BUAN

Prof. Samodimo Ngwako

Associate Professor

Faculty of Agriculture
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences (CSS)

Private Bag 0027 Gaborone
3650100
sngwako@buan.ac.bw

^{Prof. Samodimo Ngwako has served as the Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs and Research, Dean of Research and Graduate Studies and Head of Department for Crop and Soil Sciences. Prof Ngwako has almost 20 years of teaching and research in the fields of agriculture, and has taught courses in agronomy, plant breeding, biotechnology and seed production. Prof. Ngwako has supervised postgraduate students and attended and presented at conferences and workshops in Botswana, Japan, Tanzania, Indonesia, Mali, Sweden and United Kingdom.}

^{Prof Ngwako has vast experience in university management in higher agricultural education, policy development and engagement, collaborations and partnership development and networking}

Plant breeding,
biotechnology
seed production

Useful Plants Project (UPP) Project II
Cultivation, value addition and marketing of climate smart emerging crops to improve food security.
Water Use Efficiency and Grain Quality of Crops under Water Deficit Conditions.
Making use of wild legumes to improve arable and livestock farming in Botswana.
Increasing community awareness and utilization of indigenous grains to improve nutrition security and livelihoods in Botswana
Interactive Use of Biochar and Permaculture (INBIOPERM) Approach to sustainable food production in Botswana, South Africa and Swaziland.
Useful Plants Project (UPP) Project I
Bambara groundnut (BAMLINK PROJECT)
Characterization and QTL analysis of wild and cultivated watermelons.
Breeding blackeye cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) for resistance to Alectra vogelli (L.) Benth in Botswana.

Molecular Marker Assisted Backcross Breeding Cowpea (MABC) Research Project.
Cowpea breeding for bruchid resistance.
UPSCALE Project: Upscaling Graduates’ Employability Tracking through the implementation of special Dual Career paths in Botswana and Eswatini

PUBLICATIONS

Ramolekwa, K.; Pholo-Tait, M.; Parker, T.; Malambane, G.; Ngwako, S.; Lekgari, L. Estimating Genetic Variability and Heritability of Morpho-Agronomic Traits of M5 Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) Mutant Lines. Int. J. Mol. Sci.2025, 26, 7543. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26157543.

Gaonosi, G.G.; Lekgari, L.; Mosupiemang, M.; Sehularo, M.N.; Tshegofatso, A.B.; Tiroesele, B.; Motlhaodi, T.; Ngwako, S.; Pholo-Tait, M. Phenotypic Screening and Marker-Assisted Validation of Sources of Aphis craccivora Koch Resistance in Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.). Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26, 4406. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26094406.

Ramolekwa, K., Pholo-Tait, M., Ngwako, S., Malambane, G., Lekgari, L. (2024). Agronomic and Physicochemical Characterization of Gamma Irradiation on M4 Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.) Mutants. Universal Journal of Agricultural Research, 12(5), 629-641. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujar.2024.120502.

Kgasudi, B. K., Ngwako, S., Malambane, G., Pholo_Tait, M., & Lekgari, L. A. (2024). Genetic Variability, Heritability, Correlation and Path Coefficient Analysis of Growth and Yield Traits of Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp] Parental Genotypes and their F1 Crosses. European Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences, 6(5), 17–28. https://doi.org/10.24018/ejfood.2024.6.5.821

Motlalepula Pholo-Tait, Thuto Kgetse, Gaone Nthabeleng Tsheko, Olerato Tsotlhe Thedi, Katso Lethola, Ebenezer Oteng Motlamme, Moagisi Innocent Ithuteng, Samodimo Ngwako (2022). Genotypic variation in response to drought stress is associated with biochemical and transcriptional regulation of ureides metabolism in common bean (Phaseolus vulgarisL.). Acta Agriculturae Slovenica, 188/2, 1-9. Doi:10.14720/aas.2022.118.2.2541.

C. Gwafila, U. Batlang and S. Ngwako (2019). Morphological and molecular characterization of Jatropha curcas L. germplasm in Botswana. African Journal of Biotechnology, 18(28): 726-734. DOI: 10.5897/AJB2019.16845. ISSN: 1684-5315.

N. Bernard, M. Losologolo, U. Batlang, S. Ngwako, G. N. Mashungwa, N. M. Tselaesele and F. Pule-Meulenberg (2017). Symbiotic performance of grain and wild herbaceous legumes in the Okavango Delta and Tswapong region of Botswana. Symbiosis, ISSN 0334-5114, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13199-017-0515-2.

O. Moatshe, P. Mashiqa, L. Lekgari and S. Ngwako (2015). Effect of planting date on yield of maize varieties grown in the north east region of Botswana. Crop Research, 49 (2): 8-11.

S. Ngwako, T. V. Balole and G. Malambane (2013). The effect of irrigation and planting date on the growth and yield of Bambara groundnut landraces. International Journal of Agriculture and Crop Sciences, 6 (3): 116-120.

P. Mashiqa, L. Lekgari and S. Ngwako (2013). Effect of plant density on yield and yield components of maize in Botswana. World of Sciences Journal, 1 (7): 173-179. ISSN: 2307-3071. http://engineerspress.com/pdf/WSJ/2013-07/a17%20_WSJ-131717_.pdf