Chitedze

The team is responsible for plant nutrition, soil fertility, mapping and conservation investigations as well as agroforestry. The team also works on aflatoxin and other mycotoxins in food products and biological nitrogen fixation in grain legume cropping systems.

Area of research

(i) modifying recommendations for nitrogen and phosphurus fertilizer rates and liming for different crops.
(ii) evaluating soybean varieties for response to rhizobia inoculation,
(iii) evaluating crops for tolerance to soil acidity and adaptability to minimum tillage,
(iv) classification of soil for various crops under rainfed and irrigated conditions and
(v) evaluating improved fallows and intercropping using pigeons, Sesbania sesban and Tephrosia vogelii, Crotalaria and other species.

Achievements
Recommended practices

(i) crop rotation system for soil fertility improvements and maintenance
(ii) the use of organic and inorganic fertilizers
(iii) cultivation and land preparation methods that conserve soil and water
(iv) alley cropping and intercropping hybrid maize with Leucaena leucephala and Acacia albidia, respectively.
(v) inoculation of legumes with rhizobia

Publications
(i) Soils map of Malawi and specific agro-ecologies.
(ii) Malawi Agroforestry Newsletter