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Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an essential stable food crop in Sub-Saharan Africa commonly consumed amongst the low-income communities in Africa. Though cassava roots and leaf have vast economic and commercial benefits, it produces cyanogenic glycosides, which are toxic and most often responsible for the bitter taste of some cassava cultivars. The study evaluates the cassava roots and leaves' cyanogenic potential and dry matter content of the Genetic Gain Assessment trial grown in a different environment. It establishes the association between the cyanogenic potential (CNP) and the roots and leaves dry matter (DM). Genetic Gain Assessment (GGA) cassava genotypes (N = 400) selected for the Uniform Yield Trial (UYT) breeding stage were planted under IVS (Dry season in Inland Valley Hydromorphic area) and Upland (rain-fed conditions) in two locations of IITA Research Farms, namely; Ibadan (IVS and Upland) and Mokwa (Upland) in Nigeria. The CNP content of cassava leaves in IVS, Mokwa, and Upland ranged from 3.39 to 272.16 mg/100 g, 4.28 to 228.72 mg/100 g, and 13.13 to 127.39 mg/100 g, respectively. However, the respective CNP range in root samples across IVS, Mokwa, and Upland was 0.76-76.31 mg/100 g, 0.94-136.53 mg/100 g, and 2.37-47.11 mg/100 g. Also, the mean ± SD of DM content of leaves were 27.97 ± 3.01%, 28.81 ± 4.01%, and 13.65 ± 3.69%, respectively, in IVS, Mokwa, and Upland, while the root samples had mean ± SD of DM content of 38.09 ± 4.80%, 32.69 ± ,5.93% and 24.63 ± 5.07% respectively. Furthermore, location and genotype had a highly significant effect (p < 0.001) on the CNP and DM of roots and leaves. Also, linear regressions were established between CNP and DM of root and leaf with regression equation; DM-Root = 1.1999*DM-Leaf (r = 0.956) and CNP-Root = 0.29006*CNP-Leaf (r = 0.54). The relationship between the DM (root and leaf) and CNP (root and leaf) could serve as a valuable "inter-prediction" tool for these parameters., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Improved varieties have agronomic advantages over local varieties,but not much attention has been given to understand the nutritional content of the improved cowpea varieties released in Swaziland. This study investigated the physical and nutritional properties of improved cowpea varieties released in Swaziland. Five improved varieties (IT-04K-321-2, IT-97K-390-2, IT-18, IT-16, and IT-99K-494-6) and one local variety (Mtilane, as check) were analyzed for physical and chemical properties. The results showed that there were variations in seed weight as the values ranged between 12.5 and 18.5 g per 100 g seed weight. The protein content ranged from 25.38% to 27.56% with no significant difference (P < 0.05) between the improved varieties  and the local variety, ash content ranged between 3.47 and 6.84%, crude fiber was between 5.81 and 15.08%, and carbohydrate ranged from 45.64 to 57.12%.  Contents of calcium ranged from 9 to 36 mg/100 g and of iron from  2.0 to 2.4 mg/kg, with significant differences (P  < 0.05)  between the varieties with highest and the lowest values. Zinc content ranged from 7 mg/kg to 8 mg/kg, with no significant difference (P >0.05) among the varieties. The improved varieties have high seed weight, which is an essential factor that farmers consider when choosing a variety to adopt. In terms of addressing nutritional security, the crop is suitable for addressing protein-energy malnutrition and formulating blends for baby foods in Swaziland.