The University of Port Harcourt (Uniport) was established in 1975 as a public university. As one of the oldest universities in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, studies and research in UniPort focus on the sciences (biological, chemical and physical), agriculture, humanities, social and economic development of the region as well as engineering, medical and pharmaceutical sciences.

The Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology trains students in both basic and applied plant sciences using techniques in molecular biology, tissue culture, genomics, bioinformatics, and more. Its goal is to give students the knowledge, concepts, and technical skills in plant science and biotechnology to meet critical societal and national needs related to nutrition, agricultural economy, and the conservation of indigenous plants.

Nigeria produces more beans and grains than any other country in the region. Yet many Nigerians lack access to these foods year-round, and what were once healthy staples of the Nigerian diet have become less common at mealtimes.

Part of the problem, according to Ikechukwu Agbagwa, PhD, (right) professor of taxonomy and molecular biology at the University of Port Harcourt, is that the local legumes take a long time to prepare and cook. They are also more difficult to package or precook, so they often have a shorter shelf life as well.

Professor Agbagwa and Dr. Blessing Odogwu, (left) a lecturer in the department, are studying the genetics of indigenous legumes. They hope to breed varieties that are quicker to cook, easier to package and preserve, and  give farmers the highest yield.

Currently, with support from RUFORUM/Carnegie Co-operation of New York, and the International Foundation for Science, they are focusing on six indigenous of legumes, including the African yam bean and cowpea.

They hope that optimizing the variety of legumes currently on the market will give Nigerians better access to nutritious food and help farmers compete favorably in both the local and international markets.

However, the Department of Plant Sciences and Biotechnology's labs lack the equipment needed to analyze genetic materials. Currently, researchers have to outsource samples for screening and molecular analysis, which comes at the expense of both time and resources. This also affects training and capacity-building in the use of these technologies.

"The biggest challenges in our research are delays in completion of research projects and poor quality of results due to the types and state of lab equipment available to us," Professor Agbagwa says.

With equipment from Seeding Labs, Prof. Agbabwa and Dr. Odogwu will be prepared to continue their work in UniPort's own labs.

The potential to make a difference in Nigeria is enormous, says Prof. Agbagwa. He and his colleagues are eager to contribute to the nation's development by "putting to good use their knowledge and expertise enabled by the availability of equipment and funding."

With the necessary equipment in place, Prof. Agbagwa sees future research avenues investigating the impact of climate change on legumes in the Niger Delta, improving yields for farmers and enhancing household food security for Nigerians.