Future research needs, priorities, and strategies

Abstract

During the final workshop discussion sessions it was agreed that optimizing phosphorus (P) nutrition of sorghum, pigeonpea, groundnut, and cowpea is a high priority area that requires immediate attention. Whereas considerable progress has been made in breeding for pest and disease resistant cultivars of crops, little has been achieved in breeding for nutrient uptake and use by crops. In the low-P, adverse rainfall regions of the semi-arid tropics (SAT), no improved cultivar has a reasonable chance of achieving substantial and sustainable yield levels in farmers’ fields unless the critical constraint of P deficiency is addressed by adapting crops to the existing soil conditions.