UKZN Staff, students and
AGRA representatives attended the 2019 Spring Graduation at the UKZN Westville Sport Centre on the 12th of September 2019. IMCDA students Josia Chimwemwe, Zawadi Mwaikonyole and Olivia Chipeta graduated with their Master's degrees in Plant Breeding.
The day kicked off with a breakfast function at the UKZN Agriculture campus. AGRA Programme Officer Dr Rufaro Madakadze, Dr Julia Sibiya (Programme Manager for UKZN) and Caroline Adala-Oremo (AGRA) congratulated the students on their achievements and encouraged them to focus on breeding more seed varieties for Africa.
Dr Rufaro Madakadze | 
Ms Caroline Adala-Oremo |
Graduation Ceremony
Our Graduates
| | Mr Zawadi Angomwile Mwaikonyole
Using molecular markers, estimating variance components, correlation and the path coefficients of yield and related traits, and determining genotype by the environment interaction effects and stability of grain yield in early maturing maize hybrids under optimum and low nitrogen environments, Mwaikonyole set out to determine genetic diversity in maize inbred lines.
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Ms Olivia Chipeta
Chipeta set out to contribute to the groundnut sector in her home country, Malawi after learning how big a problem the presence of aflatoxin in groundnuts poses. The poisonous carcinogens are produced by certain moulds found in soil, decaying vegetation, hay, and grains, and are regularly found in staple commodities like groundnut that are not correctly stored.
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 | Mr Josia Chimwemwe
Josia evaluated maize hybrids for low-nitrogen tolerance, yield stability and genetic purity. He tested the yield performance and stability of single cross maize hybrids under low Nitrogen (N) stress, and conducted molecular marker-based genetic purity analyses on the maize parental lines and the resultant hybrids to test their quality. Using hybrids from three locations, Potchefstroom, Vaalharts and Cedara, Josia identified 13 single cross maize hybrids that are genetically pure, tolerant to low N, high yielding and stable across locations.
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