Dr Kwame Shamuyarira

Position

Lecturer

Department

Plant Sciences

ShamuyariraKW@ufs.ac.za

Office

Short CV

I am a plant breeder and quantitative geneticist with experience in crop improvement, quantitative genetics, and multi-environment field experimentation, primarily in maize, wheat, and sorghum. My research builds on classical quantitative genetics and increasingly integrates advanced statistical and genomic approaches, including linear mixed models and genome-wide association studies (GWAS), to identify marker–trait associations and support predictive breeding. I have a record of peer-reviewed publications, international conference participation, and postgraduate supervision. My work seeks to integrate traditional breeding with modern genomic tools to improve selection efficiency and contribute to sustainable food security. I obtained my BSc Agriculture (Crop Science and Horticulture) in 2013 at the University of Fort Hare, MSc in Plant Breeding with distinction in 2019, and PhD Plant Breeding in 2023, at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. My MSc in Plant Breeding and PhD in Plant Breeding were funded by the National Research Foundation and the Water Research Commission.

In 2023, I was appointed as a lecturer in the Plant Breeding Division at the University of the Free State.

Publications

1. Endalamaw C, Kebede F, Labuschagne M, Menamo T, Wondimu Z, Shamuyarira KW, Jacoby A and Tekle HT. 2026. Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Consistent genomic loci for Yield and Nutritional Quality in Sorghum Landraces. Plant Genome. 19, e70201. https://doi.org/10.1002/tpg2.70201
2. Endalamaw C, Shamuyarira K, Mekonnen TW, Labuschagne M. 2026. Grain and biofuel production potential of sweet sorghum genotypes under variable fertilizer regimes in Ethiopian agroecologies. Cogent Food & Agriculture. 12(1):2635772. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2026.2635772
3. Mutanda M, Chaplot V, Shimelis H, Shamuyarira KW, Figlan S. 2024. Determinants of the accuracy of using carbon isotopes in estimating water use efficiency of selected cereal and legume crops: A global perspective. Food and Energy Security. 13:e522. https://doi.org/10.1002/fes3.522
4. Ngidi A, Shimelis H, Chaplot V, Shamuyarira K, Figlan S. 2024. Biomass allocation and carbon storage in the major cereal crops: A meta-analysis. Crop Science. 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.21294
5. Rouamba A, Shimelis H, Drabo I, Shamuyarira KW, Mrema E. 2024. Management of the Striga epidemics in pearl millet production: a review. CABI Agriculture and Bioscience. 5(1):11.
6. Shamuyarira KW, Shimelis H, Figlan S, Chaplot V. 2023. Combining ability analysis of yield and biomass allocation related traits in newly developed wheat populations. Scientific Reports. 13(1): 11832. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-38961-6
7. Shamuyarira, KW, Shimelis H, Mathew I, Zengeni R and Chaplot V. 2022. A meta-analysis of combining ability effects in wheat for agronomic traits and drought adaptation: implications for optimizing biomass allocation. Crop Science. 62(1): 139-156. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20644
8. Shamuyarira KW, Shimelis H, Mathew I, Shayanowako A, Zengeni R, Chaplot V. 2022. Comparative genetic diversity analysis for biomass allocation and drought tolerance in wheat. Agronomy. 12(6): 1457.
9. Shamuyarira KW, Shimelis H, Figlan S, and Chaplot V. 2022. Path coefficient and principal component analyses for biomass allocation, drought tolerance and carbon sequestration potential in wheat. Plants, 11: 1407. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11111407
10. Shamuyarira KW, Shimelis H, Tapera T and Tsilo TJ. 2019. Genetic advancement of newly developed wheat populations under drought-stressed and non-stressed conditions. Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology, 22(2): 169-176. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12892-018-0262-0
11. Shamuyarira KW, Shimelis H, Tapera T, Mathew I and Tsilo TJ. 2019. Correlation and path coefficient analyses of yield and yield components in drought tolerant bread wheat populations. South African Journal of Plant and Soil. 36(5): 367-374. https://doi.org/10.1080/02571862.2019.1626500

