seven mutant cowpea varieties were selected and five were sent to the Seed Services Institute in Zimbabwe for a distinct, uniformity and stability (DUS) test. The DUS test is meant to assess whether released varieties are different from existing varieties in at least one morphological characteristic at the vegetative, flowering and pre-harvesting stage of crop development. All five cowpea mutant variants passed the DUS test, Misika said. Food securityThe new variants are an addition to the three existing varieties (Nakare, Bira and Shindimba) and will contribute to food security at both household and national levels. “The ministry will ensure there is sufficient quality-certified seed of the new varieties for distribution to farming communities across the country,” Misika said. He added the production of foundation seeds of these varieties has already commenced at crop research stations across the country. “Crop production provides the basic sustenance for many people living in the crop-growing regions of Namibia, who depend mainly on agriculture for their livelihoods.” New and improvedMisika said the sustained increase in agricultural production and productivity depends - to a large extent - on the development of new and improved varieties of crops and efficient systems for the timely supply of inputs. “Seed is an especially important determinant of crop production potential, on which the efficacy of other agricultural inputs depends. Seed of appropriate characteristics is required to meet the demands of diverse agroclimatic conditions and intensive cropping systems.”

New cowpea seeds for Namibia

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-05

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New cowpea seeds for Namibia

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-05

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