Several species of herbivores feed on maize in field and storage setups, making the development of multiple insect resistance a critical breeding target. In this study, an association mapping panel of 341 tropical maize lines was evaluated in three field environments for resistance to fall armyworm (FAW), whilst bulked grains were subjected to a maize weevil (MW) bioassay and genotyped with Diversity Array Technology’s single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) markers. A multi-locus genome-wide association study (GWAS) revealed 62 quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) associated with FAW and MW resistance traits on all 10 maize chromosomes, of which, 47 and 31 were discovered at stringent Bonferroni genome-wide significance levels of 0.05 and 0.01, respectively, and located within or close to multiple insect resistance genomic regions (MIRGRs) concerning FAW, SB, and MW. Sixteen QTNs influenced multiple traits, of which, six were associated with resistance to both FAW and MW, suggesting a pleiotropic genetic control. Functional prioritization of candidate genes (CGs) located within 10–30 kb of the QTNs revealed 64 putative GWAS-based CGs (GbCGs) showing evidence of involvement in plant defense mechanisms. Only one GbCG was associated with each of the five of the six combined resistance QTNs, thus reinforcing the pleiotropy hypothesis. In addition, through in silico co-functional network inferences, an additional 107 network-based CGs (NbCGs), biologically connected to the 64 GbCGs, and differentially expressed under biotic or abiotic stress, were revealed within MIRGRs. The provided multiple insect resistance physical map should contribute to the development of combined insect resistance in maize.

Genomic selection (GS) can accelerate variety improvement when training set (TS) size and its relationship with the breeding set (BS) are optimized for prediction accuracies (PAs) of genomic prediction (GP) models. Sixteen GP algorithms were run on phenotypic best linear unbiased predictors (BLUPs) and estimators (BLUEs) of resistance to both fall armyworm (FAW) and maize weevil (MW) in a tropical maize panel. For MW resistance, 37% of the panel was the TS, and the BS was the remainder, whilst for FAW, random-based training sets (RBTS) and pedigree-based training sets (PBTSs) were designed. PAs achieved with BLUPs varied from 0.66 to 0.82 for MW-resistance traits, and for FAW resistance, 0.694 to 0.714 for RBTS of 37%, and 0.843 to 0.844 for RBTS of 85%, and these were at least two-fold those from BLUEs. For PBTS, FAW resistance PAs were generally higher than those for RBTS, except for one dataset. GP models generally showed similar PAs across individual traits whilst the TS designation was determinant, since a positive correlation (R = 0.92***) between TS size and PAs was observed for RBTS, and for the PBTS, it was negative (R = 0.44**). This study pioneered the use of GS for maize resistance to insect pests in sub-Saharan Africa.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) is a vital legume crop for Zambia’s urban and rural households. The crop is an important legume used as human and animal food and as a component of the agricultural production system, which improves the fertility of many depleted soils because of its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen. Government through the ministries of health and agriculture recommend its’ use. Despite the importance of cowpea in the nation, there is limited information on the crop along with its’ value chain components. This review aims to assemble pertinent information on cowpea and its value chain components in Zambia. A critical look through the food system from production to consumption reveals the prevailing gaps in knowledge and output. The information covered here touches on crop breeding, production, marketing, processing, and consumption. This paper delves into various literature, bringing out the salient issues that are not commonly discussed about on the crop. It is a situation analyses focusing on finding solutions to improving the relevance and appreciation of the crop. There is a need for agricultural policies to promote cowpea production and use with the active participation of relevant actors. This would create a conducive environment for determining user needs, and leading to the development of beneficial impact-related activities at various stages. The country needs to begin incorporating a variety of crops within the food system to complement maize to improve nutrient intake, contribute to climate-smart practices, and sustainability of agricultural practices within communities in Zambia.

Introduction: Appropriate complementary feeding from 6–23 months is essential for child growth and development, yet dietary diversity remains inadequate in many resource-constrained settings. Understanding contextual influences on feeding practices is important for improving child nutrition. Objective: This study examined qualitative evidence to identify dietary patterns and factors shaping complementary feeding among children aged 6–23 months in Chinyunyu, Rufunsa District, Zambia. Methods: This Framework Analysis applied Gale et al. (2013) and the WHO Infant and Young Child Feeding framework to interpret qualitative data. The study was conducted in drought-prone Chinyunyu Ward, Rufunsa District, Zambia. Participants included 24 women aged 18–49 years with a child under two years and seven mothers-in-law who participated in Photovoice and focus group discussions, alongside three husbands and four community leaders who participated in in-depth interviews. Results: Caregivers generally described awareness of recommended feeding practices; however, poverty, limited maternal decision-making power, and heavy workloads were perceived to constrain adherence. Diets cited were dominated by cereal-based porridges prepared with groundnuts, sugar, or salt. Groundnuts were reported as the main protein source, and reliance on them may have limited dietary diversity. Furthermore, increasing dependence on commercial foods was also perceived to undermine optimal complementary feeding. Conclusions: Despite awareness of recommended feeding practices, poverty, gendered resource control, and heavy workloads were reported to constrain adherence to WHO recommendations. Empowering women, improving livelihoods, and promoting affordable dietary diversity, including legumes beyond groundnuts, may strengthen complementary feeding and child nutrition.