Research

My research focuses on the application of quantitative genetics, biometrics, and genomics to accelerate crop improvement and support sustainable agricultural systems. I integrate advanced statistical methods, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), mixed linear models, multivariate analyses, and multi-environment trial approaches to investigate the genetic basis of complex traits and improve selection efficiency in breeding programmes. A major component of my work centres on sorghum pre-breeding and germplasm enhancement through collaborative initiatives aimed at developing resilient, high-performing cultivars adapted to diverse production environments. In parallel, I conduct research on maize nutrition and genomics, examining the genetic factors underlying grain quality, nutritional composition, and agronomic performance to support the development of nutritionally enhanced maize varieties.

My research also extends to horticultural crops, where I am involved in the development of selection indices for plum breeding programmes. This work combines quantitative genetics and multi-trait selection methodologies to identify superior genotypes and improve breeding decisions across complex trait combinations. Through these research activities, I seek to bridge quantitative genetics, genomics, and practical plant breeding to deliver scientifically robust and industry-relevant solutions. My work is supported through collaborative projects, postgraduate student supervision, peer-reviewed publications, and competitive research funding.

Area(s) of Interest

• Quantitative genetics and genomic selection
• Genotype × environment interaction and stability analysis
• Statistical genetics and mixed models in plant breeding
• AI and machine learning applications in breeding
• Crop improvement under climate variability
• Experimental design and analysis of multi-environment trials
• High-throughput phenotyping and data integration

Expertise

• Quantitative Genetics and Statistical Genomics – Development and application of quantitative genetic models to understand complex trait inheritance and support crop improvement.

• Plant Breeding and Pre-breeding – Design, implementation, and analysis of breeding programmes, including germplasm evaluation, selection strategies, and cultivar development.

• Biometrics and Experimental Design – Design and analysis of field experiments, multi-environment trials, and agricultural research studies using advanced statistical methodologies.

• Genomic Analysis and Gene Discovery – Genome-wide association studies (GWAS), genomic prediction, marker-trait association analysis, and integration of phenotypic and genotypic datasets.

• Crop Improvement Research – Genetic improvement of sorghum, maize, and horticultural crops, with interests spanning agronomic performance, nutritional quality, adaptation, and resilience.

• Selection Theory and Breeding Analytics – Development of multi-trait selection indices and decision-support tools for field and horticultural breeding programmes, including plum breeding.

• Data Science for Agriculture – Mixed-model analysis, genotype-by-environment interaction analysis, multivariate statistics, data visualisation, and reproducible analytical workflows.

• Postgraduate Training and Research Supervision – Teaching, mentoring, and supervision in quantitative genetics, plant breeding, biometrics, and applied agricultural statistics.

• Research and Grant Development – Research project design and management, scientific publishing, collaborative research, and competitive grant proposal development.

Courses Presented

BLGY1643 - The Interdependence of Plants and Life on Earth; NQF level 6, 12 credits, 2nd semester module

PLTB4814 - Advanced Quantitative Genetics in Plant Breeding (4th years)

PLTB6814 - Advanced Quantitative Genetics in Plant Breeding (post-graduates)

PLT6874 – Advanced Statistics for Plant Sciences

PLTB 4806

PLTB 4808

PLTB 8900 – MSc students` supervision

PLTB 9100 – PhD students` supervision

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BLOEMFONTEIN CAMPUS FACULTY CONTACT

Elfrieda van den Berg (Marketing Manager)
T: +27 51 401 2531
E:vdberge@ufs.ac.za

QWAQWA CAMPUS FACULTY CONTACT

Dilahlwane Mohono (Faculty Officer)
T: +27 58 718 5284
E:naturalscienceqq@ufs.ac.za

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