Plant Resources of Tropical Africa

Handy resource books for Agricultural Colleges

PROTA handbooks are proving vital resources for agricultural colleges.  First it was Baraka Agricultural College in Kenya to recognize the resourcefulness of PROTA information (handbooks) and incorporate them in training of the agricultural students. Another agricultural college to recognize and make PROTA information part and parcel of their training resources is Botswana College of Agriculture (BCA), a parastatal under the Ministry of Agriculture and an associate institution of the University of Botswana.   The college offers programs in agriculture from Diplomas to Bachelors and Masters Degrees.

Dr Khebadire Mogotsi , states that PROTA information has been used extensively in curriculum development in the Department of Crop Science and Production (CSP).  The Department teaches and conducts relevant research in the field of crop science and production. It consists of six main disciplines: agronomy, crop protection, horticulture, forestry and range ecology and soil science.

For instance, PROTA handbooks have been used as main resource materials for the following courses:

1. Principles of Crop Production (PROTA handbooks  on cereals & pulses; vegetables and; dyes &tannins)

2. Field Crop Production  (PROTA handbooks  on cereals & pulses; Vegetables and; dyes &tannins)

3. Field Crop Production and Practices (PROTA handbooks  on cereals &pulses; vegetables and; dyes &tannins)

4. Legumes, Oilseeds and Fibre Crops (PROTA handbooks  on cereals & pulses; vegetables and; dyes & tannins)

5. Agrofroestry (PROTA handbooks  on cereals & pulses; vegetables and; dyes & tannins)

6. Cereal Crops (PROTA handbooks  on cereals & pulses and dyes & tannins)

7. Vegetable Production (PROTA handbook on vegetables)

8. Pulses and Oilseed Crops (PROTA handbook 1: Cereals & pulses)

9. Grain Cereal Crop Production (PROTA handbook 1: Cereals & pulses)

10. Integrated Natural Resources Management ( Protabase)

Theses and dissertations have also been prepared by students with focus areas identified from PROTA information. For instance, in 2006/2007 academic year, students’ special projects supervised in CSP department, 65% were on the following areas proposed in the PROTA recommend…series.

New uses for “old” crops grown under Botswana conditions.  Such as dyes in sorghum,  potential sources of bioenergy as  maize/sweet sorghum, jathropha, oil in melon seeds and other potential crops ; Tylosema esculentum, Bauhinia seeds and truffles;

1. Evaluation of potential dry land crops including Vigna subterranea and Moringa oleifera for their uses and adaptation has been conducted;

2. Investigation on economic and health benefits of various potential (new) crop species;

3. Integrated pest and diseases control strategies using botanicals as allelopathitic effects of sorghums on weeds & antioxidants plant reservoirs (Artemisia, Lippia, Khalahari desert truffles etc) and;

4. Possible benefits of parasitism for disease control (gene transfer)

In addition, Botswana Newer Crops Research and Development Initiative (BONCREDI), a group collaborating with NGOs & international organizations, initiated activities on documentation of Botswana plant resources using modified PROTA format, and setting up community learning resource centers for collecting and bioassay ‘useful’ plants of Botswana, according to Dr Mogotsi

The objectives of BONCREDI are to promote research and development of newer crops for increased crop plant species or alternative crops, income & on farm employment generation, on farm biodiversity, environmental conservation and combating desertification.  The crops include indigenous and exotic high value plant species.  Documentation has been initiated on at least 34 species with most of the information coming from PROTA.